As time goes on, Microsoft’s service, theXbox Game Pass, only becomes more and more appealing. This service started in 2017 and has only added more features, games, and options continuously since then,making it hard for other subscription services to even think about competing.There are a lot of people who would absolutely loveXbox Game Passbut don’t have it, simply due to some odd misconceptions.RELATED:Best FPS Games On Xbox Game PassSo, to help fix that issue, here are some of the biggest misconceptions about the service people are believing for some reason, and why they’re incorrect.
8"Oh, Is That One Of Those Streaming Services?"
The most important aspect of Xbox Game Pass, bar none, is the fact that it’s not a streaming/cloud-based service similar to the original PS Now orGoogle Stadia (though xCloud is similar to these two services). Players find the game they like that’s a part of the pass, download it, and then play it. Simple as that. Having it set up this way is useful for a number of reasons, but just to name a few:
7"It’s Where Microsoft Throws Their Forgotten Games"
This is one thing that makes literally no sense to misunderstand about the Xbox Game Pass, yet it still comes up from time to time. Game Pass’s catalog was already absurd when it launched, and it has only become more ridiculous over time. Brand new games, old titles, releases from last-gen, it doesn’t matter, Xbox Game Pass has it.
There are tons of games that havedropped onto Xbox Game Pass literally day one, and still seen great success in terms of sales. For example,The Riftbreaker,an upcoming wave survival mech RPG, is already confirmed for Game Pass on release.
6"All My Work Is Gone Once The Membership Is Over"
Microsoft knows that people are starting and stopping Xbox Game Pass constantly. There are just a lot of people who buy a month of the pass, blitz the one or two games that interested them, cancel their subscription, and then come back a couple of months later to try another game that was added. No matter what the subscription service is, a large portion of the user base will be made up of people who stop and restart the subscription as they deem fit.
And, because of that, they’ve sort of built the Game Pass service to accommodate those types of consumers. One of the main ways they’ve done this is that save files are stored in the cloud, meaning that a player who comes back to the service even years later can start upone of the many fantastic games on the passthat they played previously and continue right from where they left off.
5"If It’s On Game Pass, It’s Playable On Both Console & PC"
Not every misconception about the Xbox Game Pass is entirely positive, and this is proof of that. Basically, just because a company says a game is coming to the Xbox Game Pass, doesn’t mean it’s playable on both the Xbox Series X and PC through the Microsoft Store,nor does it mean it’ll be on the pass forever.
RELATED:Best Strategy Games On Xbox Game Pass
More often than not, a game on the pass will only be available on Xbox consolesrather than only on PC,but both situations do happen. Thankfully, when looking through the catalog, each game on the service is marked with a console or PC “icon” that denotes which ones apply. Just verify to keep an eye on what games are exclusive to what platforms, and what games might not be on the pass for that much longer.
4"It’s Just One Subscription, Right?"
Another common mistake people make when talking about the Xbox Game Pass is they seem to think there’s only one “option” to pick as far as a subscription goes. However, there are actually three separate plans:
People can likely figure out which is which based on the subscription names alone, but the Ultimate Pass needs a tad more clarification.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best option for players who game both on console and PC or want to bundle Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass into one package. It has a few more extra features as well, but the gist of it is that the Game Pass Ultimate is sort of the “complete package” option.
3"Wouldn’t We Have To Get The Online Service Too?"
Probably one of the biggest misunderstandings in regards to Xbox Game Pass has to do with online or multiplayer games that are part of the Pass.
RELATED:The Best Open-World Games On Xbox Game Pass (September 2021)
Because every big gaming company has tied their online multiplayer behind some subscription service again, AKA Nintendo Switch Online, Playstation Plus, or even Xbox Live Gold, there are plenty of people that think Game Pass doesn’t give players access to the online content some of the games on it offers. But, because Xbox Game Pass is designed to be the affordable option for everyone, any game on it doesn’t require Live Gold to be played online.
2"I Can’t Play With My Steam/Console Friends Though"
Though, with all that said about the “free” multiplayer, just keep in mind that some games separate their online services between different stores. Therefore, there will be times that two people playing the same game (one on the Series X and one on the Microsoft Store) won’t be able to connect to each other, so just do a bit of research beforehand for each game.
It doesn’t happen often, but there are some games that don’t have crossplay between different platforms, let alone different hosting services such as Steam or the Epic Games Store.
1"The Same Account Can’t Be Used For Both PC & Console"
And finally, here’s another reason to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate over the other options. Xbox Game Pass doesn’t really have any sort of “user” limit other than the fact that only one person can be logged in to an account at once. So, if someone wants their family member or close friend to experience a game they played on PC, but that person only has the Xbox Series X, it can still work.
MORE:Best Games That Are Only On Xbox Game Pass For PC
