Right now a number of places have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 month cards for $25 each. That brings the yearly price down from a hefty $180 to $100. Considering that this includes Xbox Live Gold, the PC Game Pass, and Xcloud I have to say that it's hard, IMO, to argue with the value. I know some people dislike the whole Game Pass concept on either a philosophical level or just because they feel the need to "own" their games (whatever that means these days) but personally I feel like the return is incredible if you're an Xbox gamer. Even if you want to eventually buy copies of the games, just being able to play all the Xbox Studios games day 1 for the cost of the subscription, in addition to all the other games that come to the service, you can save money by just waiting and buying your copies later on deep sale while still enjoying being part of the zeitgeist on release and playing multiplayer games when the servers are fullest etc...

Meanwhile for me there are a relatively large number of games that I may well have bought but probably won't because playing them once was enough. I liked The Medium and Call of the Sea well enough, but they are adventure games and one time through was probably all I'll ever want to do. It turns out that Into the Pit is not my bag, even though the description looked good and the graphics are nice. I could go through a long list of other games I played (do I need to own a copy of Outriders? A game that I won't be able to play in 10 years because it requires servers that will come down? No, I don't.) That's not even getting into Microsoft's own output.

I mostly wanted to post this to let people know about the current deals going on (I think Amazon and Walmart are doing it, among other places) but also because I think that it's a pretty extraordinary value at a time when gaming is nickel and diming us more and more. I bought Returnal for $70 and while that game has good stuff, it's not worth almost a year of Game Pass to me. I bought Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and I liked it a lot, but did I like it more than Psychonauts 2, a game that I got with the Pass (and will probably buy a copy of at some point)? Not really.

I think Game Pass is great and that Game Pass for $100 a year is maybe the best value I've seen in gaming in all my time playing games, which is quite a few years now.

Thanks for the info!

100 seems expensive. Are you aware of the trick that allows you to turn a year of Xbox Live into Game Pass Ultimate? I am in Canada and picked up a Live card for 60 bucks. All you have to do is add it to your account and convert it to Game Pass Ultimate. ***NOTE If you wish to add more than 1 year you MUST add all the Live years before converting to GP. I converted the first year then tried the 2nd and it would only work for 4 months, which means you must also let a current sub lapse as trying to extend a current sub would net the same results. Hopefully this trick still works next year when mine lapses and I can do it again. You can potentially get 3 years for as low as 180. Maybe cheaper in US.

@spacemanspiff00: Pretty sure (but not positive) that is only a one time thing. I did this a couple years ago, so my subscription runs out in September. Might see about tacking some more time on to it with this deal.

@redwing42: Aww that would suck. I even read the instructions too where it said to add the years first before converting and I brain farted the first one. Guess I'll find out next fall lol. Didn't think I saw that it only worked once but you may be right. Perhaps you can update us when you try. Mine runs out next November so you'll be first.

I did this when it first came out. Let my game pass expire, then after a few months, I got the offer again. So, not one-time only, but if you don't want a lapse in GP it is.

@bigsocrates:

Isn't EA-Play also included in Game Pass Ultimate?

That's very good info!

Its not one time, you just wait till its over then do it over again. Buy 12 year membership off amazon on sale for like 40 a piece, then convert for a dollar or microsoft points from searching on bing, or just throw in the 15 for a month, then bam...for 135 = 3 years and 1 month of gold ultimate. The price of 2 games you would buy new for 60 or so...gives you a bunch of free first party day one releases and more. At this point people still saying its not a good deal are just skeptics or really really into the whole idea of ownership and or feel they have no time for so many games. Fair but lets be real...at least once or twice you will have brought 120 worth of games or food in 3 years, skip on lunch a month and you have paid off doing this move. Can you really not afford to have some libary at your fingertips, (cloud so you dont have to take up memory) cause you dont have time to game...why even game...if you cant touch a game once in a while. even playing a game 10 minutes a day for the 3 years paid up for your entertainment lol im ranting and joking but you got my point...somewhere.

yes you get some of their libary too, also disney plus free for a while along with discounts and other stuff no one uses. XD.