Sony was the winner of the PS4 versus Xbox One "battle." Also, with the success of Nintendo Switch, Microsoft could even risk falling to the third place. However, the "Xbox Game Pass" is an ambitious new service by Microsoft in an effort to improve the situation. Through this specific service, we can gain access to many Xbox One titles and certain PC ones.
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What is the Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is a service similar to Netflix, but for games, or at least its producers aspire to success equivalent to that of Netflix. So, to sum it up, it is a service with a monthly subscription fee that offers its users unlimited access to several games.
With our subscription, we gain access to a series of games for the Xbox One, the Xbox 360, and some cross-platform games that we can play on our computer.
The games are constantly refreshed, and we can even find very recent titles such as Sea of Thieves.
'Play Anywhere' Games
Play Anywhere games are games for Xbox One that we can play on our computer, too. The only condition is that we have to run Windows 10 on our computer.
It is an effort by Microsoft to create a "universe" in which Xbox One can connect to our PC. Almost all the Xbox exclusives fall under this category. Games such as Forza 7, the Halo series, State of Decay 2, etc.
We can make the most of this advantage by combining it with Xbox Game Pass. For instance, by buying the Xbox Game Pass, we can play Gears of War 4 on our PC without any extra charge.
Cost
The subscription cost comes up to $10 per month if we buy the Xbox Game Pass straight from Microsoft. Of course, we could find it at an even lower price on well-known websites that sell cd-keys for games.
But such websites are not always reliable. This is why we would recommend caution if you consider using them.
There have been rumors or indications that stolen credit cards have been used for the purchase of said cd-keys and their resale.
Furthermore, some of them may require a photo of your credit card or even your ID for "security reasons." So, if you opt for one of these websites, be extra careful.
Which games are available?
At the moment, with Xbox Game Pass, we can gain access to more than 150 titles. The list is refreshed constantly, as new games are added every month.
Let's note that the games we can play are not trial versions.
Also, Microsoft offers Xbox Game Pass subscribers the opportunity to play all the games that the company designs. Titles such as Halo or Sea of Thieves are available to all subscribers, without additional cost.
Now, in terms of games available for PC, the list is unfortunately somehow shorter. However, Microsoft plans to add all the Xbox-exclusive titles on the day of their release.
Finally, with our subscription to Xbox Game Pass, we have a 20% discount on our game purchases, and a 10% discount on DLC purchases.
Buying the Xbox Game Pass
The process of buying the Xbox Game Pass is very simple. First, we go to Microsoft's page. Then we select whether we want to buy the Game Pass for ourselves or send it to a friend as a gift.
The next step is to enter our Microsoft e-mail. If we don't have a Microsoft account, we will have to create a new one.
Once we create our account or sign in to our existing one, we are ready to complete the purchase. Once it is complete, we will have to select a way of payment on the payment details window.
We can pay either by credit/debit card or via PayPal. The price is the same for either option. After we have filled in our card details or our Paypal account details, we are good to go.
For new users, Microsoft offers the Xbox Game Pass for a free 14-day trial. The only condition is to enter our credit/debit card details.
We will not be charged for the first two weeks. If we want to avoid further charges after the trial, we will have to cancel our subscription before the 14-day period is over.
Cancel subscription
Microsoft will, by default, refresh our subscription automatically every month. So, if we want to unsubscribe, we will have to cancel the service manually.
In order to do so, we first go to our Microsoft account, then to the Services and Subscriptions section, where we can see all the current subscriptions. We select "Turn off auto-renew," on the right of the Xbox Game Pass.
In the same way, we can enable the auto-renew of our subscription if we wish to.
Is it worth buying the Xbox Game Pass?
Microsoft promised us that it will continue to add games to Xbox Game Pass and that there will be more titles on 'Play Anywhere.' Until then, however, is it worth getting the monthly subscription?
If you have an Xbox One and you want to play many different games, then the subscription to this Microsoft service is definitely going to save you a lot of money.
With $10 per month and access to over 150 games, we can say that it is a service worth paying for.
But even if you don't have Microsoft's console, you will have access to titles such as Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3, the Forza series, and all the future Microsoft exclusives.
Money wise, we have the opportunity to play games which would individually cost 50 or 60 dollars, with only 10 dollars per month. And if we change our mind, we can simply cancel our subscription.
It is definitely worth taking the free trial for fourteen days. But don't forget to cancel your subscription in case you don't want to carry on using the service.
What is your opinion on the Xbox Game Pass?
Have you already gotten an Xbox Game Pass subscription? Are you thinking of giving it a go after reading this guide? Do you consider it to be worth the ten dollars per month? You can share your thoughts and questions with us in the comments below.
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