Xbox Game Pass is an all-you-can-eat buffet of video game goodness. Much like Netflix does with movies, Microsoft’s service lets you download a whole bunch of games for one monthly fee. There are two main tiers to Game Pass, however — including one that offers you more features called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. So you might be wondering: is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it? Should you pay a bit more to get more stuff in return?
Here’s what Xbox Game Pass Ultimate provides:
- Xbox Game Pass for Console
- Xbox Game Pass for PC
- Xbox Live Gold subscription
- Xbox Cloud Gaming access
- EA Play on console
Now let’s go through the reasons why Game Pass Ultimate might make sense for you.
You already subscribe to Xbox Live Gold
An Xbox Live Gold subscription on its own will run you roughly $10 per month or $60 per year. If you also want Xbox Game Pass, then, there’s really no downside to going with the Ultimate tier. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Live Gold as part of the package. So you are getting all the goodies of Ultimate — access on both console and PC, cloud gaming, EA Play, etc. — while also getting an Xbox Live Gold subscription. That’s a tough deal to beat.
You game on both console and PC
Are you someone who is just as likely to play a PC game as a console game? If so, then having access to Xbox Game Pass on both platforms could be something you want. Game Pass on each platform will cost you about $10 a month separately. For $15 a month, however, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will give you both. And it’ll throw in those other perks, too.
You really want Xbox Cloud Gaming access
If you’re looking to play Xbox games on the go using a smartphone or tablet, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is your only option at the moment. The $15 per month tier includes Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly known as Project xCloud), which you can’t subscribe to any other way. Hopefully Microsoft decides to break Cloud Gaming off into its own service at some point, but until then, Ultimate is your ticket.
So is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it?
On the question, is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it, the answer at the moment sure seems like a resounding “yes.” If you subscribe to any two Xbox services, you’ll at least break even going with Ultimate while getting some additional functionality to boot. And for some things — like Xbox Cloud Gaming — you really don’t any choice but to go with Ultimate right now.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate may be one of the best deals in gaming right now. If you don’t already have it, here’s where you can get it.
