This subscription service is the cheapest Xbox Game Pass alternative yet

A new subscription service, costing $6.99 per month, aims to offer independent games as an alternative to the increasingly expensive Game Pass.

In October 2025, the price of Game Pass increased to $16.49 per month for the PC version and $29.99 for the Ultimate plan. Indie Pass is now offering a more affordable option for gamers who primarily enjoy independent games.

Indie Pass: what is it and how does it work?

Indie.io is launching Indie Pass on April 13th, a subscription service for PC gamers. It will start with around 70 games from Indie.io’s collection, including titles like Echoes of the Plum Grove and the Dark Deity series.

At just $6.99 per month, Indie Pass is much more affordable than PC Game Pass, which costs $16.49. However, the two services are quite different – Indie Pass focuses on independent games and doesn’t offer major, new releases or support for consoles.

Developers get paid based on how much players use their games. If a player subscribes for $6.99 and plays two games, each developer gets about half of that subscription fee.

Jess Mitchell, Growth Director, shared with GamesIndustry.biz that she’d be thrilled if players completed ten or more games each month. She believes this would create a fair system where developers benefit directly from where players choose to spend their money.

Studios aren’t required to offer games exclusively on Indie Pass – they can release them on Steam and other platforms at the same time. The platform will constantly add new games, including both recently released titles and older favorites.

Mitchell explained that the tool helps developers get noticed, especially after launch. He said that if an app doesn’t make a big impact right away, it can be difficult to gain visibility again for months, even up to a year.

2026-04-02 18:49

Indie Pass: what is it and how does it work?

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