Xbox: Game Pass is going to get even better, very soon

An image of an Xbox controller and Xbox Game Pass

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Xbox announced its vision for the next 20 years of the gaming platform in advance of the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase coming June 12.

Xbox's vision for the future is simple: providing the best possible value for gamers. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer breaks it down even further in an Xbox Wire blog post, stating that the goal is to create an ecosystem where players can play the content they want, on the device they want.

FYI: Summer Game Fest 2022 live blog — all the big news as it happens.

Phil Spencer, executive vice president of Gaming for Microsoft Corp., speaks during the company's Xbox event ahead of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S., in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Sunday, June 10, 2018. — (Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg | Getty Images)

A big part of achieving this goal is Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft's game subscription service is available to gamers on console, PC and even smartphones. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can use the service on all three devices for just $15 per month, which is one of the best deals in gaming.

Halo Infinite screenshot — (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What to expect for the future of Game Pass

First, Xbox Game Pass is coming to new Samsung TVs later this year. That means you can play hundreds of games on your TV (provided that you have a 2022 Samsung Smart TV). Gamers can even enjoy Fortnite without a subscription, which should serve as a nice way to test out Xbox’s cloud gaming feature without committing to Game Pass.

Microsoft's coolest new feature, however, may be that it plans to “roll out the ability for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play, from the cloud, select games they already own or have purchased outside the Xbox Game Pass library.”

A Microsoft representative at a Tom’s Guide briefing said that the infrastructure for this feature is in place. It will be exciting to see which games will be the first to receive this update in the coming year.

Xbox will also improve its gaming experience in Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge. Efficiency mode is a new update that will improve gaming performance in the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.

We’re excited to announce we’re bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to New Zealand and Argentina. Learn more: https://t.co/x0b5MT5TS6June 9, 2022

Finally, Microsoft is also expanding beta testing for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Argentina and New Zealand have access as of today and more countries should follow as Xbox Cloud Gaming is more integral to the Xbox platform.

Tom’s Guide will evaluate these features when they become available.

Next: Our Gaming editor recently found Yakuza 6 to be one of the best reasons to have Xbox Game Pass.

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Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.