(Image credit: Microsoft)

Take the Risk Out of Gaming

The 2021 E3 lineup had many developers and publishers, but the clear winner for impact was the Xbox and Bethesda Gaming Showcase. They displayed a wide range of games, and most had set release dates for this year. The other major part of the announcement is that a majority of those titles debut on the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The Load Screen covers how adding these games to the lineup truly makes the Game Pass Ultimate the best deal for subscription gaming in 2021 compared to other services.

All three major console makers now offer their version of a similar service, so what about the other two systems? According to the Nintendo Switch Online website, the Nintendo Switch Online program provides a vast Nintendo and Super Nintendo games list for $19.99 per year, but there are no modern games. The Sony competitor is The PlayStation Now service which offers a few current titles, but most games are older and have a yearly cost of $59.99, as listed on the PlayStation Now website. It suffers from similar issues to the Xbox Game Pass, where games fall off the subscription, but it is limited to PlayStation titles, and the player can only stream the service on PC.

Other companies offer subscription services as well, but they allow for streaming games to different devices. Amazon is working on Amazon Luna, a membership with limited titles and multiple gaming channels, such as Ubisoft+. The service is in beta and not available in many countries; see the Amazon Luna landing page for more details. Then there is Google Stadia, which offers a wide range of titles, but they are not free since they require purchasing on the Stadia Store page. The Nvidia service called GeForce Now is a different type of subscription. It has a free version with lower graphics and shorter play sessions or a version with better graphics for a low monthly cost. The service requires that the gamer verify they own the license for the title on other platforms before activation, as listed on the GeForce Now website. These subscriptions all stream their titles, so lag and other network issues amplify the quality of gameplay, including the user’s internet service.

The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate stands as the best value because of the product’s many layers. Microsoft’s service already offered plenty of content with more than 100 titles accessible, and then in March, the company expanded its game selection. In this Xbox Wire article, the platform added EA Play for Game Pass Ultimate members with 60 EA games. The gamer can play those titles on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and stream to even more Android devices. The lists vary from PC to console, but the smallest catalog is the cloud-enabled games for streaming. At $14.99 a month, the Microsoft Service is the costliest at $179.88 for the year.

Even though the service is the most expensive, it brings the most worth through infusing more new and relevant games. At E3 2021, Microsoft laid out an exclusive set of titles coming to the Xbox Game Pass this year. The graphic in the Xbox Unveils Exclusive Lineup article shows the games include Hades, Sable, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Twelve Minutes, Back 4 Blood, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Aragami 2, and more. All nineteen titles launch within the next six months, which costs $89.94, barely over the price of a single game. Many of the titles added are of the $59.99 price range, and it would already cost $99.98 to buy Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Dark Alliance together, which costs more than six months of the service.

What about not directly owning the games outside of the Xbox Game Pass? Microsoft does take titles off the Game Pass, but they target underperforming games that are more than a year old to make room for new content. Each month, users are informed by Xbox Wire with every title leaving the platform, and the most recent update is the coming soon to game pass June article. The games get a year or more in the rotation before removal, so there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy them. Players will have the chance to try or possibly finish them within that time frame, but they eventually get cleared for more content instead of gathering dust like a purchased copy.

Another massive benefit to any service that allows for time-limited game access is that gamers can try before buying. Recently several developers have had issues with launching titles, and subscription services offer a buffer from these problems. If the game comes out on the Xbox Game Pass for its initial publication, then the subscription holder is free to risk downloading the latest games. Look at both Outriders and Dark Alliance, which were initially available on the Game Pass; see the Xbox Game Pass games page for the entire catalog.

At this year’s E3, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users won with the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. The event demonstrated why the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most valuable in subscription services for gaming. Microsoft offers a wide range of games over PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and streaming, so having an Xbox console is unnecessary. The service’s value grows with the number of new releases coming directly to the Game Pass on their release dates. Other competitors are trying, but they offer fewer games, older titles, or require specific purchasing. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is leading the way to consumer-first subscriptions for video games that benefit players.

Xbox Game Pass 2021 title releases:

• Age of Empires IV

• Among Us

• Anacrusis

• Aragami 2

• The Ascent

• Back 4 Blood

• Dark Alliance

• Forza Horizon 5

• The Gunk

• Hades

• Halo Infinite

• Hello Neighbor 2

• Microsoft Flight Simulator

• Psychonauts 2

• Sable

• Scorn

• Shredders

• Twelve Minutes

• Yakuza: Like a Dragon