Xbox Game Pass family plan is real and will save you money

Xbox Game Pass
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox Game Pass tier that will allow families and groups to subscribe at a hefty discount.

An Xbox Game Pass family plan has been rumored for several months, with Microsoft finally confirming the news in a test launch. Xbox Insiders in Colombia and Ireland will be the first to try it out. It allows up to five people to share the benefits of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, provided they live in the same country.

All members of the shared plan will have “their own unique access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games, content, and benefits”, according to Microsoft. Each subscriber can use the service simultaneously, letting everyone hop into a game of Back 4 Blood or Halo Infinite together, as well as play totally different games at the same time.

Microsoft hasn’t revealed when the new plan will officially launch or receive a global rollout. 

Friends make for thrifty gaming

Xbox Game Pass artwork

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Subscribing to the family plan with a group of buddies will net you a hefty monthly saving. Microsoft hasn’t revealed the exact pricing structure yet, but existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to convert their membership into the new tier. A one-month subscription to Ultimate will translate into 18 days of family plan membership. Given Ultimate is usually priced at $14.99 / £10.99 / AU$15.95, a quick bit of algebra tells us a one-month family subscription will likely cost around $24.99 / £18 / AU$26.50.

Even if you’re only sharing the plan with one other person, you’ll be saving a few dollars or pounds each month. With four other people to split the bill between, the individual monthly cost drops dramatically. Those prices aren’t final but should indicate what we can expect from the new service. On top of that, members will still be able to take advantage of the Xbox Live Gold upgrade trick to bag themselves an even bigger discount. 

Microsoft said that users who subscribe to Game Pass this way will still be able to convert to the family plan. Bear in mind, however, that the conversion is final. For now, you’ll have to wait for your family plan membership to expire if you want to return to a previous tier.

If you’re a resident of Ireland or Colombia and want to take part in the preview, head over to the Microsoft Store and purchase the 'Xbox Game Pass – Insider Preview' subscription plan. Once you're signed up, you’ll be able to invite others to join the plan from your Microsoft Account page.

Callum Bains
Gaming News Writer

Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games. 

Read more
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Get an Xbox Series X or Series S and want to get online recently? Here are your options for entering the world of Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox February update lets players stream even more of their own games including Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered
Nintendo Switch Online NES and SNES game selection
Finally got a Nintendo Switch and want to get online? Here's my guide to the best Nintendo Switch Online membership deals
Woman gaming on a computer at home
Microsoft crowbars new ‘recommendations’ for PC Game Pass into Windows 11, so excuse me while I start beating my anti-advert drum (again)
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Netflix for retro games? Sega is considering its own subscription service
PS Plus Collection logo
Just got a PS5 or PS5 Pro this holiday season? Here are the best PS Plus deals right now to get you online
Latest in Xbox
Indiana Jones picks up an ancient relic in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: exhilarating old-school action
An Xbox 360 Rumble Roses XX screenshot.
My Xbox Year in Review 2024 features bangers like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Rumble Roses XX, here's how to see yours
Xbox Series X Digital Edition deal
Stop what you're doing and check out this Xbox Series X Black Friday deal – it probably won't be beaten
The three new Xbox Series console variants on a stand at Gamescom 2024
Where to buy the new Xbox Series X and S consoles - including the gorgeous Galaxy Black 2TB machine
Xbox One and controller
Xbox will 'respect the investments that people have made' and encourage backward compatibility in the future
Microsoft Corp. Xbox Design Lab controllers are displayed during E3
Xbox is already focused on ‘delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation’
Latest in News
The SAG-AFTRA San-Fransisco-North California Local
SAG-AFTRA union and video game industry bargaining group remain at odds as agreements on AI protections still 'frustratingly far apart'
Data center racks with cables and servers
Data centers are being pushed to their limits, but digital twins could help
A collage of Tom Holland's unmasked Spider-Man and Sadie Sink's Max in Stranger Things season 4
Marvel reportedly casts Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in Spider-Man 4, but I don't want her to tackle the roles she's rumored to play
Google Gemini Robotics
Gemini just got physical and you should prepare for a robot revolution
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters