Microsoft opens up PC Game Pass to 40 new countries in big subscription push

Game Pass is now available in 86 countries, as a preview version of Microsoft’s PC Game Pass service launches in many additional European markets.

by Tom Warren

Feb 28, 2023, 8:39 AM UTC

A game lineup illustration of PC Game Pass

Image: Microsoft

Tom Warren is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.

Microsoft is bringing a preview of its PC Game Pass service to 40 new countries today. The preview will include access to all the hundreds of games available on Microsoft’s PC Game Pass subscription for a special test price for the first month. The 40 new markets see the service expand to countries across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, including Croatia, Iceland, Libya, Qatar, and Ukraine.

The PC Game Pass subscription will be available in these 40 markets through the Xbox Insider Hub app, which will unlock a preview version of the service before it’s launched fully. “In the coming months, PC Game Pass will launch in these countries for all players to experience,” explains Jerret West, CVP of gaming marketing at Xbox.

This big expansion means 86 countries will now have access to Game Pass, as Microsoft seeks to capitalize on new markets to grow its subscription service. While Xbox chief Phil Spencer warned of growth slowing down on the console side of Xbox Game Pass last year, he did mention the company was “seeing incredible growth on PC.” Microsoft say PC Game Pass subscriptions increase by 159 percent year-over-year in October, with the PC side looking like an obvious growth area for Microsoft.

Here’s the full list of 40 countries getting access to PC Game Pass today: