Microsoft’s press conference was…well, it was okay. For all the hype and bluster, what Microsoft ended up showing was several rungs down the ladder than we expected. Even their next-gen console reveal was underwhelming, effectively parroting what we already knew about the next generation console coming from Sony. They seem to almost be the same system when it comes to hardware, with focuses on reduced load times, higher refresh rates and resolutions.
Even the games that were announced were either wholly expected, or just not particularly exciting. Other than Keanu. Keanu ruled. If there’s one other thing that tickled me though, it was the announcement of Game Pass for PC. Microsoft’s Game Pass is the existing service on console that allows subscribers to download and play any game from a library of hundreds of games. It’s exceptionally good value, especially because it comes with Microsoft’s first party games included on their date of release.
It’s now available on PC, but it brings with it many more games – including games like Metro Exodus, Void Bastards and Hollow Knight all in a monthly fee of around R150 per month. If you already have an Xbox and want to bundle it up with Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass there’s an “ultimate” subscription that costs just R199. That’s insane value. Even better? It’s available right now for a 30-day trial, for just R15. Even better than that? As an introductory offer, it’ll add to your existing Xbox Live or Game Pass subscription and convert it to Ultimate. That means if you have 3 years of stacked Xbox Live, you can convert it to 3 years of Game Pass Ultimate right now for just R15. Do it.
As a word of warning though, it looks like the service is a little hobbled in SA. There are only 63 titles available on Game Pass for Pc locally, compared to 109 in the US. With the Xbox One and the Windows store though, you’re able to change your regions. We’re doing some testing to see if you can change Game Pass for PC regions easily.
You will need to have the Windows 10 May 1903 Update to make use of Game Pass on PC, because everything runs through the new Xbox App on Windows 10. Here’s the list of games that are available on Game Pass for Pc right now:
- ABZU
- ACA NEOGEO METAL SLUG X
- Antiquia Lost
- ARK: Survival Evolved
- Astroneer
- Battle Chasers: Nightwar
- Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe
- Battlefleet Gothic: Armada
- Bomber Crew
- Bridge Constructor Portal
- Broforce
- Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons
- Book of Demons
- Clustertruck
- Crackdown 3
- Crosscode
- Die for Valhalla!
- Disneyland Adventures
- Everspace
- Fez
- Football Manager 2019
- Full Metal Furies
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Windows 10
- Gears of War 4
- Guacamelee 2
- Halo: Spartan Assault
- Halo: Spartan Strike
- Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
- Halo Wars 2: Standard Edition
- Hatoful Boyfriend
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Hello Neighbor
- Hollow Knight
- Hotline Miami
- Imperator: Rome
- Into The Breach
- Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition
- Forza Horizon 4
- MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: INFINITE
- Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
- Metro Exodus
- Mindzone
- Moonlighter
- MudRunner
- Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
- Neon Chrome
- Old Man’s Journey
- Operencia: The Stolen Sun
- Opus Mangum
- Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
- Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You
- Oxenfree
- Pony Island (Daniel Mullins Games)
- ReCore
- Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure
- Ruiner
- Samorost 3
- Sea of Thieves: Anniversary Edition
- Shenmue I & II
- Silence – The Whispered World 2
- Sinner for Windows 10
- Slay The Spire
- Shoot n Merge 2048
- Smoke and Sacrifice
- Snake Pass
- State of Decay 2
- Stealth Inc 2
- SteamWorld Dig 2
- Sunset Overdrive
- Super Lucky’s Tale
- SUPERHOT – Windows 10
- Supermarket Shriek
- Surviving Mars – First Colony Edition
- Riverbond
- Tacoma
- Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
- The Banner Saga
- The Banner Saga 2
- The Banner Saga 3
- The Flame In The Flood
- The Gardens Between
- The Last Door: Season 2 Collector’s Edition
- The Messenger
- The Stillness of the Wind
- The Surge
- The Turing Test
- Thimbleweed Park
- Thumper
- Tyranny Gold Edition
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Vampyr
- Void Bastards
- Wandersong
- Wargroove
- Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
- West Of Loathing
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- We Happy Few
- Wizard of Legend
- Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection
On top of that, there are other games that will be headed to Game Pass for PC soon including:
- Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition
- Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition
- Age Of Empires III: Definitive Edition
- Battletoads
- Bleeding Edge
- Gears 5
- Gears Tactics
- Halo Infinite
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Wasteland 3
For R150 a month? That’s madness. At least when the local retail industry crumbles around us,m we’ll still be able to play games on the cheap, eh?
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Last Updated: June 10, 2019
G8crasha
June 10, 2019 at 08:38
Okay, I’m confused, because according to the MS store page for SA, far fewer games are available: See link below:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-za/store/collections/pcgaVTaz?rtc=1
All the games in the article are definitely available under the console pass, but they don’t seem to be available for the PC version of the pass, unless there are geographical restrictions, and the games in the article are available in the US PC version of the pass. You know, another Netflix-like story.
Geoffrey Tim
June 10, 2019 at 09:03
Could be another situation where things are still being added, or worse – where we have a bit of g imped service.That has happened with some Game Pass and games with gold games on Xbox.
G8crasha
June 10, 2019 at 09:03
I get the feeling it’s the latter. To be honest, it doesn’t really make sense, because Steam gets pretty much every game (or Epic), even if there are local distributors, so why can’t MS!
Pariah
June 10, 2019 at 08:45
I own about 40% of those games already… And I’ve played maybe 10% of those.
Yahtzee
June 10, 2019 at 09:10
I’m pretty sure Forza 4 was on that list last night, and the only game I was interested to play on the pass…
Yahtzee
June 10, 2019 at 09:10
Nevermind, I read like me butt. It was not alphabetically
Yahtzee
June 10, 2019 at 09:10
Nevermind, I read like me butt. It was not alphabetically
CantBeNull
June 10, 2019 at 09:39
Checking the Xbox Beta app on my pc all these games are there.
Llama In The Rift
June 10, 2019 at 09:24
Looks much better than Stadia. Actually has some games.
Admiral Chief
June 10, 2019 at 09:24
BROFORCE
Admiral Chief
June 10, 2019 at 09:24
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a majestic game
Pieter Kruger
June 10, 2019 at 09:33
Game Pass is brilliant! I immediately upgraded to Ultimate! Currently downloading Metro Exodus, Borderlands THC, Shenmue 1&2 and State Of Decay Heartland! Although the conference was meh, I need to rewatch it again, so many things I forgot already or simply have no idea what they are(Crossfire X, Phantasy Star Online??), and so many questions….is Age Of Empires coming to Xbox? Oh and Flight Sim!! Flight Sim looks tops!! Minecraft Dungeons
Bleeding Edge
Gears 5
Forza Lego
And join me in welcoming Double Fine and newly created AOE studios to Xbox Game Studios!
Se7en Sharon Needles
June 10, 2019 at 09:49
Then what’s the point of owning an xbox?
HvR
June 10, 2019 at 10:21
You can’t add Pieter Kruger as friend on PC
Pieter Kruger
June 10, 2019 at 10:30
Actually, I think you CAN!
Pieter Kruger
June 10, 2019 at 10:30
Well it’s much cheaper than a gaming PC for one, and some gamers actually prefer console to pc? Make sense?
Geoffrey Tim
June 10, 2019 at 14:29
Xbox is increasingly a platform more than it is a bit of hardware. I’m 100% okay with this.
Se7en Sharon Needles
June 10, 2019 at 19:35
I already have a platform of choice, it’s called Steam. There’s nothing about this that makes it worth it. If I wanted to buy console games, I’d buy a console.
Mark Treloar
June 10, 2019 at 22:23
Steam is not a platform its a Market Place and a DRM