Subscription services seem to be the next big thing for the video game industry, with tech giants like Google and Apple swooping in to offer premium gaming for a monthly price.
But even as the competition mounts, I'm convinced that Microsoft is offering the best deal in gaming with its newly released Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Game Pass Ultimate combines Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass for PC at a discounted price of $15 per month. Thanks to a limited-time deal, you can subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate for $1 a month, and if you already have pre-paid months of Live Gold or Game Pass, they'll automatically be upgraded to Game Pass Ultimate, saving you even more money in the months to come.
Microsoft introduced Game Pass in 2017 for $10 per month, or $120 per year. To help promote the service, Microsoft has been releasing its most-anticipated games for Game Pass subscribers the same day they go on sale. The Game Pass library has gradually grown to include more than 100 games, and Microsoft recently introduced a beta version of Game Pass for PC at $5 per month.
Xbox Live Gold is an essential service for most Xbox owners, since it's needed to play multiplayer games online. It costs $10 per month or $60 for an annual subscription, and Live Gold subscribers receive two or three free games per month.
As an Xbox One owner, I was already paying $20 per month for both Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold separately, even though I play most of my games on PC. To be totally honest, I often let my Live Gold subscription expire for months when I'm not playing Xbox games online, just to try to skip the bill.
Now, I'm fully committed to Game Pass Ultimate, thanks to the combined value of the deal. Here's a look at the numbers:
- At $15 per month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $180 per year.
- That's the same price as a one-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold ($60) and a full year of Game Pass ($120).
- The added bonus comes from Game Pass for PC, currently a $5 per month subscription that will likely increase to $10 when the beta phase is over, based on Microsoft's suggested retail price.
Even before Microsoft revealed Game Pass for PC, I was using the original Game Pass to play awesome games like "Forza Horizon 4," "Wargroove," and "Gears of War 4" with friends on both PC and Xbox. Game Pass for PC is bringing dozens of new games to the table, so it will be even easier for my friends and me to have multiplayer sessions without investing a bunch of money in new games or figuring out which ones we already share.
Here's an easy example of how Game Pass can come in handy: When "Crackdown 3" released in February, my friend paid $1 for a one-month Game Pass trial just to play through the game with me. We shared a seamless co-op experience, even though was he playing on PC, and I was playing on Xbox One.
If you're already paying for Xbox Live Gold, upgrading to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will give you a massive library of games to play whenever you want, and you'll be able to download many of Microsoft's newest titles the same day they hit stores.
Of course, not everyone has the time to try dozens of different games, but if you're ever looking for something to play, Game Pass offers the best deal in gaming, on both Xbox and PC.
