Microsoft’s latest Game Pass Ultimate deal gives new users 3 months for $1

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Today's Dealmaster is headlined by a new deal on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service, as new users can currently purchase a three-month subscription for $1. Microsoft has traditionally offered the first month of its game subscription service for $1, though subsequent months typically cost $15 each. Note that "new subscribers" means completely new in this case, as anyone who has subscribed to Game Pass in the past is not eligible for the discount. Microsoft said in a blog post on Monday that the deal would be available for a "limited time."

For the unfamiliar, Game Pass Ultimate includes both the console and PC versions of Microsoft's Game Pass service—which packages a few hundred downloadable games in a Netflix-like bundle for one monthly fee—alongside its Xbox Live Gold service, which is still required to access the online features of most Xbox console games. Recently, the company has also added the ability to stream Xbox games through the cloud on Android phones, as well as a subscription to EA's Play service.

Generally speaking, the consensus is that Game Pass has become one of the better values in gaming. This is largely because Microsoft has been more aggressive than competitors like Sony's PlayStation Now about including high-profile games in the service: all of the recent games the company itself has published are included—covering big franchises like Halo, Forza, Minecraft, and Gears, among others—as are a growing number of worthwhile games from outside developers. The latter group ranges from "triple-A" titles like Destiny 2, Control, and The Outer Worlds to buzzy smaller-scale games like Celeste, Outer Wilds, and Spiritfarer. Future titles from the recently purchased Elder Scrolls- and Fallout-makers Bethesda will be there, too, though existing games like Doom Eternal are already onboard.

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