Thank you, Xbox Game Pass, for always being the best game deal

This Thanksgiving, GameRevolution and its sister site PlayStation LifeStyle are saying “thank you” to their favorite games, consoles and developers.

Xbox Game Pass has definitely been a huge help in getting me back into video game journalism. When I left the industry about five years ago, Microsoft’s subscription service had only been available for a few months and only had about 100 games in its catalog at launch. Today, that number has soared to over 300, with a full mix of blockbusters and indies, all for the low price of $14.99 per month for the Ultimate tier plan. Being able to play the latest games for such an affordable price has made getting back into the field much easier on my wallet. So thank you, Xbox Game Pass, for remaining the best game deal.

In March of this year, I didn’t own the latest consoles. I scoured the internet for great deals and found several threads and articles saying that Microsoft’s announced promotion of an Xbox Series S with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate was really awesome. Given the relatively large number of games I play and the number of games I need to know about for my job, it was a no-brainer. At the time, supply chains made it extremely difficult for me to get a PS5 that wasn’t scalped at an exorbitant price. So the Xbox Series S easily became my first current-gen console purchase.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate got me playing over $500 worth of games in less than a year

Even setting aside the Xbox Game Pass promotion where the first month of Ultimate is just $1, which is a fantastic deal on a trial basis, the service has already made up for its cost. The list of games I’ve already played through Xbox Game Pass since March of this year is long. So, putting aside some of the smaller indie games like Unpacking and What Remains of Edith Finch, I’ll highlight Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Dragon Quest XI S, MLB The Show 22, Psychonauts 2, and Halo. Infinity. This doesn’t include other triple-A games I spent over 40 hours in, like Assassin’s Creed Origins, Forza Horizon 5, Wasteland 3, and Persona 5 Royal.

While video game prices fluctuate wildly, especially with all the sales promotions and holiday season discounts, it’s safe to say that I’ve played at least $500 worth of games with the service . Given that two years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $360, I’m already well ahead of the curve.

Even better, I was able to play a lot of games that I never thought I would try. The subscription service also turns every game in its catalog into a full game trial. I tend to avoid sports games unless they’re about tennis or golf, but I’ve had a chance to play the single-player story modes of NHL 22 and Madden NFL 22. I’ve tried a lot of games that are good but just weren’t for me, like Signs of the Sojourner, NBA 2K22, and Before We Leave. I probably wouldn’t have downloaded Disney Dreamlight Valley without Xbox Game Pass, and now I’ve been playing it daily since it launched.

With Microsoft owning Bethesda and likely bringing Activision into the fold, the value of Xbox Game Pass is only going to increase in the near future. Its ability to attract subscribers over the past five years has compelled Sony to launch its rival PS Plus service this year, which I’ve been considering getting for a month or two. Maybe next year I’ll write how thankful I am for PS Plus too!