Microsoft Announces Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

At E3 today, Microsoft is taking Xbox Game Pass to the next level. The company is introducing two different offerings for Xbox Game Pass today.

First up, Xbox Game Pass is coming to PCs. We have been waiting a long while for this, and Microsoft is finally delivering today. Xbox Game Pass for PC Games is a new subscription from Microsoft that’s separate from the original Xbox Game Pass subscription. The new subscription will give users access to 100+ PC games (by August) on their Windows machines, and Microsoft will add new games to the service every month, just like the usual Xbox Game Pass. To support Xbox Game Pass for PC, Microsoft is even introducing a new Xbox app in beta that will essentially act as a launcher for the new PC games.

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And second, there’s the new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription that bundles Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold together. For $14.99 a month, you will be able to access all the Xbox Game Pass titles, as well as the benefits of Xbox Live Gold. For those with prepaid months of their Live Gold and Game Pass subscription left, Microsoft will count those towards their new Game Pass Ultimate subscription based on a conversion rate. You can get it for $1 today.

So with the new Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, there’s a bunch of different Xbox subscriptions you can get. Here’s a breakdown:

  • Xbox Game Pass for Console – $9.99 a month, 100+ Xbox games
  • Xbox Game Pass for PC – $9.99 a month ($4.99 beta pricing) a month, 100+ PC games
  • Xbox Live Gold – $9.99 a month, online multiplayer games, Games with Gold
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $14.99 a month, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass (console)

I feel like the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription pretty much completes the entire subscription offering from Microsoft. There’s no reason you would want to get Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass separately when you game on a PC and a console, and the Game Pass Ultimate subscription looks like a solid package.

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Conversation 12 comments

  • martinusv2

    Premium Member
    09 June, 2019 - 5:29 pm

    <p>But if I play on PC, the Game Pass for PC is the one to get right? Xbox Live doesn't do much on PC?</p>

  • Luis Emilio Padilla

    09 June, 2019 - 5:46 pm

    <p>For those without a console, aka the vast majority of the planet the only worthwhile addition is the Xbox Game Pass for PC, specially if Microsoft fulfills its promise of opening the Microsoft Store for all Win32 programs.</p>

    • allanwith

      09 June, 2019 - 6:08 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#434186">In reply to luis3007:</a></em></blockquote><p>True, but for those who do own an Xbox and a pc, the fact that ultimate actually does include the pc variant is good news.</p><p><br></p><p>Xbox Live Gold should honestly be phased out though. You shouldn’t have to pay extra to play online multiplayer today. I know that you get a couple free games as well, but those perks could be added to game pass instead. Microsoft probably doesn’t want to lose a source of revenue, but they really should let it go and find other ways to monetize. For instance, why does ultimate not come with something for mixer?</p>

      • phuor

        09 June, 2019 - 7:12 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#434193">In reply to allanwith:</a></em></blockquote><p>In practice I agree with you though could be a reason to pay for online gaming. Since most online games require a server component there need to be an incentive to keep those servers running.</p><p>If Xbox live gold could guarantee that it's valuable.</p>

    • dontbe evil

      10 June, 2019 - 2:20 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#434186">In reply to luis3007:</a></em></blockquote><p>how many of "mast majority of the planet" has a pc capable to run (all or some) video games ?</p>

      • Greg Green

        10 June, 2019 - 9:37 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#434290">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>His line was ‘For those without a console, aka the vast majority of the planet’. Most people on the planet don’t have&nbsp;&nbsp;a console, so he’s correct.</p><p><br></p><p>If you have a smartphone you can run the majority of video games, because the majority of video games are for mobile.</p>

  • sacrado

    09 June, 2019 - 7:34 pm

    <p>Paul, there's a clarification I can suggest that makes a huge difference. If you already have xbox live gold or game pass prepaid, when you join ultimate, it stacks your prepaid amounts together, and then continues ultimate from that point. Example can help make that clear. If you have 12 months xbox live prepaid, when you convert to ultimate for a dollar, you also have 12 months of ultimate. You don't have to pay for ultimate until the 12 months are up. In other words, you get 12 months of ultimate FOR A DOLLAR. Crazy stuff. Maybe microsoft didn't actually intend for it to be that way, but that's the way it works currently. The conversions only apply after you already have ultimate. So, people should pre-pay xbox gold into the future (up to 3 years), and then upgrade to ultimate, essentially for free. Well… a dollar.</p>

    • Cactushead

      10 June, 2019 - 8:25 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#434216">In reply to sacrado:</a></em></blockquote><p>A slight correction – If you have say 6 months of xbox live gold on your account and you then take advantage of the $1 for a month of ultimate – you get a total of 7 months of ultimate after which you will be charged a monthly subscription for ultimate.</p><p><br></p><p>This also applies to xbox gamepass months you already have on your account prior to upgrading for $1 ultimate plan.</p><p><br></p><p>So if you have 6 months of Xbox live gold AND 5 months of xbox gamepass on your account – for $1 upgrade to ultimate you will get a total of 12 month of ultimate for $1.</p><p><br></p><p>So make sure and stack those plans up BEFORE taking advantage of the $1 ultimate upgrade offer (max 36 months).</p><p><br></p>

      • sacrado

        10 June, 2019 - 12:59 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#434313">In reply to Cactushead:</a></em></blockquote><p>Good stuff! I maxed out my gold, so I didn't see that extra month. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      11 June, 2019 - 2:46 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#434216">In reply to sacrado:</a></em></blockquote><p>He had already reported that last month, with the Beta news.</p>

  • birju009

    02 July, 2019 - 3:01 am

    <p><a href="https://www.meetfitnessindia.com/2019/06/how-to-boost-testosterone-level-naturally-in-hindi.html&quot; target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">the new&nbsp;xbox game pass ultimate&nbsp;program is microsoft's &nbsp;next stage of its popular service. One of the big requests from subscribers has been a single program to combine subscriptions for Game Pass &nbsp;and Xbox&nbsp;Live Gold, and now,&nbsp;<strong>Microsoft</strong>&nbsp;is delivering. read full ARTICLES</a></p>

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