We already know how long it will take for games to arrive on the new Game Pass Standard. Spoiler: quite a bit.

Game Pass is, without a doubt, one of the best subscriptions we can pay for if we have an Xbox and/or a PC. It is the best definition of “free gaming”, but there are some other nuances. The main one is that, after the recent changes made by Microsoft, the new Standard version will not include the launch games. We knew that they would reach subscribers of that plan at some point, but not how long we would have to wait. Now Microsoft has given some indicative dates and the reality is that the potential wait time is quite high.

The new Game Pass plans. Let’s start at the beginning. Previously, there were three modalities: Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass for Console, and Game Pass for PC. After the changes in July, Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for PC went up in Price, Game Pass for Console disappeared, and two new modalities were launched: Core and Standard. So, the Game Pass offer was as follows:

The key to the Standard plan. The demise of the Game Pass plan for consoles is a blow to Xbox gamers who don’t have PCs. By being replaced by Game Pass Standard, players have lost access to the cloud, EA Play, and day-one games, one of the main and most beloved benefits of Game Pass. So much so that the US FTC went so far as to say that this new plan was “a degraded product.” This doesn’t mean that new games won’t reach Game Pass Standard users because they will, but later.

How long will it take? Game Pass Standard is not yet available, but Xbox has already announced that Xbox Insiders will be able to start testing it starting today, and in that same announcement, they commented the following:

“Some games coming to Game Pass Ultimate (day one games or other game entries) will not be immediately available with Game Pass Standard and may be added to the library at a future date (this may take up to 12 months or more and will vary by title).”

That is to say, a “Day 1 on Game Pass” game can take up to a year or more to reach all Game Pass users. It is true that it will depend on the game and it is to be expected that the times will not be the same for first-party games as for third-party games, but the reality is that Game Pass Standard is noticeably worse than the old Game Pass for consoles.

The perfect storm. This decision was made with several major games just around the corner. The first is ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’, which is set to launch in just a few days. Other titles to follow include ‘Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’ and ‘Avowed’, among others. Playing these launch titles on consoles will mean either buying them at full price or paying for Game Pass Ultimate.

Image | Microsoft

At WorldOfSoftware | Microsoft is doing well, except for one thing (that thing is the Xbox)