Story Highlight
  • Xbox has confirmed that Game Pass Standard won’t include day-one access to new releases.
  • An insider reveals that Microsoft plans to add these titles to the service in 6-12 months.
  • Certain very high-profile games could take even longer than 12 months.

Xbox unveiled Game Pass Standard and new prices yesterday. This new tier of the popular subscription service foregoes the signature day-one first-party releases and offers a catalog of existing first-party games.

Priced at $14.99, it ends up more expensive than the previous console tier with day-one releases. However, it also offers multiplayer gameplay, unlike that tier. As for the confusion regarding new games, it is said that they will take about 6-12 months to arrive on this tier.

Why it matters: This statement indicates that Microsoft has not yet decided on the exact approach to this new tier. As such, things could change in the future.

Call of Duty Xbox Game Pass
Call of Duty May Be Arriving On The Subscription Next Month

As reported by Jez Corden, Microsoft explained that big releases would take up to a full year to arrive on this tier. However, he specified that some games might require even longer.

Xbox is going with the classic case-by-case statement here, stating that the situation will be different for each release. One could assume that a smaller game like last year’s Towerborne or poorly received titles like Redfall would fall within the six-month criteria.

On the other hand, major successes like Starfield would probably require at least a full year. Therefore, fans should not expect the likes of Fable, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Gears of War E-Day on this tier close to release.

Perhaps these will fall in the group that takes even longer than one year.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Will Skip Game Pass Standard At Launch

Nonetheless, it’s clear that Game Pass Standard does not carry the same charm as its predecessor. From the beginning, the subscription has been sold on the promise of access to big titles from day one.

This benefit is now exclusively available on Game Pass PC and Ultimate. Microsoft seems interested in growing on the PC platform, so the gaming giant is offering the best deal for PC users.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Avinash Jaisrani
[How-To Guides Expert] Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city's aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity! Get In Touch: Laiba@hidgt.com Google IT Certificate Shehryar Khan