Time and time again, Xbox Game Pass is heralded as the ‘best deal in gaming’, giving Xbox and PC players mountains of games to dive into for a reasonable monthly fee. But, how well did the subscription service hold up in 2023? Well, we crunched the numbers to find out just how much Microsoft gave to Xbox Game Pass subscribers in 2023, and it’s quite staggering.
While Sony often offers a great collection of PS Plus free games each and every month for PS5 players to enjoy, particularly those with the Extra and Premium tiers, it doesn’t quite compete with Xbox’s stellar Game Pass offerings. With many new Xbox games launching day-one on the service, the list of the best Xbox Game Pass games isn’t just filled with old favorites, but also great new releases like Starfield. This alone adds merit to the monthly subscription, but the overall value added to Xbox Game Pass in 2023 shows just how much bang for your buck is available to those on Team Green.
Taking the full price of each game or item added to the service through the official US Microsoft Store, our calculations reveal that Microsoft added 150 games with a total value of $5,139.54 to Game Pass in 2023, across both Xbox consoles, Cloud, and PC. Even when you take off the total membership cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (which would be $203.88 for the year, if you were paying $16.99 monthly), it still comes out as $4,935.66 worth of games.
While we haven’t been able to conduct this experiment across all regional storefronts, below you can find the USD value we calculated converted into your region’s currency, based on current exchange rates:
- US: $5,139.54
- Canada: $6,845.10
- UK: £4,065.63
- EU: €4,691.63
- Australia: $7,574.75
- Japan: ¥728,763.64
Note that we aren’t counting the star-studded Xbox Game Pass Core games lineup that was revealed this year, as this selection is handpicked from games that were already in the Game Pass library.
| Month | Value (USD) |
| January | $280.90 |
| February | $564.90 |
| March | $399.91 |
| April | $439.87 |
| May | $477.85 |
| June | $356.87 |
| July | $389.86 |
| August | $352.87 |
| September | $331.91 |
| October | $604.86 |
| November | $584.86 |
| December | $354.89 |
While you might have expected September 2023 to be the best month for Game Pass, adding the likes of Xbox exclusive RPG Starfield, the exceptional Soulslike Lies of P, and heist game Payday 3, all on day one, this month actually added $331.91 worth of games. Looking at it solely in terms of monetary value, September was a fairly average month.
On the other hand, October 2023 was the biggest month for Game Pass, adding $604.86 worth of games, with Gotham Knights, Forza Motorsport, Cities Skylines 2, Warhammer 40K Darktide, Like A Dragon Ishin, and F1 Manager 2023 for all to enjoy. Likewise, November 2023 brought $584.86 worth of games to dive into, including both Remnant From the Ashes and the incredible Remnant 2, and great indies like Rollerdrome, Thirsty Suitors, and Spirittea that should not be missed.
Not every month was made equally though, with January 2023 being a particular low point, adding just $280.90 worth of games to the service. That’s not to say there weren’t great games available here though: surprise gem Hi-Fi Rush arrived on the 25th while Monster Hunter Rise made its way over on the 20th.
Curious as to who’s getting the better deal between Xbox and PC Game Pass subs? Well, with some additions being exclusive to certain platforms, Xbox players specifically were treated to $4,869.61 worth, while PC players gained access to a slightly lesser $4,769.64. However, if you play exclusively on PC, then you can get the PC Game Pass subscription, which is $7 cheaper each month. Overall then, Xbox players took home $4,665.73, while PC players had $4,649.76 in value over the year. Yes, that means Xbox players just about win out in 2023 over their PC counterparts.
It’s worth noting that Xbox Game Pass subscribers still have access to many of the great games added over the course of 2022, particularly live service and regularly updated titles that continually add value to the service, including gems like Sea of Thieves, Deep Rock Galactic, Rainbow Six Siege, No Man’s Sky, and more.
So, with just over $5,000 worth of games added to Xbox Game Pass in 2023, it’s clear that Microsoft’s subscription is still going strong. By January 2021, Game Pass had a whopping 18 million subscribers, which reached over 25 million at the start of 2023. While the company has stopped reporting subscriber numbers for its pride and joy, it’s likely to have continued growing given the excellent selection of games, though perhaps not at quite the staggering rate as in years past.
While we all eagerly await the stellar games bound to arrive on Game Pass in 2024, there’s no better time to dig into the best Xbox games on the platform. With Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King now complete, the publisher’s expansive library of IP will likely begin to arrive on Game Pass this year, so 2024 could blow 2023’s value out of the water if we get a huge drop of ABK titles – as we did when Microsoft purchased Bethesda. There are also Xbox exclusives such as Hellblade 2, Avowed, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 destined for this year, which will bump up that value even more.
It’s not all good news though, as titles come and go through the subscription, such as the recent news that GTA 5 is set to leave Xbox Game Pass behind, again. Likewise, rumors surrounding Xbox Next have led to calls for more exclusives on the platform.