Skip to main content

Xbox Game Pass offers unlimited access to more than 100 games

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
3 Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (June 6-8)
A cat surrounded by ghost cats in Crypt Custodian.

As Xbox fans, we have a big weekend ahead of us. Summer Game Fest is well underway, but the real attraction comes on Sunday with the Xbox Games Showcase. There are tons of rumors swirling about what games will be shown. We already know that The Outer Worlds 2 will get its own dedicated direct, but who knows if we might see more of Fable, Perfect Dark, or State of Decay 3. Plus, could it be time for a new Halo? Sunday is right at the end of the weekend, so that leaves us with plenty of time to kill with some hot Game Pass games. There's even a good chance that Xbox will drop, or at least announce, a new game coming to Game Pass during the show so I wanted to make sure to put these games on your radar for this weekend just in case a surprise drop does come.

Crypt Custodian

Read more
Xbox Games Showcase 2025: How to watch and what to expect
The Xbox Games Showcase logo.

This year has a packed schedule for summer showcases. Summer Game Fest 2025 kicks off properly on June 6 with the opening showcase that will be the big draw, but you shouldn't ignore one of the last showcase of the weekend. Xbox Games Showcase could easily match the kickoff showcase in terms of surprise reveals, looks at upcoming Xbox games, and overall hype. With Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, and all its other first-party studios under its umbrella, we could be in for a groundbreaking show.

And non-Xbox players should tune in as well now that the days of exclusivity for Xbox is all but dead and it is willing to put its games on every platform it can. We don't want you to miss out on the last showcases of the event, so here's a quick rundown on how to watch it and what you can expect to see.

Read more
3 new Game Pass games to play this weekend (May 30-June 1)
Metaphor: ReFantazio cast of characters

The month of May isn't ending quietly. Elden Ring: Nightreign is sneaking in right at the buzzer to give souls fans a new way to engage with that hit formula in a co-op setting. Of course, we understand that style of game isn't for everyone and that leaves a bit of an awkward gap before the next upcoming Xbox game. As impressive as the first wave of Game Pass games was, the second is arguably better. Not only are we treated to one of the best games of 2024, but two day one additions. This is the perfect weekend to get a little weird and try out some unique games that might only be possible thanks to Game Pass. Let's kick off the summer on the right foot with my personal recommendations for what you should be playing this weekend.

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Read more