Microsoft’s new Xbox Game Pass subscription grants access to more than 100 games

Microsoft is launching a new game subscription service today for Xbox owners. Dubbed Xbox Game Pass, the new service will be priced at $9.99 per month for access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 backwards compatible games. Titles like Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16, and SoulCalibur II will all be included, and Microsoft is promising a diverse range of games from top publishers. One publisher that’s not on the list is EA, which is presumably sitting out as it has its own EA Access subscription service on Xbox One.

The Xbox Game Pass subscription won’t be a streaming service, instead you’ll be able to download full games and add-ons onto an Xbox One console. If you decide to cancel the subscription you’ll lose access to the games, but Microsoft is offering discounts for people who want to purchase titles separately. Just like most subscription services, Microsoft is planning to refresh the list of games each month so some will be cycled in and out of availability.

Microsoft is planning to test the Xbox Game Pass subscription with Xbox Insiders before it’s made available more broadly in late spring. Select members of the Xbox Insider Program in the Alpha Preview ring will get access to a small number of titles today, and Xbox Live Gold members will also get early access in late spring just before the broader launch.