Microsoft has just announced a new service for gamers. The company introduced Xbox Game Pass on their website, which is a subscription service that will let you access a number of games for a monthly fee of $9.99. On the website for the system, the company said, “Today, we’re continuing our commitment to give you more options to diversify and expand your library of games with Xbox Game Pass, a new gaming subscription service coming later this spring. Xbox Game Pass gives you unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 games – all for $9.99 per month.”
Xbox Game Pass is a download subscription, allowing you to download games to your system and to later purchase them at a discount of 20% for games or 10% for additional content. Some Xbox Insider members will get access to Xbox Game Pass beginning today, Xbox Live Gold subscribers will get it soon, with the full program available to everyone with the system later this spring.
The official announcement explained the reason for the download service rather than a streaming one:
“One of the best things about Xbox Game Pass is that you can discover and download the full titles directly on your Xbox One. That means continuous, full-fidelity gameplay without having to worry about streaming, bandwidth or connectivity issues. In addition, all Xbox One games in the catalog – and related add-ons – will be available to purchase at an exclusive discount for Xbox Game Pass members, so you can make the games you love part of your permanent library to play whenever you want. Every month new games will cycle into the subscription with some cycling out, giving you a constantly-updating library of games. Xbox Game Pass is your ticket to endless play.”
Some of the titles in the announcement include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2 NBA 2K16, and SoulCalibur II, with Saints Row IV, Mad Max, NBA 2K16, Terraria, LEGO Batman, and Fable III visible in the picture, among others.
