Xbox Game Pass offers unlimited access to more than 100 games

By Gabe Gurwin February 28, 2017

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If you just purchased an Xbox One and were hoping to quickly build up your library of games, you now have another option that could save you some serious dough. Xbox Game Pass is a new subscription service that grants users access to some of the biggest games on both Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Available this spring on Xbox One and, at least in some capacity, on Windows 10, Xbox Game Pass will include unlimited access to games like Halo 5: Guardians, Mad Max, Payday 2, and Saints Row IV: Re-Elected for $10 a month.

The available games will change on a monthly basis as we’ve seen with movie and television streaming services, with some games exiting the program, though if you find a game in the program that you wish to keep permanently, Xbox Game Pass will take off 20 percent of its original price.

Microsoft said that the total number of games available through the program across Xbox One and Xbox 360 will be over 100, though it’s unclear how many of these will actually be playable on PC. Currently, most major Microsoft-published games — as well as a selection of other AAA Xbox One releases — support Xbox Play Anywhere, and grant access to both console and PC versions. The earlier Xbox One lineup, however, which includes Halo 5: Guardians, have never been playable on PC before.

If Xbox Game Pass were set up like PlayStation Now, the answer would be simple: streaming games to the PC instead of offering native support. But that isn’t the case with Xbox Game Pass, which has users downloading the full version of games to consoles to mitigate lag and allow for offline play.

“Select” users enrolled in the Xbox Insider Program will be able to try out Xbox Game Pass starting today, with the service planned to launch later this spring to the general public. Xbox Live Gold subscribers will also be granted access prior to the program’s official launch, though it’s not clear just how soon that will be.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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