What is Xbox Game Pass? Core, Console, PC, and Ultimate explained

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service for games, often described as "Netflix for games". It exists alongside other similar subscriptions, such as Sony's PlayStation Now. It also used to exist alongside EA Access, until this service was renamed EA Play and brought under the Xbox Game Pass banner earlier this year for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, although it's still not available for Xbox Game Pass for PC — more on that later. You have access to all of the games in the Xbox Game Pass service, and can download them all, but you can't stream them. This is a direct contrast to PlayStation Now, which used to be purely a streaming service letting games be played instantly without downloading anything, but is now starting to allow some games to be downloaded. Downloading titles isn't really a bad price to pay for all of the games you have at your fingertips in Game Pass, including both Xbox Game Studios games and games from external studios.

Xbox Game Pass usually has hundreds of Xbox One and Xbox 360 backwards compatible games. Xbox's big exclusives are included, such as Starfield, Sea of Thieves, and the Gears and Halo franchises. Games from Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios, such as Ninja Theory, Double Fine and Playground Games, come straight to Xbox Game Pass on release. We'll also see games from Activision Blizzard joining Game Pass next year, which will add massive franchises like Call of Duty.

Microsoft announces new titles each month, along with those that are leaving, and there are nearly always a few surprise additions mid-month. We've got a full list of all the games in Xbox Game Pass here, which is regularly updated, along with all of the Xbox Game Pass news here, which you can check for details on which titles are coming to and leaving Game Pass.

On top of the hundreds of games already in Xbox Game Pass, there are several new titles are added every month, with a few other titles gradually being rotated out as the new ones arrive. Check out our list of the upcoming game pass games to see what's on the horizon.

Once you're a Game Pass member, you can see all of the titles available to download under the "Ready to install" and "Game Pass" tabs. It is a bit like Netflix: overwhelming at first, and you might spend the first few times flicking through all of the games available in an attempt to choose what one to try first. Once you've taken the plunge and picked a few, you can download them into your library, and once downloaded, they'll show up under "My games and apps". You'll then have access to the game for the entirety of its time on the Xbox Game Pass service.

There's a "Leaving Game Pass soon" tab to help you keep track of what might be leaving, and we make sure to publish articles each time games are leaving the service. Once they're gone, they can't be loaded unless you then purchase the game from the Microsoft Store;.

An Xbox Game Pass subscription also gets you member discounts and deals. So if you're playing a game through the service and decide to buy it for yourself, to keep even if it leaves Xbox Game Pass (or if you unsubscribe), you'll be able to do so at a discount of up to 20% off, or up to 10% off DLCs.

There are four tiers of Xbox Game Pass to choose from: Core, Console, PC, and Ultimate:

• Xbox Game Pass Core costs £7.99/$9.99 per month
• Xbox Game Pass Console costs £8.99/$10.99 per month
• Xbox Game Pass PC costs £7.99/$9.99 per month
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs £12.99/$16.99 per month

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combines Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Network (formerly Xbox Live) into one bundle, along with the entire EA Play catalog. It means that there's a plan for everyone; for those who want to be able to choose a plan to fit what they want to play on specifically, or for those who want everything at once instead of buying it separately, so that they have access to Xbox Game Pass on console and PC, as well as access to online multiplayer via Xbox Network.

If you just want access to multiplayer (and a limited selection of games), you can get Xbox Game Pass Core for $10 per month. This gives access you to the online multiplayer network. So if you just want access to the Game Pass games on your Xbox, you can get Xbox Game Pass. If you want to be able to access Game Pass on both console and PC, and have access to the online multiplayer, you can get them all together in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Game Pass for PC is much the same as Xbox Game Pass. It offers over 100 PC games on Windows 10, and you can see the full list of games for Xbox Game Pass for PC here. The only difference tends to be the games released for the service each month. Usually, they're available for both Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC, with just one or two changes; occasionally a title is only available for one or the other. Xbox Game Pass for PC costs the same per month as Xbox Game Pass, but has an introductory price of $1 for the first 14 days.

There are a couple of different ways – check out our guide to canceling Xbox Game Pass for more info.


So, a roundup: Xbox Game Pass gets you hundreds of Xbox One and Xbox 360 backwards compatible games for a monthly fee with new games added every month. If you just want access to those games on console, Xbox Game Pass might be the best one. However, if you also want access to online multiplayer, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and the EA Play catalog, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best bundle. The benefits included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate do tie in with each other; for instance, Sea of Thieves is included in Xbox Game Pass, but requires an Xbox Game Pass Core or Ultimate membership to play online. If you're not sure about Ultimate, you can make use of the current offer and try it out for 14 days for $1.