While we last saw mention of Game Pass Friends & Family just over a month ago, the service is now live in two countries, though sadly, neither is the US. Coming in at €21.99 per month for a total of five accounts, this release finally gives us insight as to the inner workings and fine details of what Game Pass Friends & Family will consist of, including the pricing structure. What all does Game Pass Friends & Family bring with it? Let’s take a closer look.
Game Pass Friends & Family goes official
“One membership, five individual accounts,” Microsoft starts with the details of Game Pass Friends & Family page. You and up to four players will have access to Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft’s higher tier subscription for just €21.99 per month. That works out to roughly $22 USD per month, or $4.40 per person per month. That’s… very good. For comparison, a single month of Game Pass costs $15 right now, which means for five accounts, you would normally be paying $75 per month, not $22.
While most family plans, like Spotify, Netflix, and others, require you to live in the same household, Microsoft doesn’t think that’s necessary here. It’s called Friends & Family for a reason, right? You’ll be able to add up to four friends or family members to the subscription, “whether they live under the same roof or not.” Each person will use their own account and Xbox profile to track their own achievements, saved games, and personalized recommendations. Of course, since this is Game Pass Ultimate, you’ll have access to all titles on console, PC, and cloud too.
In addition, you’ll get access to EA Play and all titles that launch on that platform within the same subscription, making it even more valuable. Plus, now that it’s been confirmed that Call of Duty is coming to Game Pass, so long as the Microsoft and Activision merger goes through, then having Game Pass Friends & Family means access to the latest Activision games when they launch, which adds even more value.
Using the service is simple – once it comes to your country. Just join or sign up for the service with your existing account, send an invitation email or link to add people to the plan, and then start playing. It’s really that easy.
There’s no official word on when we can expect this to roll out in the US, sadly. However, the fact that Microsoft is now officially offering this service with real-world pricing is a great step forward to possibly having this live by the end of the year.
9to5Toys’ Take
When we covered Game Pass Friends & Family back in August, we were only told that it would be “far less” than the normal $75 that five accounts would cost. We speculated that it could be around $22.99 in our post, given that’s 50% more expensive, which is typical for family plans with services. However, we were somewhat skeptical of it being that low, given how much value Game Pass delivers.
I’m excited that Game Pass Friends & Family is priced where it is and hope that the pricing structure carries over to the US when it eventually launches here. I’ve already talked with a number of folks who said they would love to share the service, as $4.40 per month is much easier to spend than $15 per month in most cases, given how much value Game Pass offers.
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