Xbox Game Pass is a bad option? A player spent $1,200 on the subscription over 5 years and regrets it

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Xbox Game Pass is a hugely popular gaming service, largely because it gives players immediate access to new games. However, recent conversations on Reddit reveal some users feel the subscription isn’t worth the cost, particularly after Microsoft increased the price.

Player summarizes 5 years with Game Pass

A Reddit user named Valuable_Bill961 shared that after being a Game Pass subscriber for more than five years and spending over $1,200, he’s played roughly 50 games and doesn’t think the cost was worth it.

The player noted that he could get 100 to 200 games on Steam for the same price, and unlike games accessed through a subscription, he would own those permanently.

Under his post, a big discussion kicked off, and a lot of people agreed with him:

Yeah, Game Pass is not for everyone, and tbh I don’t see the value in it.

Exactly, you don’t keep any game seems like a waste of $1,200.

Another player highlighted the key advantage of platforms like Steam over Game Pass:

This really highlights the downside of Game Pass. If you stop paying for your subscription, you lose access to all those games – around 50 of them. But the 100 games you buy on Steam? You own them forever.

Not everyone complains

Some commenters defended Microsoft’s subscription service, with many saying Game Pass is a good value for players who try out lots of games or want to demo them before purchasing.

I spend about 50% of my gaming testing new games […]. For me, Game Pass is really good.

Because of the subscription model, it doesn’t feel as bad to stop playing a game you don’t enjoy, since you haven’t paid full price. However, even people who love Game Pass are upset about the recent price increases, and many aren’t planning to continue their subscriptions when their current, lower-priced plans expire. Some find it surprising that people are complaining, considering how much value they previously got.

I’ve been a subscriber to Xbox Game Pass for three years and have only spent under $300. It really pays to search for discounts online.

This is entirely on you. I haven’t spent over $200 on Grand Prix racing in the last five years, but that’s because I haven’t participated in many races – less than 50, actually.

Some gamers aren’t worried about the cost of Game Pass, but rather finding enough time to actually play games. As people get older and have less free time, they feel that a subscription service might not be worth it if they won’t be able to take full advantage of it.

However, there are also those who still see great value in the subscription:

I used to love this service, especially since twenty dollars a month gave you access to so many games. It was a fantastic value, but the recent price increase has changed things.

More expensive and different

The recent changes to our subscription plans have caused some concern. We previously offered Core, Standard, and Ultimate options, but we’ve updated these. The price of the Ultimate plan, our most comprehensive offering, has increased from $19.99 to $29.99.

For many players, the high costs are the key argument against the subscription:

Ultimate is now 27€ month, so 5 years would be 1620€.

I think the service now costs too much for what you get.

Game Pass – Great deal or financial trap?

Game Pass seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Some people find it’s a fantastic deal, letting them access a huge library of games for a low monthly price. Others feel it’s too expensive, especially if they don’t play many games or like to actually own the games they play.

After a lot of discussion on Reddit, the general feeling is that Game Pass isn’t necessarily a bad service—it just doesn’t appeal to all gamers.

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2025-12-09 13:04