Microsoft has officially announced Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family. The shared subscription will allow Game Pass members to share with up to four other friends or family members. Xbox is currently testing the subscription in Ireland and Colombia.
The only restriction that Microsoft is adding to the subscription is that the people sharing the subscription must be in the same country. While the regular Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is priced at €12.99 per month, the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan is set at €21.99 per month. This makes is less than €5 per month per person for the same benefits, when shared.
Here are other details about the subscription:
- You can only be a member of one group at a time.
- As the primary account holder, you can invite up to four people at a time with a max of eight people who accept to join your account per year.
- Your group members can only join a group up to two times per year. This includes leaving and rejoining the same group.
- Only the primary account holder can share their Game Pass benefits via home sharing. Group members cannot share with other accounts on their console.
Microsoft says "currently we are piloting this plan in Colombia and the Republic of Ireland. Future countries / regions might be added in the next months" in an FAQ.
Existing Game Pass subscribers also have the option to switch to the new subscription tier. After switching, Microsoft will adjust the remaining time as follows:
- 30 days Xbox Game Pass Ultimate = 18 days Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family
- 30 days Xbox Game Pass (Console) = 12 days Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family
- 30 days PC Game Pass = 12 days Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family
- 30 days Xbox Live Gold = 12 days Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family
- 30 days EA Play = 6 days Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family
Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family has all the benefits from the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for a total of five people. The subscription includes access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Live, and PC Game Pass as well.