We first reported the introduction of Game Pass Ultimate Friends and Family in November when it was announced for Ireland and Columbia. As of the 21st of February 2023 that list of countries now includes Chile, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sweden.
What is Game Pass Ultimate Friends & Family
For €21.99 per month (or your local equivalent), you can have up to four (five including yourself) people registered to a Friends & Family subscription. Each get their own account and Xbox profile, meaning all saves are with them, not you. Furthermore, each member will be able to play the same game at the same time, allowing for some great multiplayer action. The only restriction being all members need to reside in the same country. Additionally, all benefits from the standard Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription are also available to all members of your party.
Currently, Xbox Game Pass Family Plan is powered by Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This costs £10.99 for a single user license. Assuming the Family plan price is around the £20 p/m ($25 p/m) and you split the cost with the full 5 compliment, you would essentially get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for £4/$5 per user per month instead of £10.99/$14.99 per month. Therefore, this makes it the cheapest way to get a deal on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. If, of course, this ends up being the final price.
Converting your old subscriptions
If you are in one of the supported countries you will be able to upgrade to the new plan now. This does mean adjusting the time remaining on your previous plan. Microsoft will perform the following conversion to the Friends & Family plan:
- 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
It has been noted that members with Xbox All Access won’t be able to participate in this plan. Xbox All Access is a subscription which bundles an Xbox Series S/X with Game Pass Ultimate over 2 years.
What are the limitations?
There will be some limitations on the Friends & Family plan. 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.
The Friends and Family is something I am looking forward to using, and we will share all news on any upcoming expansions once Microsoft any information. For full details on Game Pass Friends & Family, be sure to read the FAQ from Microsoft.
