GamePass - How much do you value it?

[Stanley]

I got two years worth with my All Access console which was all I could get at the time, so I’ve not really thought about it much. 

 

I would pay full price for a yearly sub if I absolutely had to as it’s a good service, but I always find ways getting subs cheaper even if it’s just using the likes of cdkeys for cheaper credit. 

[CrichStand]

Used the Gold conversion trick, thanks to hearing about it on here. 👍🏻 Think it was around £100-£110 for 3yrs which is incredible value for money. At full whack though? Don’t think I’d bother. Would probably just focus on playing the games I already own and would lean more towards buying the big first party games on PS5 instead. 
 

My sub doesn’t run out for over 2yrs though, so anything could happen in that time to change my mind.

[Nick R]

1 hour ago, Hawklord said:

I used the Gold trick to initially sub for 2 years but now I purchase Gold using points from MS Rewards to extend it

 

1 hour ago, teddymeow said:

Subbed via Gold conversion trick until next June. I earn enough MS Reward points that I won't have to pay for it using "real money" for a while.

 

I know we have a dedicated thread for MS Rewards, but how much effort do you put into earning those points in order to get enough to repeatedly extend it?

 

I ask because I've had GP for about 10 months now, and I've only racked up about 3000 pts - and IIRC the minimum GamePass subscription reward costs 14,000 pts for a 3 month subscription. But I admit I haven't put a lot of effort towards chasing rewards points: although I do the occasional set of ten Edge/Bing searches (30pts, woo hoo!) , I don't chase Achievements in games I'm not already playing, and I don't pay enough attention to the daily/weekly rewards sets and quests to consistently complete them.

 

Is it really possible to earn them at a rate of more than 14,000pts every three months, without turning it into a full time job?

[Simmy]

You folks are forgetting that any rise in price for GPU will probably bump up the amount of points needed to redeem for one month too.

 

GPU and rewards are at such a sweet point right now which is doing to end very very soon.

[teddymeow]

Just now, Nick R said:

 

 

I know we have a dedicated thread for MS Rewards, but how much effort do you put into earning those points in order to get enough to repeatedly extend it?

 

 

Not much. Do the daily sets on there rewards website, use Edge, use Bing for searches on PC & mobile. Then there's the achievement challenges and weekly sets on the Xbox.

[Simmy]

1 minute ago, Nick R said:

 

 

I know we have a dedicated thread for MS Rewards, but how much effort do you put into earning those points in order to get enough to repeatedly extend it?

 

I ask because I've had GP for about 10 months now, and I've only racked up about 3000 pts - and IIRC the minimum GamePass subscription reward costs 14,000 pts for a 3 month subscription. But I admit I haven't put a lot of effort towards chasing rewards points: although I do the occasional set of ten Edge/Bing searches (30pts, woo hoo!) , I don't chase Achievements in games I'm not already playing, and I don't pay enough attention to the daily/weekly rewards sets and quests to consistently complete them.

 

Is it really possible to earn them at a rate of more than 14,000pts every three months, without turning it into a full time job?

 

It's absolutely possible but it can absolutely become a chore to do the stuff to make enough in one month. Anyone telling you otherwise isn't really being honest with how much work goes in to making enough to redeem €12 worth.

 

"It just takes a few minutes a day" doesn't tell the whole story.

[Stanley]

3 minutes ago, Nick R said:

 

 

I know we have a dedicated thread for MS Rewards, but how much effort do you put into earning those points in order to get enough to repeatedly extend it?

 

I ask because I've had GP for about 10 months now, and I've only racked up about 3000 pts - and IIRC the minimum GamePass subscription reward costs 14,000 pts for a 3 month subscription. But I admit I haven't put a lot of effort towards chasing rewards points: although I do the occasional set of ten Edge/Bing searches (30pts, woo hoo!) , I don't chase Achievements in games I'm not already playing, and I don't pay enough attention to the daily/weekly rewards sets and quests to consistently complete them.

 

Is it really possible to earn them at a rate of more than 14,000pts every three months, without turning it into a full time job?

If you put your mind to it then yeah it’s entirely possible, but whilst it’s hardly a full time job it does require some commitment, I used to do it but can’t be bothered now. I’m just happy to collect any points I’m awarded for doing no more than I would normally. 

[Fry Crayola]

I don't think I use it enough for it to be worth the outlay. When I'm only playing for about five hours a week, I'm better off buying that one game for half the price than the four months it would cost me to subscribe and finish it.

 

Maybe circumstances will have changed when it expires next November.

[Paulando]

5 minutes ago, Simmy said:

 

It's absolutely possible but it can absolutely become a chore to do the stuff to make enough in one month. Anyone telling you otherwise isn't really being honest with how much work goes in to making enough to redeem €12 worth.

 

"It just takes a few minutes a day" doesn't tell the whole story.

 

Yeah, I bet.

[CrichStand]

@Nick R I’ve recently bought God of War Ragnarok with Microsoft Points. Earn them from usual everyday web browsing. Less than 3mins doing the web based stuff. Play a game that I’d be playing anyway. Sorted!
 

No idea why people portray it as some kind of massive chore. 

[Stanley]

2 minutes ago, Fry Crayola said:

I don't think I use it enough for it to be worth the outlay. When I'm only playing for about five hours a week, I'm better off buying that one game for half the price than the four months it would cost me to subscribe and finish it.

 

Maybe circumstances will have changed when it expires next November.

When they charge £79.99 for Starfield probably. 

[Stanley]

1 minute ago, CrichStand said:

No idea why people portray it as some kind of massive chore. 

It can be though I think. When I did it I used to log in every day and do all the various searches and quizzes etc. which I had zero interest in but did it anyway to keep my streak going. I’d launch a Gamepass game every day whether I wanted to play it or not, and I’d be chasing achievements in games I would never normally have played. Then I’d be checking the app on the console itself, looking for any extra ways I could earn points. 
 

These days I might go a few weeks without even turning the Xbox on, and I’m not just doing random searches on Bing or whatever. 

[CrichStand]

5 minutes ago, Stanley said:

It can be though I think. When I did it I used to log in every day and do all the various searches and quizzes etc. which I had zero interest in but did it anyway to keep my streak going. I’d launch a Gamepass game every day whether I wanted to play it or not, and I’d be chasing achievements in games I would never normally have played. Then I’d be checking the app on the console itself, looking for any extra ways I could earn points. 
 

These days I might go a few weeks without even turning the Xbox on, and I’m not just doing random searches on Bing or whatever. 

You don’t need to actually do the quizzes and stuff. You just click the links and then straight back. I’ve got shit Internet so it takes me 3mins, anyone else it would probably take more like 30secs! 😂 I don’t bother about the streak stuff. Not fussed if it resets. Main points just come from standard Internet browsing and playing stuff I’m already playing anyway and then just clicking stuff in the Xbox Rewards app. I always check out the 500pts monthly games though. Have enjoyed some stuff I wouldn’t have doing that. I’ve only been doing it on and off since February and think it’s been well worth it. It’s a brilliant rewards scheme but as with Gamepass I suspect it will be changing in the not too distant future.
 

Anyway, it’s not for everyone. Personally, I got a £69.99 PS5 game for nowt and I can’t grumble at that. 

[Jamie John]

I think the service itself represents excellent value for money (especially using the conversion trick), but it definitely makes me place less value on the as actual games I play via that service; I'm much more likely to abandon a Game Pass game, because it's 'free', than one I've paid money for on my PS5, Switch or PC.

 

It also puts me off from buying games, as I think to myself, "I'll just wait until it comes to Game Pass," which can't be healthy for the developers (or, by extension, the industry as a whole), no matter how much MS pays them. Return to Monkey Island is a good example: I was all up for buying that on Switch, but now it's out on Game Pass, I feel obliged to play it on my Xbox, despite it being more suited to a portable format (admittedly, I could play it on my Deck via the streaming workaround, but until MS make a proper streaming app, it's a faff).

 

And I also don't like how games go off of it. It makes me feel like I *need* to play certain games, before they disappear, rather than playing them because I want to. Guardians of Galaxy, for example - I've not played it yet but it's been on there for over a year now, so I'm expecting it to be taken off any day, but I don't feel in the mood for it right now.

 

But still! It's so cheap that the disadvantages are outweighed by the benefits. If I suddenly had to start paying £11 per month for it, however, and not the £3.50 equivalent I paid when I did the trick, then I'd get rid of it.

[MattyP]

1 hour ago, Jamie John said:

I think the service itself represents excellent value for money (especially using the conversion trick), but it definitely makes me place less value on the as actual games I play via that service; I'm much more likely to abandon a Game Pass game, because it's 'free', than one I've paid money for on my PS5, Switch or PC.

 

I've found that it's a great way to try out a game. If it's a good game or it just engages me I'll play it to completion.

 

I've bought so many games and not really touched them or got full value from them because I didn't get on with them which in the digital world is risky especially where there is no refund policy in place. Which is why I mostly buy digital content on Steam on the PC. 

[Clipper]

1 hour ago, Nick R said:

 

 

I know we have a dedicated thread for MS Rewards, but how much effort do you put into earning those points in order to get enough to repeatedly extend it?

 

I ask because I've had GP for about 10 months now, and I've only racked up about 3000 pts - and IIRC the minimum GamePass subscription reward costs 14,000 pts for a 3 month subscription. But I admit I haven't put a lot of effort towards chasing rewards points: although I do the occasional set of ten Edge/Bing searches (30pts, woo hoo!) , I don't chase Achievements in games I'm not already playing, and I don't pay enough attention to the daily/weekly rewards sets and quests to consistently complete them.

 

Is it really possible to earn them at a rate of more than 14,000pts every three months, without turning it into a full time job?

72000 points gets you 13 months of ultimate. Gold is 15k for 3 months so you get 4 of those and 12k for a month of ultimate. You let gamepasss expire then redeem the gold then convert with the 1 month. There are cheaper ways to do it but that is the way I do it. SO that would be 6k a month

 

As to how easy it is to earn 6k or even 12k a month. Well I get 20k a month without spending money. The vociferous opinions on both sides indicating it's a doddle or a massive chore are both right. It depends on your own usage of xbox and pc and daily routine and gamepass games.

 

For me it is a doddle to get 12k and 6k would be very easy based on my own usage. When I sit down and switch on pc I just click through the various links for daily set and I do the PC online game one. Takes 5 mins. About 400 pts for that a day. I use bing as my search engine which gets me a few points. I don't always do it at weekend as streaks aren't worth it. I could get 8k a month just doing that. It helps that I get offered the PC online game daily thing as not all do.

 

Then in evening I switch on xbox and check rewards app , I dont do the daily achievement (not worth it for 50pts). If it is a new week I check the weekly set. Often that is just open rewards app 3 times or use bing 3 times etc. Then check the weekly game challenges, if they aren't games I want to play I don't but it often inspires me to try new games. Inside is a recent example, I bounced off Limbo so had avoided Inside but turned out to be more my thing.

 

The PC stuff takes me 5 mins a day and the Xbox stuff minimum is 5 mins a day or more if its a game challenge. I can see why some people think it's a chore but I am an old gamer short on time who doesn't play as much as he used. I have other pulls on my time and this kind of encourages me to switch on xbox and play more.

 

Also my son plays on Xbox and it pays for his gamepass as well.

The best suggestion I can make is try it for a few days and see if the routine/effort is a doddle or a chore

 

[Hawklord]

1 hour ago, Nick R said:

 

 

I know we have a dedicated thread for MS Rewards, but how much effort do you put into earning those points in order to get enough to repeatedly extend it?

 

I ask because I've had GP for about 10 months now, and I've only racked up about 3000 pts - and IIRC the minimum GamePass subscription reward costs 14,000 pts for a 3 month subscription. But I admit I haven't put a lot of effort towards chasing rewards points: although I do the occasional set of ten Edge/Bing searches (30pts, woo hoo!) , I don't chase Achievements in games I'm not already playing, and I don't pay enough attention to the daily/weekly rewards sets and quests to consistently complete them.

 

Is it really possible to earn them at a rate of more than 14,000pts every three months, without turning it into a full time job?

Daily sets while I drink my coffee in the morning. Takes seconds and as above you don't need to do the quizzes, except specific ones. The answers to those ones are usually posted in the Rewards thread. Weekly stuff if I can be arsed. I don't get to play much these days due to a specific change in circumstances so If stuff needs achievements then I'll usually spend half an hour on a Saturday morning using Rewards Hunter on YT, drinking coffee while my other half gets ready (eg took me 10 mins to get x3 in A Bards Tale). If it's Bing searches then I'll do those while on a Teams meeting at work

 

Note that it's slightly more efficient to buy 3 months XBLG to extend the sub if you don't want to wait for it to lapse rather than buying 3 months GPU for 35k. It's 15k points for 3 months XBLG which gives minimum 50 days (sometimes up to 53 days)

 

 

The lifetime points are from when I signed up which is just over 2 years ago and I'm on track for about 10k points this month which is around average for me. Might trade the points in for an official headset or custom controller instead this time though  

 

I also don't mind if I miss a streak, it's only a few bonus points per month that you miss out on

 

[SuperFamiTom]

I think it's fantastic value even at full price and I am signed up for about another 18 months using the conversion trick. However...

 

It's not worth it for me and I won't be resubscribing. I spend a lot of time playing games, but that's across Xbox, Switch, PC (and I buy all my games there cos I like everything in Steam), PS5 and retro stuff too. I can easily go for a few months without turning the Xbox on, so while £15 a month is great value it's not quite so great if it's £15 when you've not used it at all. I may well pay for the odd month going forward if it makes sense but generally I think I'll just buy the stuff I want to play instead. 

[Clipper]

the good news is that it is 10.99 a month if you pay full price, not 14.99 - so even better value.

 

it is worth it for me as I don't have a ps5. I have a switch and PC and Xbox. That is a good combination for me ands my sporadic gaming. Switch for portable fun, pc for indie ish stuff, xbox for console stuff. The switch and pc stuff is cheap as chips as i buy in sales and the xbox stuff is mostly Gamepass.

 

I just miss out on ps5 exclusives but I haven't got time to play what I have so currently I am defeating the FOMO - just.

[Kayin Amoh]

Well, the Series X is now my main console and I haven't turned on my PS5 in months. Even for VF5 US, as my Plus has also expired.

 

£70 for one middling super shiny game, or an absurd amount on tap ranging from filler to GOTY-worthy candidates for many, many months? That's not even a close call, Game Pass has essentially stopped me buying stuff at full price.

 

Is it good for the industry? No idea. Is it good for me and my bank balance? Absofuckinglutely.

[Steve McQueef]

I did the conversation thing initially, but now I just stack codes whenever they're on offer from CDKeys, etc.

[Sarlaccfood]

I’m letting mine expire next month.
 

If I just had an Xbox I’d be a pig in shit, but I also have a Switch and a PS5 and I don’t really like how gamepass pushes my personal tastes to the back of the queue because I feel like I “should” play gamepass first as I’ve already paid for it. 
 

I’m looking forward to just buying the games I really want to play rather than stuff I’m only mildly curious about. My time is more precious than the money, but I know I’m a lucky boy in that regard.

[partious]

Putting aside the methods that people use to get it for peanuts and considering it as Microsoft actually intends/expects people to use it as an ongoing service, I think it’s probably decent value if 1) the Xbox is your only console,2)you own no unplayed games(which I guess is what might make having access to a bunch of old games of varying quality appealing), and 3) you have a lot of gaming time but just want to play “a game” and not particular games that may or may not be on the service. I’m surprised how many people here the second and third points seem to apply to. 

I have a library of PC games that I got free from epic and prime over the last few years that I never play, along with my steam collection which basically means I wouldn’t even consider gamepass for pc. There’s the promise of Day 1 first party releases but somehow I haven’t felt like I’m missing out on all those classics yet. I don’t like how maintaining ongoing subscriptions feels like wasted money if you play a long game that isn’t on the service/aren’t in the mood of gaming for a while etc. I feel like it kind of changes the relationship you have to the games you’re playing.

[CurryKitten]

I seem to be the only one here that is paying the regular price.  I did read the various "buy code from here and then do x, y, z" and I'm extremely lazy and that seemed like an effort.  But it was  only £10 a month anyway.  As far as I was concerned that's the price of a few games in a year, and I've played through so so many more than that and I love all the day 1 releases.

 

In fact I don't actually own any physical games on my Xbox Series X... whilst I have a bunch on my PS5 & Switch

[mikeyl]

15 hours ago, Simmy said:

 

It's absolutely possible but it can absolutely become a chore to do the stuff to make enough in one month. Anyone telling you otherwise isn't really being honest with how much work goes in to making enough to redeem €12 worth.

 

"It just takes a few minutes a day" doesn't tell the whole story.

And the people telling you to do 100 searches on Bing a week obviously don’t need to actually use a search engine for real otherwise they wouldn’t be using Bing.

[AK Bell]

Unless I could spend my points each month to buy it, I'd probably not buy it every month. I only have one or two games on the go at one time, usually on game pass, but buying in the sales would be more cost effective. 

[BossSaru]

I used the conversion trick, but even at full price it represents value for money. Before Game Pass I probably spent about £20 per month on games, and had less to play, so I would be getting my money's worth. With EA and Ubisoft games on the service there is always something to play.

 

If it were just big-budget titles I would find it worthwhile, but the constant stream of newly released indie titles is also great. Vampire Survivors this month has been a great addition, and would likely have been overlooked if I could not simply try it out as part of the subscription.

 

My gaming behaviours are better as a subscriber as well. No buyers remorse making me feel that I should be completing a dud game; when the game stops being fun then there is always something else waiting to get started on.

[Clipper]

2 hours ago, mikeyl said:

And the people telling you to do 100 searches on Bing a week obviously don’t need to actually use a search engine for real otherwise they wouldn’t be using Bing.

I usually am quite picky about stuff and the user experience. I get used to an OS or interface and stick with it and am resistant to change. iOS was my first smart phone and since then I've tried android and I find it horrible but I'm aware many love it.

 

I was reticent to changing search engine for the same reason but I switched it to Bing and I don't find it much different. I type in stuff into a search box and I get results, I don't notice those results being less useful than Google etc. What are the issues with Bing?

[mikeyl]

13 minutes ago, Clipper said:

I usually am quite picky about stuff and the user experience. I get used to an OS or interface and stick with it and am resistant to change. iOS was my first smart phone and since then I've tried android and I find it horrible but I'm aware many love it.

 

I was reticent to changing search engine for the same reason but I switched it to Bing and I don't find it much different. I type in stuff into a search box and I get results, I don't notice those results being less useful than Google etc. What are the issues with Bing?

Based on searching my own name, Google gives me me as the first result whilst Bing points to some dweeb in Leicester so it immediately fails on that. 
 

But I guess I think I trust Google to comb over the internet more thoroughly because they’ve been doing it longer, no one ever tells you to Bing something. Plus it’s integration with stuff like Google Maps, like if I’m looking for a restaurant, it’ll give me the result, the reviews and how to get there in one go.

[Clipper]

2 minutes ago, mikeyl said:

Based on searching my own name, Google gives me me as the first result whilst Bing points to some dweeb in Leicester so it immediately fails on that. 
 

But I guess I think I trust Google to comb over the internet more thoroughly because they’ve been doing it longer, no one ever tells you to Bing something. Plus it’s integration with stuff like Google Maps, like if I’m looking for a restaurant, it’ll give me the result, the reviews and how to get there in one go.

As I share my name with a porn star* I don't google myself. I can see the logic of Google "combing the internet more thoroughly" but in practice I don't notice search results being that different, it was the one thing I assumed would be worse when I gave it a whirl but it seems fine.

 

I do prefer google maps though and use that.

 

 

* The curse the day my parents christened me Benjamin Dover!