After a 2-Year Break, I Finally Feel Xbox Game Pass Is Worth It Again

I find myself deeply entwined with the Xbox Game Pass, much like countless others. This service, time and again, delivers an abundance of content for an exceptional worth, managing to maintain its value even amidst recurrent price increases. It remains the foremost justification for acquiring a Series S console. Spanning numerous platforms, it’s expected to grow further in reach. Superficially, there appear to be minimal disadvantages associated with Xbox’s outstanding subscription service.

For quite some time, I’ve had mixed feelings about Game Pass, acknowledging its many advantages over rival services, yet finding aspects that I don’t enjoy. Consequently, my connection with it has been intermittent since its inception, with my longest hiatus being the last two years. However, for the first time in a while, I find Game Pass, in spite of its shortcomings, to be genuinely valuable, and this transformation is largely due to one key factor.

Xbox Game Pass Is Often Disappointing

It Can Be Very Hit Or Miss

Regarding Xbox Game Pass, I must admit that its value to me hinges significantly on the selection of games offered. Although it’s clear that a wide array of genres and high-rated titles are present, I often find myself disappointed with the games available for play. In most cases, the games on Game Pass don’t seem worth investing my time in.

I’ve found that many of the games available on Xbox Game Pass are older ones that I’ve either already played extensively or don’t find appealing. Of course, this won’t be the case for everyone, as a bad month for me might be a good one for others. However, the lack of strong first-party Xbox games (mostly because it has taken a long time to release any) and few exciting new titles being added has made the service seem unnecessary for some users like myself.

It was particularly noticeable when I started calculating the cost of purchasing the games I desired to play permanently, during sales. In many cases, it turned out to be less expensive over time if I bought them instead of maintaining a Game Pass subscription for the duration required to complete all the games. Additionally, I felt compelled to play only those games on Game Pass because I wanted to maximize its value, and consequently, I tended to overlook other games that I had already paid for, despite having a greater interest in them.

Xbox Game Pass Is Finally Good Again

It Is Getting Amazing Game After Amazing Game

Eventually, I would find myself reactivating my subscription to Game Pass, given a good month’s experience. However, the experience turned out to be quite frustrating due to minimal progress made in games, mainly because the lack of financial incentive diminished my emotional and mental investment in each title. After some time, I decided to part ways with Xbox Game Pass altogether, only to return recently when it seemed like Game Pass had suddenly improved, proving that, much like streaming services in TV and film, it can be a hit-or-miss service.

Xbox’s journey to establishing itself as a top-tier triple-A publisher in the gaming industry has been gradual yet consistent. There might have been some missteps along the way, but more recently, its lineup of first-party games and exclusive titles from third parties has been nothing short of remarkable. Additionally, an impressive array of modern AAA games, such as early releases like “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” “Avowed,” “Atomfall,” and “Stalker 2,” have been added to Game Pass over the last few months. In my view, these additions and the timing of several day-one releases have validated the subscription price and placed Xbox well ahead of its competitors.

What really let down Xbox Game Pass for me wasn’t just the absence of newer titles, though that didn’t help. The fact that I get access to multiple brand-new games each month, which would typically cost around $60-$80 individually, is a fantastic deal. Even though I rarely manage to finish these games, and despite my reservations about subscription gaming services not aligning with my preference for completing games thoroughly, I appreciate that it makes AAA titles more accessible, a development I highly respect.

I’m Worried About Game Pass’ Future

It Can’t Sustain This Streak For Long

Despite my joy in enjoying numerous high-quality and thrilling new releases for less than the price of an indie game, it leaves me questioning the long-term viability of Xbox Game Pass. It’s clear that Xbox is heavily dependent on Game Pass for its income, as boxed and full-priced digital copies are no longer selling as they once did during the Xbox 360 era. Its efforts in multi-platform publishing are certainly increasing sales, but it seems that Game Pass may be cannibalizing full-priced game sales to some extent.

In January 2025, during an interactive session with Install Base, journalist Christopher Dring shared that, based on anecdotal evidence, games listed in Game Pass might potentially lose approximately 80% of their anticipated premium sales on Xbox. He further referenced titles like Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Hellblade 2, which underperformed in full-price sales on Xbox. Although Xbox hasn’t explicitly stated that Game Pass is the reason for this, it’s challenging to conceive of anything else preventing these games from selling well on a platform where users can access a vast library like theirs for a single subscription fee, making it possible to play them all for free instead of paying full price.

Indeed, it’s not surprising that games for Xbox perform better on the PlayStation 5, given the faster sales of ‘Indiana Jones’ on Sony’s platform compared to Xbox. The income generated by multi-platform sales and Game Pass subscriptions might be sufficient to keep adding new games to the service each month. However, I anticipate a decrease in the pace at which these additions are made. If Xbox Game Pass expands to other platforms, including its competitors, this could potentially alter the situation significantly.

Developers might hesitate to add their games to the Xbox Game Pass service because it allows players to access them for free across various platforms, potentially cutting into sales. Although decreased Xbox sales may not significantly impact some developers due to smaller user base compared to PlayStation or Switch, it could pose a problem on other platforms. It remains to be seen how Microsoft keeps funding the Xbox Game Pass in the future, but for now, I’m enjoying the service’s popularity and playing an impressive collection of top-tier games.

2025-05-25 05:31