Microsoft has revealed new details about its newly released Xbox Game Pass Standard tier and it’s really not looking good.
A recent post to the Xbox Wire blog outlines the new Xbox Game Pass structure, in which Standard is intended to replace the now defunct Xbox Game Pass for Console membership. Standard includes Xbox Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold) for access to online play. This is in addition to a library of “hundreds of high-quality console games” that are not included in Core.
Unlike Xbox Game Pass for Console, however, this game library does not feature titles that are considered 'day one' releases or those that are part of the separate EA Play catalog. Standard also does not offer access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is instead restricted to the more premium Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier.
It’s all pretty confusing, but some new filters that were just added to the Xbox website allow us to see what this all means in practical terms. Firstly, you can see that the Xbox Game Pass Standard library is currently comprised of 370 games, which is 138 fewer than the 508 included with Ultimate and the old Console tier.
There are also many notable absences in the Standard library, including big hits like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo 4, Forza Motorsport, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Valorant, and even Starfield. Some smaller games like Botany Manor and Little Kitty, Big City are gone too. On top of all this, the lack of EA Play titles also means that older EA games like Alice: Madness Returns, Burnout Paradise Remastered, and Battlefield 5, are missing.
It’s a pretty big blow, especially considering that something like Starfield is close to a year old at this point so hardly a “day one” release any more. Going forward, it seems likely that Standard subscribers will have to wait at least twelve months for access to some of the latest games. Considering the fact that Xbox Game Pass Standard costs $14.99 / £10.99 a month and replaced a far more generous service in Xbox Game Pass for Console, it’s hard not to be disappointed by this relatively lackluster offering.
Xbox Game Pass Standard is available now for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One.
