UPDATE: Xbox Game Pass now has a version specifically for PC that includes all of these games and way more for even cheaper (through the beta period at least, then it’ll be the same price).
If you have an Xbox One, you’re probably aware of how great of a deal Game Pass is. Even if you prefer to own your games rather than subscribing to a service, it’s hard to beat the Xbox Game Pass library. However, some people might not know that it’s a pretty great deal for PC gamers too, depending on what kind of games you like.
See, Microsoft doesn’t exactly advertise this, but PC gamers have access to a limited version of the Game Pass library, even if they’ve never owned an Xbox in their lives. This is made possible through Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows you to play select games on either your Xbox One or your PC with a single purchase. The magic comes from the fact that certain Game Pass games are also Play Anywhere titles. This intersection is where PC gaming comes in.
The current Xbox Game Pass titles that are available for PC through Play Anywhere are:
In alphabetical order:
- Crackdown 3
- Disneyland Adventures
- Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
- Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
- Halo Wars 2
- Hello Neighbor
- Gears of War 4
- ReCore
- Ruiner
- Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure
- Sea of Thieves
- Snake Pass
- State of Decay 2
- Super Lucky’s Tale
- We Happy Few
- Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Edition
Now, this list of titles pales in comparison to those available on Xbox One. However, depending on your taste in games, it’s still a hell of a deal for $10/month (or less, depending on how you buy your monthly subscription). For example, I have about half of these games on my computer right now, with plenty of hours in Crackdown 3, Forza Horizon 4, Sea of Thieves, and State of Decay 2.
Buying just these four games, even on sale, would cost well over $100. In other words, even for just those games, subscribing to Game Pass for 10 months is cheaper than buying them, and that’s not even considering the other games you get (the list of which will only continue to grow as Microsoft keeps releasing its first party games on Game Pass on day 1). When you consider that you can get Game Pass even cheaper with random sales and offers, the deal gets even better.
Xbox Game Pass is better on Xbox One than on PC, but PC gamers can still find some value
The way I see it, if even one game on that list interests you, it’s worth trying out Game Pass, even if you don’t have an Xbox One, especially since you can get your first month for free or cheap. If you’re like me, you’ll sign up for that game (for me it was Sea of Thieves) and before you know it you’ll be branching out to other great games (for me it was State of Decay 2). Then, when new games come out (like Crackdown 3), you can try them out without having to commit to a purchase.
Xbox Game Pass doesn’t require Xbox Live Gold on PC
Finally, the main reason that Game Pass is PC-friendly is that you don’t need to pay for Xbox Live Gold to play on PC, like you do on Xbox One. This is a smart move by Microsoft, because they know PC gamers won’t stand for paid, console-like online. So what are you waiting for? A bunch of great Xbox games in different genres are waiting for you, even if you’ve never had an Xbox in your life.
