Xbox Game Passvs
Discord
Discord: Your place to talk and hang out
Xbox Game Pass
Play together with friends, new games and classic favorites
As of 29 August 2026, Xbox Game Pass's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. Microsoft's subscription for Xbox and PC games, sold in Essential, Premium, Ultimate and PC-only tiers. Softwr lists it under Gaming.
Overview
What Xbox Game Pass does
Microsoft's subscription for Xbox and PC games, sold in Essential, Premium, Ultimate and PC-only tiers.
What people use it for
- Access hundreds of games without individual purchases
- Play new AAA titles on day one of release
- Stream games across multiple devices seamlessly
- Earn rewards points while gaming and shopping
- Experience multiplayer gaming with online friends
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Xbox Game Pass.
- Day-one access to new Xbox-published games is only included on the Ultimate tier, not on Essential or Premium
- Cloud gaming quality is explicitly tiered, with the vendor stating Premium gets improved cloud quality and only Ultimate gets premium cloud gaming
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Xbox Game Pass
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- Xbox Game PassvsDiscord Nitro
Discord Nitro: Upgrade your Discord experience
- Xbox Game PassvsNintendo Switch Online
Nintendo Switch Online: Online play, classic games and more
- Xbox Game PassvsPlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus: Monthly games, online multiplayer and more
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What are the pricing tiers and trial offers?
Essential tier: Get your first month for $1, then regular pricing. Premium tier: Get your first 14 days for $1, then regular pricing. Ultimate plan: regular pricing with no trial discount mentioned.
SourceHow many games are included in each tier?
Library varies: 50+ games (Essential), 200+ (Premium), 500+ (Ultimate), 300+ (PC-only)
SourceHow long can I access games on Game Pass?
Game Pass subscribers enjoy access to games in the library until either the subscription is canceled/expires, or a game leaves the Game Pass library.
SourceWhat is the refund policy?
If you cancel your subscription within 30 days after payment, you may qualify for a one-time refund of recurring charges.
SourceKeep looking
Where to go from Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Game Pass alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Xbox Game Pass pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Xbox Game Pass badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Gaming softwareThe full category
- Best Gaming softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Gaming software for
Compare Xbox Game Pass with
- PlayStation Plus
- Nintendo Switch Online
- Shadow PC
- EA Play
- Humble Bundle
- Nvidia GeForce Now
- Amazon Luna
- Ubisoft Connect
- Minecraft
- Fortnite
- Steam
- Battle.net
- GOG Galaxy
- Green Man Gaming
- Heroic Games Launcher
- Lutris
- Playnite
- RetroArch
Other Gaming software
A full Windows machine in a datacentre, rented by the month
From $29.99/mo11 researched notesSubscription access to the EA back catalogue with timed trials of new releases
From $5.99/mo11 researched notesPay what you want game, book and software bundles with a bounded charity split
From $11.99/mo11 researched notesCloud gaming that streams games you bought elsewhere, when the publisher allows it
Free, then $9.99/mo11 researched notesCloud gaming service that streams both a subscription catalogue and games you own elsewhere
From $9.99/mo11 researched notesUbisoft launcher, rewards programme and the Ubisoft+ subscription
Free plan11 researched notesSandbox building and survival game sold as a bundled Java and Bedrock purchase, owned by Microsoft, with paid Realms subscriptions
From $29.99/one-time9 researched notesFree to play battle royale and creative platform funded by V-Bucks, skins and a seasonal battle pass
Free plan8 researched notesBlizzard game launcher and store, now owned by Microsoft, for a small first party catalogue
Free plan11 researched notesFree optional client from CD Projekt that aggregates other storefronts and keeps GOG downloads DRM-free
Free plan11 researched notesAuthorised key reseller with direct publisher agreements and a loyalty discount programme
Free plan11 researched notesOpen source client for Epic, GOG and Amazon libraries on Linux, Windows and macOS
Open source11 researched notesOpen source Linux game manager built around community install scripts and Wine runner management
Open source11 researched notesOpen source Windows library manager that pulls every storefront into one browsable collection
Open source11 researched notesOpen source frontend running dozens of emulators as interchangeable cores behind one interface
Open source11 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Xbox Game Pass, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Xbox Game Pass pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Xbox Game Pass
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Xbox Game Pass badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Gaming software alternatives
Sandbox building and survival game sold as a bundled Java and Bedrock purchase, owned by Microsoft, with paid Realms subscriptions
One-time purchase, optional Realms subscription
A user-generated games platform running on Robux, not a single game, with a developer payout system and a marketplace cut
Free to play, Robux currency packs and a subscriptionFree to play battle royale and creative platform funded by V-Bucks, skins and a seasonal battle pass
Free to play with in-app purchasesCloud gaming that streams games you bought elsewhere, when the publisher allows it
Per user per monthPay what you want game, book and software bundles with a bounded charity split
Pay what you want per bundle, or a monthly subscriptionSubscription access to the EA back catalogue with timed trials of new releases
Per user per month