Xbox Game Pass for PC update: Release date, price and all you need to know about Microsoft's new service

Ever since Microsoft launched its Xbox Game Pass service for Xbox One, PC gamers have been able to use it to access a small selection of Windows 10 titles.

That's because the console subscription service gives access to several cross-play games, which can be played on a PC as well as Xbox One S or Xbox One X. But, at £7.99 per month and only a handful of compatible titles available, it hasn't really offered great value for money.

Soon, however, PC gamers are to get their own version of Xbox Game Pass, with more than 100 games available. That will represent a far better option for them.

Here then is everything we know about Xbox Game Pass for PC.

What is Xbox Game Pass?

Xbox Game Pass is a monthly subscription service that offers a library of full games to download and play on your machine without any further fees.

The list of games is curated and updated each month, with some added and some less popular titles being removed. You just need to download the ones on offer and play as much as you like - as if you bought the game outright yourself.

It has only been available for Xbox One to date, apart from a handful of cross-play games. The new PC service will be exclusive to gamers running Windows 10.

When will Xbox Game Pass for PC be available?

At present, we still don't have an actual release date for Xbox Game Pass for PC but, considering Microsoft unveiled a few details about it on 30 May on the Xbox Wire website, we expect it to be imminent.

More information will be revealed during the Xbox media briefing at E3 2019 on Sunday 9 June: "We look forward to sharing more at E3, including the great games coming to the library, as well as more details on when and how you’ll experience the new Xbox Game Pass service for PC gamers," it said.

How much will it cost?

Pricing is yet to be revealed, but we would expect it to be in the same ballpark as the existing Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One.

That is currently £7.99 per month in the UK, with a free 14-day, no obligation trial period when you first sign up.

What games will be available as part of Xbox Game Pass for PC?

There will be over 100 games available for the PC gaming community from day one. Like the release date, some of those will be revealed during E3, although Microsoft has listed several of the publishers and developers who will be supporting the service:

  • Bethesda
  • Deep Silver
  • Devolver Digital
  • Paradox Interactive
  • Sega
  • Xbox Game Studios

More will be revealed at a later date.

Naturally, the last on the list is Xbox's own collection of in-house studios, which means there will be a number of games hitting the platform from 343 Industries, Compulsion Games, InXile, Mojang (namely Minecraft), Ninja Theory, Obsidian, Playground Games, Rare, The Coalition, The Initiative, Turn 10 and Undead Labs.

Games you can definitely expect, therefore, including back catalogue and future titles in the Gears of War, Halo and Forza series. Plus, with the recent acquisition of Obsidian, expect Pillars of Eternity and its sequel to be made available.

We'll update as we find out more. In the meantime, you can find out the sort of thing to expect by reading our extensive Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One round-up.



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