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Windows Central Exclusive: Microsoft is moving ahead with an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?


What you need to know​

  • Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's Netflix-like game subscription, providing access to hundreds of games for a relatively low cost.
  • One way in which it isn't like Netflix is the lack of a Family Plan, allowing you to attach additional accounts to one subscription.
  • That is all set to change, as we can exclusively confirm plans for an Xbox Game Pass "Family Plan" are moving ahead.

From our information, paying on a higher tier for an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan will net access for five players for games across the entire library, and will be far cheaper than paying for five separate XGP accounts as is necessary today. Utilizing Microsoft's Family Account system already in use for Office 365, players within the same country will be able to play together using a single XGP subscription managed by a central account holder, in much the same way as Netflix.

Some details remain unclear for now, though. For example, will there be separate Family Plans for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass console, or will it all be exclusive to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? And the exact pricing is also unknown as of writing, besides that it will reportedly be far cheaper than having to pay for several separate accounts as required today.

We're not sure exactly when all of this will be announced, but it does seem as though Microsoft is readying up to make this public in the relatively near future.



Tl;DR it's basically how people can already game-share on Xbox (and PS if I'm not mistaken) but taken to a next logical "family" level for more people to do it at a higher fee.
 
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Fredrik

Member
Wow I didn’t realize you need to have multiple subscriptions for multiple accounts. My kids only play Viva Pinata, no issues found, does that mean I’ve bought that digitally?
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
Barack Obama Applause GIF by Obama
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Both my kids already have more than a year on their Game Pass accounts, and mine is topped up through 2025.

Something like this would have saved them a bunch of cash.

Wow I didn’t realize you need to have multiple subscriptions for multiple accounts. My kids only play Viva Pinata, no issues found, does that mean I’ve bought that digitally?
If your console is set to the "primary" one, then any other non-Game Pass account holder can sign in and play any Game Pass games you've downloaded. You'd only need a separate account if, for example, they had their own Xbox.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
Wow I didn’t realize you need to have multiple subscriptions for multiple accounts. My kids only play Viva Pinata, no issues found, does that mean I’ve bought that digitally?
Maybe it's not needed on the same system if the subscripted account is the main one for that system, like on PS systems. This is probably for friends and family that have other systems.
 

ethomaz

Banned
If your console is set to the "primary" one, then any other non-Game Pass account holder can sign in and play any Game Pass games you've downloaded. You'd only need a separate account if, for example, they had their own Xbox.
I can be wrong but it works for two consoles.

Primary: anybody logs can access Gamepass
Any other console: a game pass account can log and use Gamepass

So in case of your kid.
You set his console as your primary… he can use Gamepass.
Your console you left as secondary and you play with your account.

It just if you have 3 console you will need an additional sub but works fine with 2 consoles.
 
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Fredrik

Member
If your console is set to the "primary" one, then any other non-Game Pass account holder can sign in and play any Game Pass games you've downloaded. You'd only need a separate account if, for example, they had their own Xbox.
Thanks, explained it well 👍 Yeah I have all the kids accounts on the living room XSX. Had no idea I would’ve needed another GP sub if I bought them a XSS.
 
I wonder if each of the 5 accounts can do the game share trick with setting one xbox as a home console. That would be 10 game pass subscription for one higher cost.
 
They should find a way to combine Office 365 and Gamepass Ultimate. Would be nice to have it all in one.
Yeah I would love this. I already have two MS home accounts where I spread 12 ms accounts. Each accounts has 1tb of free storage. Crazy insane. They should merge everything called Microsoft Platinum Plus EXtra or something.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I wonder if each of the 5 accounts can do the game share trick with setting one xbox as a home console. That would be 10 game pass subscription for one higher cost.

I have a feeling they'll put restrictions on that.

Otherwise you're potentially looking at 10 people using a single GP subscription. That'll be way too much.
 

Interfectum

Member
I can be wrong but it works for two consoles.

Primary: anybody logs can access Gamepass
Any other console: a game pass account can log and use Gamepass

So in case of your kid.
You set his console as your primary… he can use Gamepass.
Your console you left as secondary and you play with your account.

It just if you have 3 console you will need an additional sub but works fine with 2 consoles.
I think it's like this with Switch digital games too.

My kids have a Switch with my primary. I play on Switch OLED with secondary. The issue with Switch pops up when you have a third one.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I can be wrong but it works for two consoles.

Primary: anybody logs can access Gamepass
Any other console: a game pass account can log and use Gamepass

So in case of your kid.
You set his console as your primary… he can use Gamepass.
Your console you left as secondary and you play with your account.

It just if you have 3 console you will need an additional sub but works fine with 2 consoles.
That's true, but... my kids are in their 20s and live away from home. I also have pretty shit internet with semiregular outages, meaning that if I'm offline in that scenario I can't play any of the games I own. I also have two kids, so it's like trying to play favorites of who gets the "special" Xbox. Besides, my kids both have full time jobs and can afford to buy their own subscriptions now.
 

Lognor

Banned
So I have two Xbox consoles - an Xbox One and an XSX. I use the XSX and my kids use the Xbox One. I only have one Game Pass subscription but we can both play games on Game Pass at the same time. Why would I want a family subscription for an extra cost?
 
I wonder what the restrictions would be, is there anything stopping me and 4 other friends from splitting one "family membership" or are there other drawbacks that I'm not thinking of?
 

ethomaz

Banned
I think it's like this with Switch digital games too.

My kids have a Switch with my primary. I play on Switch OLED with secondary. The issue with Switch pops up when you have a third one.
All three consoles as similar… well or even more if you include Xbox One or PS4/PS3/etc.
 

ethomaz

Banned
So I have two Xbox consoles - an Xbox One and an XSX. I use the XSX and my kids use the Xbox One. I only have one Game Pass subscription but we can both play games on Game Pass at the same time. Why would I want a family subscription for an extra cost?
You need to have one more console to the family plan be useful for you.

Until 2 consoles (excluding the exception like the other user that have to play offline sometimes) you are good with a single sub.
 
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Lognor

Banned
You need to have one more console to the family plan be useful for you.

Until 2 consoles (excluding the exception like the other user that have to play offline sometimes) you are good with a single sub.
Okay thanks. That must have been the issue I had a couple of months ago when I lost internet for a couple of hours. I couldn't play any games on my XSX. So it would solve that annoyance, but might not be worth the cost to me.
 

BeardGawd

Banned
This could be great for multiplayer games. The die hard person of the group will have the family plan and the others will just mooch off him.
 

Riky

$MSFT
It's not the number of consoles it's the number of accounts at once that can be a problem. There are seven Xbox one/Series consoles in my house, I can sign into any console to access my stuff but my kids are limited to the home console to access it.
So I presume this new plan will link extra accounts to mine so they can play on any console once logged in.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
This could be great for multiplayer games. The die hard person of the group will have the family plan and the others will just mooch off him.

Vinny Caravella of Giant Bomb / Nextlander fame often talks about how he and his brothers play games together.

For cases like that this seems like a good use-case, one person in a group can manage 4~5 people subscription in a single go.
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
The idea behind this isn’t game sharing, it’s for when you have multiple Xbox consoles and PCs that are used for online and co-op. Stuff like Back4Blood, Halo, MineCraft, Rubber Bandits, Gang Beasts, etc.
 
Wow I didn’t realize you need to have multiple subscriptions for multiple accounts. My kids only play Viva Pinata, no issues found, does that mean I’ve bought that digitally?

Not if you use xbox home console feature to share. Then the other person gets your game pass, too. But this is much more convenient. :)

Thank God I can remove that feature from my niece's xbox lol.
 
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