Microsoft’s new Netflix-style games service, Xbox Game Pass, launched this week, giving Xbox One users who choose to subscribe an instant library of 112 games.
But is it worth paying for?
Whether or not it’s worth it for you depends on how many games you’ve already played on Xbox One, and how often you plan to play. If you’re a fairly new owner of Microsoft’s gaming console, then I’d wager there’s no better way to bulk up your collection than by paying the £8/$10 monthly fee – after all, across the year that equates to only two full-price games – but if you’re something of an Xbox veteran, chances are you’ll have already played most of the games it offers.
Of the 112 games, only 38 of them are Xbox One games. The rest are backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games. There are some real corkers in there though, across both formats. Just to list a few:
- The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
- Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite
- Brothers
- DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition
- Fable III
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
- Halo 5
- Mad Max
- Resident Evil 0
- Saints Row IV
- Screamride
- Sunset Overdrive
- Terraria
- Viva Pinata/Trouble in Paradise
There are a lot more indie gems in there, too, and a lot of games that may not be “mainstream” but still deserve your time of day.
As you’d expect, there’s nothing particularly new in there, however. The most recent game, indie or otherwise, seems to be at least a year old, and the current domination of Xbox 360 titles is likely to put some people off.
I’d still argue it’s worth trying. Even if you only play half a dozen of these games in a year, you’ve got your money’s worth. If you’d like to broaden your horizons and try something you’ve not played before, then it’s worth looking into. Microsoft has promised that the list will be updated regularly, so if you’re on the fence, it could be worth holding out for a couple of months to see what new stuff gets added.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I already own at least half of them, I’d be jumping on it, no questions asked. For someone fairly new to Xbox, or for someone just getting into gaming, the Xbox Game Pass is a no-brainer.
You can check out the full list of games available by clicking here to visit the Xbox Store listing.
