In June 2017, Microsoft launched its Xbox Game Pass service. In the three years since it launched it has amassed over 200 games in its library and 15 million subscribers. In layman’s terms, it’s the Netflix of video games. It is available on Xbox One, Windows 10 PCs, and the upcoming Xbox Series X at the low cost of $9.99 a month. It seems as if it’s almost too good to be true. How good is the service, and is it truly the best deal in gaming right now? Let’s find out.

 All of Microsoft’s exclusive games are on Game Pass, so you can play games such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Sea of Thieves, and more. Every new Microsoft-exclusive game will be added to the service the same day it releases. Third-party companies have also made deals with Microsoft to have their games appear on the service, with more being added as time goes on. Recently, Microsoft acquired Zenimax Media and its game publisher, Bethesda Softworks. Bethesda is responsible for publishing games in beloved franchises like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and Quake, to name a few. Many of these games will be added to Game Pass in the near future, and new releases from Bethesda will appear on Game Pass on day one. It should be noted that some games are only available on Xbox, and vice-versa. However, most of Microsoft’s heavy-hitters are available on both platforms. With the standard Game Pass subscription, you can only play on console or PC, depending on which platform you buy it on. 

The standard subscription gives you a lot, but the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate may very well be the better deal for you. Game Pass Ultimate costs $14.99 a month.  In addition to everything included with Game Pass, the Ultimate subscription gives you access to Xbox Live Gold. Most games on Xbox require Xbox Live to play online. So if you want to dominate the battlefield in Halo online multiplayer, for example,  you’ll need Xbox Live. On its own, Xbox Live costs $9.99 per month. So it really is a steal to have both services combined for only $5 more a month. You can play on both Xbox and PC with Ultimate. The newest addition to the Ultimate gauntlet is Project xCloud, a new way to enjoy Xbox games on the go. It is still in beta at the moment, and it will be added to the Game Pass on Android when it is released. You will be able to stream games from Microsoft’s servers directly to your Android device. In addition, subscribers of both the standard and Ultimate Game Pass get deals on certain games not on the service. Lastly, another upcoming addition to Game Pass is the addition of Electronic Art’s backlog of games to the service via EA Play. Madden, Fifa, Battlefield, and Star Wars games are among those who will be coming to Game Pass. EA Play will be available to subscribers on November 10th.

Overall, if you are a gamer who has either an Xbox One, Windows 10 PC or is planning on getting the upcoming Xbox Series X, then a Game Pass subscription is really a no-brainer. In particular, Game Pass Ultimate is a steal at only $14.99 a month, including Xbox Live Gold. It is the best deal in gaming at the moment. If you are interested, you can purchase Xbox Game Pass here.