Is Xbox Game Pass really worth the subscription fee?

WE turn on our Xbox Series console, and check what the new games available on Game Pass are.

It’s our job to keep up with all the latest game releases, and despite the title, we squint to recall the games attached to the names before us.

The Xbox community on social media blows up all the best games. Slime Rancher 2, Persona 5 Royal, and Signalis have all been popular in recent months.

Going back further, there are a number of standout titles that launched on Game Pass on day one.

Tunic, Shredder’s Revenge, and Windjammers 2, were all fun and, most importantly, memorable times.

There’s a huge number of amazing games on Game Pass, at a far lower price than what you’d pay to play them all.

In terms of value, there is no question that it’s the best value in gaming.

The thing is, in the real world, you don’t end up playing all those games you’ve promised yourself you will.

As we look at the library of games, we find ourselves paralysed by choice – or the lack of it.

There are many games we tried this year that we wouldn’t have paid full price for. You can dive into several entries of Assassin’s Creed and the gameplay is often the same.

So many games are picked up and left unfinished. With so much choice, we want to try them all, at the sacrifice of reaching the end.

Once we’ve had the chance to try them, our curiosity is satisfied, and we’re off to see if there’s anything better.

Aside from the outstanding third-party games, Xbox has its own first-party titles to add to the list.

Forza Horizon 5 may be the best racing game of all time, Halo Infinite is not the best Halo game, but definitely playable, and Gears 5 was worth delving into for the Hivebusters DLC.

When a great game is released, Xbox Game Pass is indeed the best value in gaming.

Right now, however, Game Pass has been on a months-long drought of mediocre titles.

The service is filling up with dozens of titles you would never pay money for. Taking a chance on a lesser-known yet hyped-up game can leave you with a high like Unpacking or the lows of Twelve Minutes.

Scorn was marketed as a shooter set in an H.R.Giger-style abyss, and turned out to be just Myst with terrible combat.

When you play one of these releases, you may say that you enjoyed it, but questioning yourself on if you’d recommend it to a friend, you realise you didn’t really.

So many new releases you wouldn’t pay for if you saw them in Blockbusters, so why are we doing the same on Game Pass?

Delving into older titles, you’ll find a treasure like Donut County, but you’ll have to dig in mounds of dirt before you get there.

Game Pass is often compared to Netflix, but there is a key difference here. A movie or TV show can be judged by an episode or the opening scene.

Even if you decide to see it through to the end you’ve only lost two hours. Good luck getting to the first dungeon in Persona 5 Royal in that time.

The truth is we don’t have the time to dive into Game Pass’ library, nor the energy to try everything and find that hidden gem. 

Even worse, when an indie is the standout title of the month, you question whether you should have just bought the game for marginally more than the price of the subscription.

Despite its flaws Xbox Game Pass is a truly impressive service, indisputably the best value in gaming, but when the newest releases aren’t up to scratch neither is the subscription.

The annual price tag might seem cheaper but you’ll pay more in the long run. Wait for a game you really want to try and purchase just one month, then clean up everything you’ve missed along the way.

Written by Dave Aubrey and Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.