Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs. Core (Gold) vs. Standard vs. PC: Which Should You Buy?

What Is Xbox Game Pass?

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that provides access to a sizeable library of Xbox games, which is a video game streaming service provided by Microsoft for consoles, PCs, and Android smartphones. 

For a monthly fee, you can play hundreds of titles for your platform of choice, including all Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda releases as soon as they come out, either online multiplayer features or Cloud Gaming. It’s an appealing service that gets even more tempting the more you’re willing to pay.

• Type: Video Game Streaming Service.

• Compatible Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Windows), Smartphones (Android).

• Core Feature: Access to a Library of Free Games.

• Payment: Monthly, you can cancel any time to stop future charges.

To illustrate Game Pass' offering, consider it akin to the Netflix model for gaming. Just as Netflix offers a wide array of new shows for a set subscription fee, Game Pass enables gamers to freely download and play games for as long as they maintain their membership.

How Does Xbox Game Pass Work?

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that gives you access to a library of games that you can download or stream on various devices. You can sign up for Xbox Game Pass on your Xbox console, the Xbox app on Windows PC, or by browsing the latest games on xbox.com. You can play on your Xbox console, PC, mobile device, or stream games to your phone, select Samsung displays, and Fire TV 4K sticks. 

However, an active membership and internet connection are required to play these games. Upon subscription expiration, the game data remains on the device but prompts the player to either renew their subscription or purchase the game separately.

①Internet Connectivity While Using Game Pass

• For offline games that lack multiplayer features, Game Pass still mandates an internet connection. This is essential for signing into the account and verifying the player's active membership status. Even a weak network connection is adequate for these games. However, multiplayer-based games necessitate a stable and reliable connection for uninterrupted gameplay.

②Game Category Rotation

• Game Pass titles are refreshed monthly, with new games added and some removed from the library. Subscribers are informed in advance about the incoming and departing games, allowing them to adjust their subscriptions as desired. If a game that a subscriber is actively playing is scheduled to leave Game Pass, they receive a 20% discount to purchase the title, enabling them to continue playing.

Xbox Game Pass Plans

There are four services here: Xbox Game Pass Core, Xbox Game Pass Standard, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. 

At first glance, all Xbox Game Pass subscription tiers may seem to offer the same thing. And in many ways, they do. All of them are subscription services that unlock a variety of AAA and indie games for one monthly fee. The major differences are which games are included, where you can play these games, and what extra features are included. Here’s a quick summary of each, although we’ll go into more detail below.

There’s also an Xbox Game Pass Console plan for legacy subscribers, but this will be phased out shortly.

1. Xbox Game Pass Core

Game Pass Core is the rebranded Xbox Live Gold, which is tied for the cheapest Game Pass option at $9.99 a month. It's aimed at console gamers who want to play online multiplayer. Xbox console owners who do not have Game Pass Ultimate require this subscription to engage in online play. Additionally, Game Pass Core provides its members with a selection of over 25 free games, which are available at no extra cost and remain accessible as long as the membership is active.

Pros & Cons

2. Xbox Game Pass Standard

Game Pass Standard is the newest Game Pass plan; it costs $14.99 a month and replaces the Game Pass Console plan. Game Pass Standard provides its members with a selection of hundreds of high-quality games on console, which are available at no extra cost and remain accessible as long as the membership is active.

Pros & Cons

3. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

This is the most expensive plan ($19.99 a month), and you get a lot for the price tag, including access to games on console and PC. It offers access to day-one releases, a collection of over 400 free games, and a complimentary EA Play membership. Additionally, subscribers enjoy exclusive access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, enabling gameplay over an internet connection on both console and mobile devices. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership providing incredible value with loads of benefits, including cloud-based game streaming on multiple devices. However, the price could be overkill if you primarily play on one platform.

4. Xbox PC Game Pass

Xbox PC Game Pass is $11.99 a month. As implied by its name, Game Pass PC is a subscription exclusive to PC users. It offers members access to a library of over 100 free games. Additionally, members receive a complimentary EA Play membership as a bonus. It caters to PC gamers who want a large library of games and Day 1 releases.

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs. Core (Gold) vs. Standard vs. PC

1. Price

Xbox Game Pass Core (Xbox Live Gold)

• The most basic plan is Xbox Game Pass Core, which runs just $9.99/month. It's an effectively identical service to Xbox Live Gold that has online multiplayer functionality on Xbox consoles and a handful of free games. That said, it lacks the robust libraries found in the other Xbox Game Pass membership tiers. And although you can buy a full year in advance, the discount isn’t as good as it once was at $74.99.

Xbox Game Pass PC

• PC Game Pass is $11.99/month, and obviously, it targets an entirely different audience. This is a fantastic deal for PC-only gamers, although there are no discounts for 3, 6, or 12-month subscription cards unless you buy them from third-party retailers, which comes with certain risks. Still, this is excellent value. You’re getting 100+ games, which includes all first-party games from Microsoft and tons of third-party hits, the entire EA Play library, and indie darlings. However, note that the game library is different from the console library.

Xbox Game Pass Standard

• Speaking of which, Xbox Game Pass Standard is a bit pricier at $14.99/month. It includes many great console games, but you no longer gain access to day-one releases. For that reason, it’s the worst value of any of the Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most premium, costing $19.99/month. At that price, it’s no longer the incredible deal it was a few years ago, and the only way you’re getting good value is by playing console games online and PC games occasionally. Besides combining all of those services into one monthly subscription, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate adds Microsoft’s cloud gaming feature, formerly called Project xCloud. It lets you play the service's games on your Android phone, PC, or recent Samsung TV through an app; or on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC through a web page.

Upgrading to Ultimate doesn’t add much value for pure PC gamers. Unless you want to try cloud gaming on your PC, iOS, or Android device or want access to the full roster of champions in League of Legends, the extra features aren’t very enticing for an extra $8 a month.

2. Features

The core feature for all Game Pass subscriptions is access to a library of games at one monthly price. While subscribed, you can download and play games from over 100 fantastic titles on your PC, mobile device, or Xbox console (depending on the subscription). For the Standard and PC version of Xbox Game Pass, that’s precisely what you’re paying for.

If you just want to play multiplayer games online, there’s a slightly cheaper plan called Xbox Game Pass Core, which replaced Xbox Live Gold in September 2023. This subscription costs $9.99/month or $74.99/year. Granted, you no longer need a subscription to play free-to-play games online, including heavy-hitters like PUBG, Fortnite, and Halo: Infinite.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is on the other side of the spectrum. The premium subscription bundles Xbox Game Pass Console, PC Game Pass, online multiplayer, and Xbox Cloud Gaming into a single service. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also includes a few other perks for popular games, like unlocking the full roster of champions in League of Legends. The service also regularly offers add-ons with skins and other content for games like Sea of Thieves, FIFA, and more. Other perks include extended free trials of other services, such as Apple Music, Crunchyroll, or Discord Nitro.

Another very important difference is day-one access to new first-party games. After the July 2024 changes, only Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass will include access to brand-new games on the day they’re released. Xbox Game Pass Standard subscribers may need to wait weeks or months for access.

3. Games

More than anything else, the Xbox Game Pass library will determine the value the service holds for you. It offers hundreds of games for both Xbox and Windows. There’s plenty of overlap between the platforms, but there are also some games specific to Xbox or PC. These games are regularly refreshed, with a few rotated in or out on a monthly basis. Microsoft announces removals well in advance, so you have plenty of time to try or finish them. There are discounts to buy games leaving Game Pass, so watch for those if you want to keep playing.

About the Xbox Game Pass game library, if you check the official list online, it combines four separate libraries: PC titles, console titles, cloud gaming titles, and EA Play titles. Of course, if you subscribe to Ultimate, you gain instant access to all these. Those who opt for the cheaper Game Pass subscriptions might not get the full picture. To check each category, enable the filter for console, PC, or cloud-enabled games. Also, remember that the console titles include EA Play games, which are not included with a standard Game Pass subscription.

There’s some gold in Xbox Game Pass, whether you play on console, PC, or both. All Xbox Game Studios games are up there, including Forza Horizon 5, Forza Motorsport 7, every Halo game, every Gears of War game, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax means that all of Bethesda's franchises like Doom, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Starfield are included with Xbox Game Pass, too.

There are plenty of other excellent third-party games available on top of them, though they tend not to be quite as recent as day-one Xbox Game Studios games. With EA Play included, you can play Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (though not Jedi Survivor), and all of the Dead Space games (though not the Dead Space remake). Curiously, Capcom and Sega seem at least as generous as EA with the games they offer on Xbox Game Pass, with Exoprimal, Monster Hunter Rise, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, Persona 5 Royal, and every main series Yakuza game. Other series, like the Mega Man Legacy Collections, Resident Evil, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy games have been available on the service in the past, though aren't currently part of the library.

To play any of these games, all you have to do is load the Xbox app in Windows or access the Xbox Game Pass section on your Xbox, choose a game in the pass, and start downloading or streaming.

4. Xbox Cloud Gaming

Without a doubt, the biggest difference between the cheaper Xbox Game Pass subscriptions and Game Pass Ultimate is Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly called Project xCloud). Although it’s still technically in beta, it allows you to play AAA games from the comfort of your mobile device, PC, or even your Steam Deck. Currently, the only way to access Microsoft’s game streaming is with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

It’s worth noting that Microsoft recently added support for all titles in the PC Game Pass to GeForce Now, so even if you don’t pay for Ultimate, you can still play in the cloud. Granted, if you want to play for more than an hour, you’ll need to pay an additional subscription fee.

The games run on Microsoft’s own servers, with all graphics, sound, and inputs streaming to and from those servers to your phone. Cloud Gaming is accessible through the Xbox Game Pass app on Android phones, Samsung TVs made after 2021, and Windows. It can also be played in a web browser, making it usable on iPad, iPhones, and Macs. On iOS and iPadOS, the relevant web page helpfully gives instructions on saving that page as an icon to your device's home screen, which makes it behave exactly like the app does on Android.

To play Xbox games on your phone, you need a compatible controller. You can simply pair an Xbox Wireless Controller to your phone over Bluetooth, or use a variety of gamepads designed specifically for Xbox cloud gaming, like the Backbone, PowerA Moga XP5-X Plus, and Razer Kishi. The cloud-gaming-specific controllers often have some form of phone holder or clamp that keeps your phone in place at a comfortable viewing position on the gamepad, letting you use the pair of devices like a gaming handheld (the Razer Kishi with its internal phone holder feels particularly like a Nintendo Switch, especially the Razer Edge tablet with its upgraded Kishi V2 Pro). In addition, the cloud saving tracks across both cloud gaming and your progress on Xbox and PC. 

5. Which Should You Buy?

When comparing Xbox Game Pass (PC, Core, and Standard) vs Ultimate, the primary consideration is where you want to game.

Game Pass Ultimate

• Game Pass Ultimate is a better choice if you game on a console. The added value of day-one games is a big deal. Most gamers will be satisfied with Game Pass Ultimate, although you probably don't need it if you only play on PC or if you mostly play free-to-play online multiplayer games, like Fortnite or Overwatch. The price — and its potential to increase — might send people to other plans. If price is an issue, you can always unsubscribe at any time and resubscribe when a game you want to play is added. Otherwise, this is the plan for you.

PC Game Pass 

• The situation shifts when it comes to pure PC gamers. Most of the added benefits of Ultimate (namely EA Play and online multiplayer) are either included or irrelevant for PC gamers, so there isn’t much reason to upgrade. it’s also $7 cheaper per month, a significant amount. That said, you can only access Xbox Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which might tip the scales for fans of emerging game streaming tech (unless you’re already using GeForce Now). PC Game Pass may not offer every game in the Game Pass library, but PC Game Pass does bring new games to the service every month, including a host of Day 1 releases coming soon.

If you just want to play console games online, Xbox Game Pass Core and Standard may work out to be a better value. 

Game Pass Standard

• Console gamers who don't mind waiting a little longer to play some games and don't need to  play on PC or mobile devices. While you might not be able to play major games on Day 1, like the upcoming Gears of War game, you'll probably be able to play them later. And if you only play on Xbox consoles and don't need access to PC games or features like cloud gaming, this is the plan for you.

Game Pass Core

• If you mostly play online multiplayer games, like Halo or Gears of War, and you only play on console, this is the plan for you. You're mostly paying for access to play online multiplayer with this plan, but the added discounts and game library — despite its smallish size — are nice perks, too.

You Need to Know Before Subscribe Xbox Game Pass

1. You pay every month, whether you play game pass titles or not.

2. Your favorite game could disappear at any time. While most Microsoft titles will likely stay on Xbox Game Pass, there are several other games that are just simply passing through. If you want to continue your saved game, you have to purchase the game directly on the Xbox store. 

3. You don't own your games. Gaming subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass merely let you borrow the games in its library. It's similar to when you borrow a book from a library: you can read it, but you can't give it away to someone else. And when the library asks for the book back (i.e., Xbox Game Pass stops carrying the title in its digital library), it will be returned automatically.

4. You might miss out on some awesome titles. If you're already subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, you're less likely to look at other gaming platforms as you'd want to make the most of your monthly payments. This means you might miss out on titles that launch on Steam or Epic Games, as you don't want to spend above what you're paying for every month.

5. You'll have to wait a bit longer for patches. Patches for games after their launch are now a common occurrence, meaning there might be a few times where you'll need to update a game so you can enjoy its latest version. However, some Xbox Game Pass titles might take a bit longer to get updated, especially those that might come from smaller studios. That's because Microsoft has a certification process for every piece of software that goes through it, which might take some time. Some studios would release an update on Steam and other platforms without waiting for their update to go through Microsoft's system. This means some niche titles would take time to update if you installed it via Xbox Game Pass (or even bought it through the Microsoft or Xbox Store).

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