What you need to know
- Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family is an upcoming tier of Microsoft’s Game Pass service that will allow up to five accounts to enjoy the benefits of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
- There’s no official release date for the plan, but New Zealand users have spotted an announcement for it on their Xbox dashboard that suggests Microsoft may launch it soon.
- According to the announcement, the plan will cost $39.95 per month (this could be in New Zealand dollars; if so, the equivalent is expected to be around $25) and will give each attached account an individual player tag, game history, achievements, and the cloud. Memorizes. Each account will also be usable to play at the same time.
- It’s not clear if there are restrictions on the types of accounts you can add to your plan, but we do know that it had to be registered in the same country as yours when Microsoft was testing it in August 2022.
Microsoft confirmed that it was testing a new Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan back in August 2022, but since then, the company hasn’t given fans an official release date to look forward to. Based on a new announcement spotted, it looks like Microsoft may be preparing to launch a new Game Pass tier soon.
On Twitter, Xbox gamer Jawmuncher shared a screenshot of the Game Pass Friends & Family plan announcement that appeared on their console’s homepage, with several New Zealand-based fans reporting that the ad is visible on their Xbox dashboards as well. The announcement states that the price of the plan will be $39.95 per month, which may be in NZD or US dollars; If this were the New Zealand dollar rate, the US dollar equivalent would be about $25. By subscribing, players will be able to share the full benefits of their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription with four other accounts (five in total). That means full access to Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming for a fraction of the cost of buying five individual Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions.
Note that accounts outside your home are eligible for inclusion in the Friends and Family plan, which means that the tier will be an attractive option for both families and groups of friends and family members alike. It is possible to calculate will You have to be registered in the same country as the one you’re sharing your Game Pass with, but at the moment, it’s not clear if that’s the case. All we know is that it happened when Microsoft was testing Game Pass Friends & Family in 2022.
Dashboard seems to be the only way to get to the ATM pic.twitter.com/HDqhNj2BjUMarch 31, 2023
Each account attached to the plan can be used to play games at the same time, and each account will also have individual ID tags, game history, achievements, and cloud saves. Basically, there seem to be no strings attached here, which is great news for people looking to get their friends or loved ones to play with the new plan.
We didn’t detect the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan on our Xbox systems, Xbox PC apps, or the Microsoft Xbox website, so it appears it’s not available yet and the ad that Jawmuncher spotted was wrong. However, this could be an indication of an imminent launch, so stay tuned if this plan interests you. Alternatively, there’s always a regular Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription if you’re playing alone.
Notably, this news comes days after Microsoft canceled the amazing $1 Xbox Game Pass promotional deal. This makes Friends & Family the only way left after the limited discounts to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at a discount per account.
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