Xbox Game Pass is making the jump to PC

Even though it sort of exists there

Microsoft is finally bringing its Xbox Game Pass service to PC. Sort of soft launched last year with “Xbox Play Anywhere” titles, Microsoft has detailed a full outline for what Game Pass will be offering PC players in the near future. In addition to a rotating selection of over 100 games (many of which will be playable on Xbox One), Microsoft will be dumping the UWA (Universal Windows App) requirement and supporting Win32 applications. While that might be a bunch of techno-nonsense to the average consumer, what it means is that games will no longer have to specifically require Windows 10 or the Windows Store to be featured in Game Pass.

In a post over on Xbox Wire, Microsoft notes that Game Pass will launch with titles from well-known PC game developers and publishers. The mentioned companies include Bethesda, Deep Silver, Sega, Devolver Digital, and Paradox Interactive. Now that the UWA limitation has been lifted, we could end up seeing things like Total War, The Elder Scrolls, and Yakuza on here.

One of the more notable changes is that Microsoft will be bringing a selection of its games to other digital distribution platforms. While not technically a part of Game Pass, titles like Gears of War 5, Age of Empires 1-3 Definitive Editions, and the upcoming Halo: Master Chief Collection will be purchasable on Steam when they launch. Where Game Pass factors in is that players from any ecosystem will be able to play against each other and Xbox One players (for applicable titles).

More news about the service will be coming during E3, so make sure to watch Microsoft’s conference when it airs on June 9, 2019.

Our Approach to PC Gaming [Xbox Wire]