A 12-month subscription costs the same as three major new game releases (or even less, now that a lot of new games have jumped to $70). Now it's the default release platform for major games from Microsoft-associated publishers such as Bethesda, and hit series like Halo and Forza.Īs it evolved into the multiheaded hydra that is Game Pass Ultimate, it's hard to rationalize even buying an Xbox without also subscribing.

When it launched, Game Pass felt a lot like Netflix in its early streaming days: an interesting idea, but a thin catalog. For example, on the PC you still need to install yet another launcher and family settings in XGPU don't apply to EA Play.

While it's great that EA Play is included in the subscription price for XGPU, it's not integrated that closely. Like many subscription services, the game (or movie or TV show) you want always seems to be on the service you don't subscribe to. It offers a notable number of new games and Day 1 launches, but the library also sheds games regularly. For instance, its cloud gaming stream is still limited to 1080p at 60fps, while Stadia can do 4K and GeForce Now 1440p at 120fps.Īnd there are few things more rage-inducing than settling in to play on your PC and discovering that the game won't launch until you update Windows because the Xbox app is too enmeshed with the Microsoft Store - a major buzzkill that has frequently impelled us to move on to other, non-Game Pass games. Dan Ackerman/CNET Where it falls shortĪs a jack-of-all-trades, XGPU doesn't master every aspect.

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