Are you an Xbox Game Pass subscriber who wishes there was an easy way of sharing the perks of the service with other members of your household? The option for doing so is finally coming, according to a new report shared by Windows Central’s Jez Corden, who claims that Microsoft is prepping a new “Family Plan” for Xbox Game Pass that will grant access for up to five users under a single subscription. The option should put Xbox Game Pass closer in line with Nintendo Switch Online, which already includes a family membership plan for $34.99/year (access for up to eight account holders).
Exclusive: Microsoft is moving ahead with an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan (Windows Central)
I’d heard about Microsoft’s desire to create a Family Plan quite a while ago at this point, although there were details to work out about how royalties might be distributed, and how licenses from third-party publishers would be compensated for users who weren’t attached to the main plan. According to trusted sources familiar with Microsoft’s efforts, we can now confirm that Xbox is moving ahead with an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan, which could be set to launch sometime this year.
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.