Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass launched 50 games on day one in 2023, offering a wide range of titles to subscribers.
- Microsoft's subscription gaming service is a great value for non-casual gamers, with new titles regularly being added.
- Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass can enjoy unexpected perks, such as early access to highly anticipated games like Starfield for a discounted price.
Xbox Game Pass launched 50 games on day one in 2023, an impressive number that reinforces one of the main appeals of subscribing to the service. Microsoft’s subscription gaming service is known to be a great value, particularly for non-casual gamers, with new titles regularly being added to Xbox Game Pass to replace those that are inevitably removed. And even people who only play occasionally can find justification in subscribing to the recently launched Xbox Game Pass Core, which offers a catalog of 25 console games to choose from for only $9.99 a month.
Though the different tiers may initially seem a little confusing for newcomers, it’s fairly easy to figure out how Xbox Game Pass works. First, potential users need to decide whether they play predominantly on PC, console, or both. There is a tier available for each, with Ultimate, which caters to those who play on both platforms, understandably being the most expensive. However, Ultimate also offers exclusive Perks to subscribers, which in the past have included free trial subscriptions to Discord Nitro and Grubhub, as well as in-game currency and other digital goods for select games.
Best Soulslike Games On Xbox Game Pass (June 2024)
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One of the more enticing aspects of Game Pass is that many titles launch on the service and are therefore available to play right away for a relatively small monthly fee. In 2023, 149 titles were added to Xbox Game Pass, and a third of those were playable on day one. Many of the 50 games that launched on the service have been high-profile and even award-winning, like Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Stars, and Cocoon.
Being a subscriber to Xbox Game Pass also comes with some unexpected perks at times. Prior to its release, gamers who bought the Starfield Premium Edition or upgrade received five days of early access, getting to enjoy the game from August 31 rather than its official launch date of September 6. However, because Starfield was also releasing as a day one title on Xbox Game Pass, subscribers could simply purchase the Premium Edition upgrade for around $30 and play the game early. For many players, it was an incredible bonus, considering how highly anticipated Bethesda's sci-fi RPG was.
Though some players have expressed dissatisfaction with Microsoft’s subscription service, mainly due to the large number of indie games in the catalog or generally a lack of titles that interest them personally, given the number of active users, it seems most gamers appreciate what is being offered. And five more games — Open Roads, Lightyear Frontier, Botany Manor, Flock, and Sopa – are already confirmed to be coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one in 2024, and there will undoubtedly be more announced as the year progresses.
Xbox Game Pass Day One Titles Confirmed for 2024 So Far
- Open Roads - February 22
- Lightyear Frontier - March 2024
- Botany Manor - Spring 2024
- Flock - Spring 2024
- Sopa - Q2 2024
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.