Is Microsoft Game Pass Worth The Cost?

Is it a cheap way into the Xbox eco-system or a waste of money?

In October 2020 whilst browsing through the game store on my Xbox One S I came across Game Pass. I had heard of it before but hadn’t looked into it in any detail but, on a whim, I decided to give it a try. On that first occasion, I downloaded ‘Forza Horizon 4’, ‘Ori and The Will of the Wisps’ and ‘Hell Blade: Senua’s Sacrifice’. I was impressed not only with the range of games available but also by the fact that I could simply uninstall a game I didn’t like without incurring any costs. For all the game’s many good qualities, I found ‘Hell Blade’ just didn’t do it for me. I was just happy that I had found this out without having to pay for the privilege.

Games Pass is Microsoft’s modern take on the game rental outlets of the past. Rather than renting the discs, of course, you download the games and have access to them for the length of your subscription, which costs £7.99 (UK) per month.

What Games Can You Play?

This service has a games catalogue that ranges from original Xbox titles, though Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S titles. At present, there are over 100 titles available to play. Each month new titles are added to the Game Pass roster and at the time of writing, there are 11 recently added titles including Xbox Series X/S Optimised versions of the latest releases such as Medium. In total, I counted 31 Series X/S optimised titles which make owning one of the newest consoles much more cost-effective, as you no longer have to factor the cost of expensive games into your purchase decision.

Game Pass Ultimate

The bigger sibling of Game Pass is Game Pass Ultimate. This costs £10.99 (UK) per month and in addition to the standard Game Pass attributes listed above, it also allows you access to games from the Electronic Arts back catalogue. This gives you access to a multitude of Star Wars games, plus shooters, racing titles, sports games, and many others. Ultimate also allows access to these games not only on a console but also on Android devices and Windows PC’s. In this manner, your games can be played on the move or as Microsoft puts it, “Play Anywhere”.

My experience with Game Pass

I was lucky enough to secure a new Xbox Series S on launch day, and I bought Dirt5 X/S with my new console. This remains the only title I have purchased for it to date. Don’t get me wrong, I have played many more games on my console, but with the help of Game Pass, I only had to buy one outright. I love Gears5 X/S Optimised in addition to the X/S Optimised version of Forza Horizon 4. These look quite simply stunning. I had played Forza Motorsport 7 on my Xbox One S but downloaded it again and was surprised at how much quicker the load times are with the new console, making it much more enjoyable to play. I have also downloaded and enjoyed The Witcher 3 from the back catalogue. As for new releases, I am very much looking forward to playing Medium X/S next.

I was fairly dubious about Game Pass in the beginning. I couldn’t see the point of playing original Xbox and Xbox 360 games on my Xbox One. My purchase of the Xbox Series S compounded matters when I was unsure of going to the expense of purchasing a next-gen console only to play older games that couldn’t make use of the extra graphical horsepower available. As before, on a whim, I tried the older games in the catalogue and found I still enjoyed playing them on my new hardware.

I came to the belated conclusion that good gameplay is good gameplay, regardless of the graphical prowess on show. I was able to dive deep into the archives and experience great games that I had missed the first time around, and with the fast resume and fast load times of the new consoles, the experience was smoother than it would have been originally. I also downloaded great games that I can remember playing on the original Xbox and was happy to unearth the memories of playing them before. Then there are the new Xbox Series X/S Optimised games that are added to Game Pass every month and the new Microsoft exclusives that will come in the future.

Final Thoughts

I have enjoyed my experience with Game Pass. There are enough new Series X/S releases and optimised older titles to display the sumptuous visuals my console is capable of. There are some great games, dating back to the original console, that I missed the first time, and then there are those great games that are wonderful to get re-acquainted with. For me, the £7.99 subscription cost is on par with that of some TV subscription services and as I like to play games, and the vintage of those games no longer bothers me, this is a cost I am happy to live with.

There will be people for sure, who will not want to play mainly older titles on their new hardware and will bemoan the relative lack of new release Series X/S games. This is, of course, a valid point and Game Pass won’t be for everyone. For those, like myself, who cannot afford nor justify the expense of buying new games regularly, this subscription service can provide access to the Xbox games library and eco-system at a more manageable cost.