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Xbox Game Pass for PC - thinking of taking the plunge

supernova8

Banned
As title suggests, I'm thinking of signing up for Game Pass for PC (I don't have an Xbox and I'm not interested in cloud).

Primarily interested in hearing from people who actually use it (PC one specifically) about what you like/don't like about it.

That could be the game selection, stuff related to the UI, any issues with DRM stuff?

Also (I guess this applies to regular Xbox Game Pass), any tips on making the most of the membership?
I have a feeling I'm going to end up having choice paralysis, adding a bunch of games to my library and then ending up playing hardly any of them.

Right now I'm just going through the PC game list on the Game Pass website and seeing how many I would be interested in playing but if there's anything I should be doing in preparation I'm all ears.

Yeah I know I regularly shit on Xbox Game Studios but I'm not against Game Pass as a service. I'm already beyond caring about physical game ownership because I have too much shit in this house.
 
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SeraphJan

Member
adding a bunch of games to my library and then ending up playing hardly any of them.
I would suggest sign up Game Pass next year, as many new triple A title is coming
 
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Stuart360

Member
A lot of poeple on here have problems with Gamepass PC app but i have never had a problem with it, it works well for me, and all the games have worked i have tried etc. But just take into account that you may come accross the odd problem.

What i like is the game selctions, literally over 400, and now a ton of EA and Ubisoft games too, if thats your thing. In terms of AA and Indies, MS tend to try and get at least good quality AA and Indies, or games that have a bit of a following, or good user wom.

I dont know how many AA and especially Indies you tend to play but my advice would be just to try them, you have nothing to lose and there are some real gems on there. Game discovery has probably been the biggest thing for me with Gamepass, the amount of games i have found and liked that i would never usually give a second look..

What i dont like is how your controller can interfere if its plugged in and you are surfing Gamepass through the mouse, but you can simply unplug the controller. Also yeah you lose afew games over time, but thats just the nature of sub services, and in my 2.5 years on PC Gmaepass i have never actually lost a game i wantd to play as i either already played it, or didnt want to play it anyway.

Just explore and have fun baby.
 
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Catphish

Member
You can't beat it, honestly. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Like: Tons of stuff to play, across many genres. Microsoft's stuff is permanent.
Dislike: They're slower to push patches/updates than Steam. So sometimes you're waiting days, if not weeks, for games to be brought current.

On the whole, to me, it's a no-brainer. As long as the price holds, go for it.
 

supernova8

Banned
A lot of poeple on here have problems with Gamepass PC app but i have never had a problem with it, it works well for me, and all the games have worked i have tried etc. But just take into account that you may come accross the odd problem.
What i like is the game selctions, literally over 400, and now a ton of EA and Ubisoft games too, if thats your thing. In terms of AA and Indies, MS tend to try and get at least good quality AA and Indies, or games that have a bit of a following, or good user wom.

I dont know how many AA and especially Indies you tend to play but my advice would be just to try them, you have nothing to lose and there are some real gems on there. Game discovery has probably been the biggest thing for me with Gamepass, the amount of games i have found and liked that i would never usually give a second look..

Just explore and have fun baby.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. I had the exact same experience with Amazon Prime Video, ie watching a lot of content (movies, TV shows, documentaries) that I absolutely would not pay for individually.

If there any sort of recommendation system or do you just have to manually go through and see what you might like?
Also is there an option to try (at least some) games via the cloud and then decide to properly download them once I like them? I'm just thinking the benefit of video streaming services is that it's instant but with Game Pass I of course have to wait for stuff to download so there's a bit of a lag.
 

Stuart360

Member
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. I had the exact same experience with Amazon Prime Video, ie watching a lot of content (movies, TV shows, documentaries) that I absolutely would not pay for individually.

If there any sort of recommendation system or do you just have to manually go through and see what you might like?
Also is there an option to try (at least some) games via the cloud and then decide to properly download them once I like them? I'm just thinking the benefit of video streaming services is that it's instant but with Game Pass I of course have to wait for stuff to download so there's a bit of a lag.
You need Ultimate to be able to use the cloud, but if you do get Ultimate there are a lot of games on the cloud you cant get on normal Gamepass, like old Xbox and 360 games, as well as the being able to play all the games on the cloud that are in normal Gamepass.
I'm not sure about reccomendatuion options and stuff on Gamepass. I think there is something like that but i just go to 'All Games' tab and just spend a few mins going though the games and picking out some i want to try.
 

hlm666

Member
Also is there an option to try (at least some) games via the cloud and then decide to properly download them once I like them?
You need to use a controller at the moment for xcloud but you can totally do that for games with xcloud support, just go to the xcloud tab hit play and off you go. If you like it go back to the gamepass tab find the game hit install. I'm currently playing that ubisoft immortals fenyx game via xcloud so I don't have to deal with their uplay shit on my pc. Apparently m/kb support is coming though.
 
The main issue for me is that it doesn't play nice with Steam Input. This may or may not be an issue for you depending on how you use your PC and controllers. Either way, there are workarounds.

I did previously have serious issues with games still hogging HDD space even after they were deleted. This is supposedly better now and I haven't had any issues recently, but I can't say for sure.

There is a "recommended" row in the app but I personally already know what I want to play. You'd probably have to play a bunch of games before it works as expected.

I assume you are planning on doing the $1 Live Gold -> Game Pass conversion?
 

supernova8

Banned
You need Ultimate to be able to use the cloud, but if you do get Ultimate there are a lot of games on the cloud you cant get on normal Gamepass, like old Xbox and 360 games, as well as the being able to play all the games on the cloud that are in normal Gamepass.
I'm not sure about reccomendatuion options and stuff on Gamepass. I think there is something like that but i just go to 'All Games' tab and just spend a few mins going though the games and picking out some i want to try.
Oh I see. Also I see that Ultimate "includes Xbox Live Gold" which I guess means online multiplayer is only available through Ultimate?

Also thanks for the tip about the Xbox and 360 games via cloud!
 

supernova8

Banned
You need to use a controller at the moment for xcloud but you can totally do that for games with xcloud support, just go to the xcloud tab hit play and off you go. If you like it go back to the gamepass tab find the game hit install. I'm currently playing that ubisoft immortals fenyx game via xcloud so I don't have to deal with their uplay shit on my pc. Apparently m/kb support is coming though.
Only controller I have is a PS4 dual shock, I assume that would also work?
 

supernova8

Banned
The main issue for me is that it doesn't play nice with Steam Input. This may or may not be an issue for you depending on how you use your PC and controllers. Either way, there are workarounds.

I did previously have serious issues with games still hogging HDD space even after they were deleted. This is supposedly better now and I haven't had any issues recently, but I can't say for sure.

There is a "recommended" row in the app but I personally already know what I want to play. You'd probably have to play a bunch of games before it works as expected.

I assume you are planning on doing the $1 Live Gold -> Game Pass conversion?
Hands up I don't know what that is (I've seen it mentioned a few times though).

The Xbox Game Pass website seems to have a "try it for 100 yen/$1 for a month" thing so I figured I would start there and then decide what I want to do after a month.

Thanks for the tip about HDD space. I only have a 500GB SSD so I think that would fill up pretty quickly if I'm not careful.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
One thing to check out is the games selection to make sure the games available cover what you want and are on PC (unless you already did). I dont know how the console library compares to PC, but everyone knows there's always PC only games. But I dont follow it close enough if there's many console only games that you'd miss out on.
 
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hlm666

Member
Only controller I have is a PS4 dual shock, I assume that would also work?
Apparently they support the dual shock, I've got no experience with anything but a wired xbox controller though.

Verified
  • DualShock 4 Wireless Controller(Bluetooth connection)
    • Known issue: USB connection doesn’t currently work as intended
    • Known issue: Controller buttons may not work as expected on Android 9 devices and older

 
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Stuart360

Member
Only controller I have is a PS4 dual shock, I assume that would also work?
I'm not 100% certain but i think a Playstation controller will work, i have seen people on Steam say they do but you cant always believe people lol.
If you are going to use the cloud a lot, or you tend to use a controller on PC games anyway, i'd say buy an Xbox controller at some point. Simply because most PC games have Xbox controller prompts.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Hands up I don't know what that is (I've seen it mentioned a few times though).

The Xbox Game Pass website seems to have a "try it for 100 yen/$1 for a month" thing so I figured I would start there and then decide what I want to do after a month.

Thanks for the tip about HDD space. I only have a 500GB SSD so I think that would fill up pretty quickly if I'm not careful.


So, in short, you can stack up to 3 years of Live GOLD and then convert them to game pass ultimate for just $1. Since this is your first time signing up, you have the $1 promo. It is not the same for existing customers. Game pass ultimate includes game pass PC, EA Play (and Xbox game pass and xcloud too but those are not important to you as you mentioned).

If you use a VPN and get codes from CDKeys.com, you can get 3 years of game pass in $100.

I'll put the steps and useful links under the quote tags if you're interested:

Steps are only for New / Expired Xbox Game Pass members:
  1. Purchase [cdkeys.com] 12-Month Xbox Live Gold Membership (Turkey - Email Delivery).
  2. Create [windscribe.com] Free Account on Windscribe VPN and Download App or Chrome Extension [windscribe.com].
  3. Connect to Turkey on Windscribe VPN or using your own VPN service/app.
  4. Redeem [microsoft.com] your Xbox Live Gold code(s) without agreeing to recurring billing.
    • You can stack up to three years of Xbox Live Gold.
  5. Disconnect VPN.
  6. Join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate [xbox.com] by purchasing your first month for $1 ($14.99 if you joined Game Pass before for $1). Don't enable auto renewal when asked.
 
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supernova8

Banned
One thing to check out is the games selection to make sure the games available cover what you want and are on PC (unless you already did). I dont know how the console library compares to PC, but everyone knows there's always PC only games. But I dont follow it close enough if there's many console only games that you'd miss out on.
Yeah I was actually just looking at the list. There are a lot of games on the "Console" list not on the "PC" list that I was most interested in playing (especially Gears of War). Also why the hell is Forza Motorsport not on there?! I have zero interest in Forza Horizon. Really bizarre that it isn't on there.

I'm guessing that I could start off with a regular PC Game Pass account and then upgrade to Ultimate (to get access across platforms) at a later date if I decide to buy a Series S or X?
 

Stuart360

Member
Yeah I was actually just looking at the list. There are a lot of games on the "Console" list not on the "PC" list that I was most interested in playing (especially Gears of War). Also why the hell is Forza Motorsport not on there?! I have zero interest in Forza Horizon. Really bizarre that it isn't on there.

I'm guessing that I could start off with a regular PC Game Pass account and then upgrade to Ultimate (to get access across platforms) at a later date if I decide to buy a Series S or X?
Gears of War is on PC Gmaepass, its the remake version. You can play all the old Gears games too if you buy Ultimate as they are on the Cloud.
FM7 was on until recently. It might be getting to that time when they delist the game due to licenes, and decided to remove it early.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Yeah I was actually just looking at the list. There are a lot of games on the "Console" list not on the "PC" list that I was most interested in playing (especially Gears of War). Also why the hell is Forza Motorsport not on there?! I have zero interest in Forza Horizon. Really bizarre that it isn't on there.

I'm guessing that I could start off with a regular PC Game Pass account and then upgrade to Ultimate (to get access across platforms) at a later date if I decide to buy a Series S or X?

Forza Motorsport 7 got delisted last year because of licensing issues unfortunately



-


Gears 2, 3, Judgment never got PC ports so they're not available there because of that.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Yeah I was actually just looking at the list. There are a lot of games on the "Console" list not on the "PC" list that I was most interested in playing (especially Gears of War). Also why the hell is Forza Motorsport not on there?! I have zero interest in Forza Horizon. Really bizarre that it isn't on there.

I'm guessing that I could start off with a regular PC Game Pass account and then upgrade to Ultimate (to get access across platforms) at a later date if I decide to buy a Series S or X?
I forget, but if youre interested in EA games, make sure to pick the GP tier that includes them. I forget if EA Play is included with the base GP or or has to be ultimate. Generally, EA games come to GP about 9-10 months after launch. The bad sellers can be 6 months. And I think the big licensed games like their SW Battlefront games were more like a year.

But if you dont give a shit about EA games, then who cares.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I forget, but if youre interested in EA games, make sure to pick the GP tier that includes them. I forget if EA Play is included with the base GP or or has to be ultimate. Generally, EA games come to GP about 9-10 months after launch. The bad sellers can be 6 months. And I think the big licensed games like their SW Battlefront games were more like a year.

But if you dont give a shit about EA games, then who cares.


For PC, EA Play is also included in the base tier.

 

Stuart360

Member
I forget, but if youre interested in EA games, make sure to pick the GP tier that includes them. I forget if EA Play is included with the base GP or or has to be ultimate. Generally, EA games come to GP about 9-10 months after launch. The bad sellers can be 6 months. And I think the big licensed games like their SW Battlefront games were more like a year.

But if you dont give a shit about EA games, then who cares.
EA Play is available with standard PC Gamepass, or it was anyway, been on Ultimate for a few months now.
 

Hydroxy

Member
Like :
Games selection, included Ubisoft and Ea games
Low price
Not faced any major issues with game installation, uninstallation.

Dislike :
So far nothing really. I pay discounted price as I keeping canceling, I dont think i would pay full price.
 

s-bojan

Banned
Application works nicely most of the time. Sometimes you get some errors, but usually it's enough to login again.
Integration with EA Play is wonky, as you have to link the accounts.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
I've never had a problem with the pc app myself and I use it across xbox and pc. I'd say pick up a cheap series s at some point but deffo give it a go on pc. No harm in doing the trial to try it out.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
Oh I see. Also I see that Ultimate "includes Xbox Live Gold" which I guess means online multiplayer is only available through Ultimate?
It is not, however Xbox Live Gold doesn't give you Game Pass. Microsoft has (had?) Xbox Live focused only on multiplayer, Game Pass that gives you no multiplayer but a large library of games, and Ultimate that combines both, and also adds Xcloud, which is how Microsoft calls cloud gaming.
Ask here or Google it for a way to stock up on up to 36 months of Xbox Live, then convert it to Ultimate at no cost (Xbox Live + Game Pass + Cloud)
 
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GymWolf

Member
Just pray everytime you unistall a game be ready to the shitty xbox app and you are good to go.

Personally, i prefer to pay full price than using pc gamepass, it is that good.
 

draliko

Member
Only think i hate is the different launchers you have to install (ea, ubi) but nothing different from steam in that regard. For the entry fee is absolutely a no brainer and while you're at it, dare to try games you wouldn't have bought otherwise, you may discover you've got wider taste of what you thought
 

GHG

Gold Member
The guy doesn't even know if he likes it or not yet and certain individuals are already attempting to lock him in to a long term subscription. Jokers.

supernova8 supernova8 just get the $1 trial or whatever it is, try it out and see how you get on with it.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
The guy doesn't even know if he likes it or not yet and certain individuals are already attempting to lock him in to a long term subscription. Jokers.

supernova8 supernova8 just get the $1 trial or whatever it is, try it out and see how you get on with it.

Well, do both. Do the trial and then when you realise you can have legal access to a mountain of games for about $3 a month, buy 3 years of Brazil time.
 

GHG

Gold Member
Well, do both. Do the trial and then when you realise you can have legal access to a mountain of games for about $3 a month, buy 3 years of Brazil time.

One does not always lead to the other.
 
It does what it says on the tin. That's about it. The PC app works well and is rather unobtrusive. After I download the game, I don't even bother opening the app. Just click on the game shortcut and away you go.

One con is no matter what I do, game updates download automatically. That's annoying for someone with a data cap.
 

Hohenheim

Member
I use Game Pass only on PC now. Love it. Used to have a Xbox Series X, but sold it when I got my new PC. The game pass app can act a bit weird sometimes, and is not as good as Steam, but the amount of quality games on there is amazing. The value in the sevice is really, really good.

I'm playing Nobody Saves the World now, and it's crashing a bit though. Don't know if thats the game or the app's fault. No other games has crashed on me when using the app.

Another cool feature is the cross saves. I continued my saves on Nobody Saves the World and Weird West, as I started playing both on the Xbox earlier this year.
 

Rykan

Member
I've subscribed to it and honestly, there's just not a whole lot to it: Play the games you want to play and if there are no more titles that interest you, then just unsubscribe until they add a game that does interest you. That's really all there is to it.

I've been subscribed as both Gamepass Ultimate and Gamepass for PC. As for just Gamepass for PC, it's probably not a service you'll be subscribed to in the long haul. There's just not that many new games being released on it and this being PC, it's actually not that hard to find the games you want for a good price due to several online stores, CD key selling websites etc.
 

Chukhopops

Member
Do a short trial just to see if it works fine on your setup, for me it’s great but others have had issues.

Then you can use it to try different genres like sims, grand strategy (all recent Paradox games are there), weird but good indies, etc.

Whether it works for you in the end depends on your taste and approach to gaming.
 

b0uncyfr0

Member
Do the trial period OP, it'll cost you a buck for a month. If you like it - then consider 1 year or multiple years.

No need to lock yourself in if it aint that good for you. On PC, a valid concern is the multitude of launchsers. On console, it's just straight forward.
 
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