Why You Should Treat Yourself to Xbox Game Pass | Tips & Tricks

Whether you’re into shooters, racing sims, or just a good platformer, gaming is a great way to escape to another world and do things you couldn’t normally do, like raid old tombs for riches or scream down the racetrack in a tricked-out car.

Whatever you fancy, the hobby can get pretty pricey, with new games usually hitting the shelves at $60 and potentially more if you’re looking to pick up any downloadable content.

Does this mean you shouldn’t treat yourself when you get the itch to experience a new game? Absolutely not. With Xbox Game Pass you can spoil yourself with a massive library of top games, all for only $9.99 a month.

How Xbox Game Pass Works

For $9.99 a month, Xbox Game Pass members can access a breadth of options. Microsoft adds new games each month, so there’s always something new to play, but certain games are phased out of the catalog over time. Microsoft will be announced when certain titles will be added and removed from the catalog.

To play a game, all you need to do is download it to your Xbox One and launch it from “My Games & Apps.” You can play the full game as long as it’s available on the catalog; if you enjoy a particular game, you can purchase the game for up to 20% off before it leaves the catalog. Additionally, subscribers can purchase game add-ons for up to 10% off.

Xbox One models have access to the entire catalog, including backwards compatibility with original Xbox and Xbox 360 games. PC users running Windows 10 may also sign up for Xbox Game Pass, but they can only download Xbox Play Anywhere titles.

Many of the games in the catalog feature a multiplayer component, but users will need a separate Xbox Live Gold membership to play on multiplayer. Games likes Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4, and State of Decay 2 were released to Xbox Game Pass subscribers the day they were released.

With that much content at your fingertips, you can dive into gaming’s best hits and hottest releases without taking a wallop to your checking account. And, if $9.99 still sounds too steep, you can nab a trial to Xbox Game Pass for 2 weeks to try it out.

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