Preliminary information
Before explaining yourself in detail how Xbox Game Pass works, I think you might be interested in learning more about what this subscription offers.
Well, Game Pass, originally launched in 2017, is a service that allows users to access a vast catalog of games (in 2020 there are over 100) on consoles and PCs and to play them, either by installing them locally or streaming on the cloud (in this 'last case even from mobile devices), as long as the subscription is kept active and the chosen titles remain in the catalog of the service (which in fact works a bit à la Netflix, so at some point the games can even go out of print).
However, an important distinction must be made: there are, in fact, three types of subscription: Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass per PC e Game Pass per console.
The subscription that Microsoft pushes the most on is the Ultimate one, which essentially includes everything the Redmond company can offer both on consoles and on PC and mobile devices: at a price of 12,99 per month (1 euro for the first month), includes access to the catalog Game Pass from all devices, i.e. consoles, PCs and mobile devices, access to the streaming game service xCloud (at the time of writing available only on Android), the Xbox Live Gold subscription to play online (typically it would cost 6,99 euros per month) and the selection EA Play which offers some Electronic Arts games.
To underline the fact that Xbox Live Gold also allows you to get gods games that are "given away" monthly to all subscribers of the service (born well before the Game Pass) and to access exclusive discounts on games available on the Xbox digital store.
However, as indicated by Microsoft in the official guidelines, from Xbox One onwards neither the titles Game Pass nor those Games with Gold remain available once the Ultimate subscription is canceled. In short, you must have an active subscription to access it.
The versions Xbox e PC of Game Pass simply include access to the Game Pass catalog - which contains differences between the two platforms - and the ability to access dedicated discounts. No Gold, xCloud or EA Access. They both cost 9,99 per month with, for the PC version, the first month in promotion at 1 euro for new subscribers. More info here.
How Xbox Game Pass works
After explaining the proposals in terms of prices and contents, I would say that it is time to take action and understand how the Game Pass works. To give you a concrete example, I'll use a Xbox series s, but the steps to follow are also quite similar on the other consoles of the Redmond giant. As for the PC, I'll tell you more about it in a later chapter.
How to subscribe
Microsoft is highlighting the Game Pass pretty much everywhere. Leaving aside i banner which you will probably find in the Home screen of Xbox, my advice is to open the Microsoft Store (shopping bag icon) and proceed through the latter, in order to thoroughly analyze all the possibilities (otherwise you may only see banners related to the Ultimate subscription).
Therefore, use functionality Search of the digital store and type "Game Pass" in the search field. This way, you will see all the possibilities offered for your console. More precisely, there are two of them: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate e Xbox Game Pass for consoles. I explained the differences between the two, as well as their costs, in the previous chapter of the guide.
Then choose thesubscription more suited to your needs, by clicking on the appropriate box, and press the button Buy Now. Read, therefore, all the information pages that are shown to you, press the button A controller su CONTINUED e SUBSCRIBE and, if you haven't already, set up a payment method valid between PayPal, gift voucher, cellular e credit and debit card.
Speaking gift vouchers and prepaid cards, I remind you that you can buy the latter through the classic physical stores or through online stores, such as Amazon, and redeem them in the Xbox store to activate the subscription to Game Pass or Xbox Live Gold, often at more advantageous prices than standard subscriptions.
See offer on Amazon See offer on Amazon See offer on AmazonThe procedure to configure a payment method is very simple and the system will guide you step by step, but if you really need more information you can find it through my tutorial on how to change a Microsoft account and through the guidelines published by Microsoft.
Once you have completed the purchase of the subscription, the system will thank you with a message: just press the button RECEIVED to start using your Xbox Game Pass subscription.
For a limited promotional period (probably by the end of 2020, but that's just guesswork), Microsoft is offering the option to convert Xbox Live Gold subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for 1 euro (up to 36 months and a maximum of once per account), so you could find great offers for Live Gold and convert everything to Game Pass Ultimate in a very simple way, via this page.
How to download games
Given the importance that the Game Pass service assumes in the Microsoft ecosystem, the Redmond company has made the installation of the games included in the subscription very simple and quick.
You can access the Game Pass catalog in multiple ways, as there are shortcuts to both Home screen of Xbox than within the Microsoft Store. In any case, once you reach the main page dedicated to the Game Pass, which highlights the benefits offered, I suggest you press the button Show all.
By doing so, you will access the entire catalog offered by the service and you will be able to take a look at all the titles offered. For download a game, just press the button A of the pad first on title box and then on the button INSTALL. That's all: quick and easy.
The download and installation will start automatically: I remind you that you can check the status of the download from the appropriate queue.
For example, on Xbox Series S you can access it by pressing the icon My games and apps present on the Home screen and moving to the tab Manage queue. Pressing the button Break / Inventory above a game tile, you can manage the download, for example by pausing it.
How Xbox Game Pass Ultimate works
If you have decided to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, I remind you that you also have the Games with Gold, which will likely be suggested to you on the console home screen, as well as i benefits related to the Game Pass and selection EA Play.
In this case, you can search through the Microsoft Store what you need and get it quickly, by pressing the button INSTALL o REQUEST.
To give you a concrete example, in my case I was able to get, thanks to the Ultimate subscription, 30 days free of the streaming service Disney +, the game Aragami Shadow Edition (Games with Gold November 2020 game), some exclusive item packs for certain titles and the free 10-hour trial FIFA 21 (included in EA Play, I could not find it from the console, but I had to go through this link, log in and start the download of the Xbox One version, also compatible with Series S).
Also remember that if you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription you can already play online via Live Gold, otherwise you will have to take out this last subscription as well.
start a title installed on your console, just press the button A controller ongame icon, found on the Xbox home screen.
How Xbox Game Pass PC works
After describing the Game Pass functions related to consoles, it is useful to dwell on some differences with the world PC, which may interest you if you intend to use the Game Pass from this platform.
Game Pass PC-only subscription is only compatible with Windows 10, it sells for the same price as the console-only one but includes a slightly different catalog.
If you have subscribed to a subscription of this type, to proceed you just need to connect to the official Microsoft website and press the button DOWNLOAD THE APP. By doing so, you will get the XboxInstaller.exe: open it, check the box related to license conditions e premi sui pulsnti INSTALL e Yes, to finish the Xbox client setup.
When installation is complete, click the button first LET'S BEGIN and in no time his quello TAKE ME TO THE GAMES. This will take you to the Game Pass title catalog available for PC. You can press on the box ALL THE GAMES to take a deeper look at Microsoft's proposal.
Once you have found a title that interests you, just click on game box e premere sul pulsating INSTALL, choosing theunit where to install it. In this way, the download and installation will start, which you can keep under control through thegame icon, present on the left.
Once you've finished installing a game, just press the button PLAYS, to start it.
How Xbox Game Pass works on Android (smartphones and tablets)
If you have decided to take out a subscription Game Pass Ultimate, do not underestimate the possibility of playing games from the Game Pass catalog as well su smartphone e tablet Android in streaming (so without even having to install them), through the function previously known as Project xCloud.
To do this, open the Play Store (or the alternative store of your device), type “game pass beta” e premi sull 'icona dell'applicazione (the Xbox logo and "Game Pass" on a white background). Then, tap the button Install, wait for the installation to complete and press the button apri.
Premium, though, your pulse Already a member? Log in and performs the login with your Microsoft account. Next, tap on the tab CLOUD and take a look at the available titles. If you want some advice, it is good to dwell on the card Play with touch, since these are titles that properly support touch-screen controls.
Once you have chosen the title you want to play via the cloud, then taking advantage of yours Internet connection (pay attention to the data consumption of the mobile network), press on game box e fai tap sul pulsating PLAY.
By doing so, the game will start on your mobile device (initially there will be a loading) and you can have fun without having to install anything.
On the screen you will find the touch screen controls for the game, while at the top left you can find thethree dots icon, which allows you to exit the game and session, returning to the app. Microsoft recommends a connection of at least 10Mbps in download for a satisfactory experience (you may want to try a speed test to see if your connection is adequate).
I remind you that with this application you can too start downloading games on console and PC: just move to the dedicated one card, choose the title of your interest and press the button INSTALL IN, choosing which device you want to automatically start the download. The game will then be added to the download queue.
How xCloud works via browser (Windows 10, iPhone, iPad and Android)
How do you say? Going deeper into the previous chapter you found interesting the possibility of playing Game Pass titles through the service known as Project xCloud and would like to do it on platforms other than Android? No problem, I'll explain immediately what you can do about it Windows 10, iPhone e iPad.
Clearly, the functioning of the service is the same: you have to have one Internet connection for at least 10Mbps in download for a good gaming experience (it is also recommended to use a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network). In addition, you must have subscribed Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This possibility is currently in preliminary phase (Beta), but it is already possible to play this way.
Net of this, instead of downloading a special official app, as happens on Android, in the case of the aforementioned platforms you have to go through browser (on Windows 10 you can use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, while on iPhone and iPad you can proceed from Safari, the advice is to use the latest version available). In any case, there is a requirement: you must have the version 20H2 or later of Windows 10 (PC) or 14.4 or later of iOS / iPadOS (iPhone and iPad). If you are unsure about supported devices and browsers, you can find more guidance in the official Xbox guidelines.
Put simply, all you have to do is go to the official Xbox website, run the login with the associated Microsoft account, select the game you want to try in this way (perhaps using the appropriate search bar to find it), press the key PLAY and start playing.
Su iPhone and iPad, you may be asked to take a few more steps, i.e. add Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Home screen by pressing the button Share and selecting the option first Add to Home Screen and then that Add. After that, you will need to open Xbox Cloud Gaming and perform the login per I will proceed.
Il input method it clearly depends on the title chosen and the platform from which you have decided to play, but in general you should not have any kind of problem in being able to take advantage of the games related to the Game Pass through the xCloud platform.
In any case, when you start a game, the service explains which one input method is required, as well as make a check to understand if there are any problems with browser e Internet connection. In short, you will be warned if there is something "wrong". For the rest, you can refer to the list of officially supported controllers (there are also touch controls).
Once you have started a title, you can play safely from the browser. Pressing onthree dots icon present at the top left, you can also manage audio, send feedback, activate the full screen mode o quit the game. Using the button instead Xbox, you can take a look at the classic panel which allows, for example, to see which ones friends I'm online, create groups, send invitations and access the trophies. In short, it's all very simple.
For completeness of information, you must know that even on Android devices you can actually play via the browser (as well as through the official app). In this case, you have to go through Google Chrome and have the version 6.0 or later of the operating system. Remember, in any case, that on iPhone and iPad you can use the service via browser only because of the Apple's guidelines, which do not allow apps of this type to be published on the App Store.
How to disable Xbox Game Pass
If you are still undecided about the next few months, you may want to think about disattivare Xbox Game Pass after the first month (often available at discounted prices).
To do this, you just need to access the page of the Game Pass you have subscribed to on your Xbox, press MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION, select the tile Xbox Game Pass and press the button A of the pad on the button View and manage your subscription.
At this point, the integrated browser will start (Microsoft Edge), which will lead you to the official Microsoft portal with already logged in (alternatively, you can access the page in question, even from other devices, by visiting this link and logging in with your Microsoft account).
Then click on the link Stop recurring billing or cancel a subscription. The system will explain how to deactivate the subscription: click on the link Subscription services, to then access the page of active subscriptions on your account. Then click on the link Manage present on the right (next to the Game Pass box) and on Cancel subscription.
The system will inform you about the date on which you will lose the subscription benefits: scroll down the page and press the button Cancel subscription, to confirm. You can then choose whether to keep the Game Pass until next deadline, by checking the option Do not charge on date, or if cancel your subscription immediately (you will no longer be able to access the subscription benefits) and get a reimbursement.
Per concludere, premium pulsating Cancel your subscription and wait a few seconds: the system will warn you of the deactivation of recurring billing (or total cancellation) and that's it. Simple, right?
How Xbox Game Pass works
