A Gamer's Summer Dream: Score 3 Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Less

The sun is beating down outside, the temperature has climbed, and the allure of indoor entertainment grows more and more tempting. In other words, it’s the kind of time when, as a gamer, it would be easy to find yourself wanting and lacking a great summer to lose yourself in some fantastic new gaming worlds. If your library is a little sparse right now, or you’re just looking to mix things up, here’s your deal of the summer: A three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription ordinarily costs $45, but right now you can land it for just $35, saving $10 in the process. What in Xzibit’s name is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate anyway, and why is this a deal that’s generating so much excitement in the gaming community? Let’s find out. Enough chatter already. Let’s get to the gaming.

The Treasure Trove of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Underpinning all this chatter is the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the best of the new suite of genuinely good games subscriptions. Available on not just an Xbox console, but on PCs, tablets and many other devices, thanks to the power of cloud gaming. And a EA Play subscription is thrown in for free. No bad at all.

A Catalog Beyond Compare

And it is not just the scope of the Game Pass that is magical; it is also the quality. There’s no filler, no classics that have already had their moment of glory. The catalogue is a well-curated vault of the very best that the world of gaming has to offer. The storylines found in AAA games. The whimsicality of indie ones. The villages to build, the dinosaur worlds to explore, the racing, the fighting or the heavy duty single player experiences. Octopath Traveler and the sequel are available – literally all eight paths in the same game. There’s Sea of Stars, there’s Minecraft, there’s Forza Horizon 5, even Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – each one the very best in its category.

First-Party Gems and Day-One Delights

A third feather in Game Pass’s cap is the number of Xbox first-party games that make their debut on the service on launch day. This is a guarantee that subscribers get first go at major releases, such as Starfield, the magical Sea of Thieves and the long-awaited Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, not to mention the aforementioned Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The games showcase only underlined just how the service is the place to be for day-one exclusives.

Beyond the Boundary: How Game Pass Stands Apart

When it comes to gaming subscriptions, Game Pass. While neither PlayStation Plus Premium nor Nintendo Switch Online are particularly bad services, and at times can provide a better deal, neither can really offer the thrill of Game Pass. PlayStation Plus Premium has day one launches, but they can’t always compete. Then there is Nintendo Switch Online, which serves an entirely different crowd with its nostalgia-bait SNES games.

Making the Summer Count

It’s more than a game library expansion for Xbox that offers access to over 100 high-caliber games; it’s a portal into a generational gaming summer that brings a wealth of adventures to your door. Whether you’re an experienced gamer that wants to expand your gaming repertoire or someone relatively new to gaming, this is a great time to jump in.

Keeping Up with the Best Tech Deals

If you want to stay on top of deals before they expire, follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and sign up for the Engadget Deals newsletter to stay on top of breaking deals and get extra buying advice. You can thank us later for not letting you miss out on the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal.

A Brief Dive into NINTENDO

Though this article is firmly focused on the exciting Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ecosystem, it would be remiss of me not to give a nod to Nintendo in honour of their game-changing presence in both hardware and software design. From the Mario, Zelda and Pokémon franchises – emblems of classic Nintendo stardom – to their innovative Switch system, Nintendo consistently pushes the creative and technological boundaries of game development to shape the playtimes of generations. Nintendo Switch Online is a service that gives players access to retro Nintendo console games too. A distinct flavour of gaming nostalgia and fun.

Closing Thoughts

Although boiled down to a sale price, the summer deal on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is really an opportunity to explore. The service promises that, over this summer, users will get to traverse the vast universe of some of the best indie and blockbuster games out there. While Game Pass has been making inroads, adding more games and features over time, it is still, for many, a premier choice for a gaming subscription. It has indeed become a little glimpse into the future we have been anticipating for a long time.