Xbox Game Pass has over 15 million subscribers

By Samuel Tolbert
last updated

The service has grown by over 5 million subscribers this year.

Xbox Bethesda Image
Xbox Bethesda Image (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft is acquiring ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Game Studios and other developers.
  • Xbox Game Pass has crossed 15 million subscribers, up from 10 million in April 2020.
  • ZeniMax Media games will now launch in Xbox Game Pass, including the upcoming Starfield.

Amidst today's massive news of Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media, publisher and parent company of studios like Bethesda, Arkane and many more, Microsoft also revealed that Xbox Game Pass has over 15 million subscribers. This is up by 5 million from 10 million subscribers back in April 2020.

All games from Xbox Game Studios launch into Xbox Game Pass, which will now include the library of existing and upcoming titles from ZeniMax Media. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also expanding soon, with the addition of EA Play at no extra cost. Xbox Game Pass for Android (xCloud) is also now available, expanding the reach of the service to streaming.

With the addition of so many new studios producing content for the service and so many new games joining the library, it'll be interesting to see how quickly Xbox Game Pass continues to grow over the next several months.

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 Month Subscription

Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one

Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over 200 games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends. You also get access to EA Play.

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Xbox Series X is Microsoft's new flagship, as its most powerful console with over 12TF GPU performance and a custom SSD. It boasts up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS, full backward compatibility across four generations, and ray-tracing support.

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Xbox Series S

Experience next-gen gaming for less.

Microsoft serves the next-generation for less with its budget-friendly Xbox Series S. The console packs the same high-performance CPU and SSD technology as Xbox Series X, while scaling back the GPU and removing the disc drive.

Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

15 Comments
  • And with the Bethesda purchase, and bring EA to Game Pass, I imagine that 15 million is going to keep going up.
  • At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Sony begins their subscription service in GamePass style.
  • They've already said they do not believe a subscription service is an avenue they want to go down and charge £70 for some games, although PlayStation has copied Xbox on many accounts, from streaming, using mouse and keyboard, to their non gamepass offering of PS Plus Collection, it's a shame they didn't get their hands on Warner Bros Games, but they can't have everything can they!!!
  • Also now including a 'digital edition' console, when in 2013, they capitalized on the backlash against Xbox about digital games. Or cross generation development between XB1 and Series X|S, when MS came clean about this, and Sony were talking about how they believe in generations, and don't want to hold the next gen back blah blah blah, letting MS take all the heat. Only for them to stealthily slip in Spider Man and HZ as cross-gen. They conveniently wait for MS to take the front-line heat, then slip in quietly and copy the same things. Typical. I bet they will start their GamePass equivalent very soon.
  • Yup. They are obtuse like that. But as with many things, they will have to adapt, and will soon copy Microsoft again.
  • Perhaps, but I'm not sure they have the content to do it. My biggest fear is that this leads to Sony trying to pick up a major studio and the console market becoming a competition between locking competing platforms out of major releases. It could even make PC gaming the real winner, if both services picked up big IPs to hide from each other while sharing their subscription services with PC.
  • Yeah, MS has shown that they are willing to keep the multiplats on different systems, at least initially, Sony i would not trust to do the same.
  • You didn't factor in their pride.
  • Honestly given the nature of Sony exclusives a Game Pass style service wouldn't be financially viable. Microsoft can do it because the majority of their exclusives are games designed to have people playing long term (and also attempting to get more money out of people through microtransactions), this is the complete opposite of what Sony offers in it's exclusive repertoire. Hell you barely even need to get Playstation Plus if you solely play the big name exclusive titles (maybe for Bloodborne, but that's about it).
  • Kaymd, I doubt it because games are front loaded as far as revenue. Even MS says this doesn't make money on this, matter of fact they said so about a month or so ago. A game like Spider-man could bring in close to billion dollars and that is just one game. A game like GTA will probably bring in $5-10 billion. Sony already has their own service its called PS Now, it will probably generate small revenue streaming for older games. This model really doesn't make sense for new games.
  • 1mil subs a month
  • somehow GamePass has less subscribers than Nintendo Online..?!
  • Nintendo online is insanely cheap though (about a third of the cost of Game Pass Ultimate) and it's required for online play, it's not just a subscription service for games.
  • And it'll only increase more with the All Access programs coming with the next Gen consoles too. Game Pass FTW!
  • Seriously, this. The Series S All Access is a no brainer for parents to buy for their kids.