Xbox Game Pass: Everything you need to know

Microsoft has launched its new Xbox Game Pass subscription service for Xbox One users - the Netflix of video games, says GamesRadar.

It will allow players the current Xbox One and the Xbox 360 to download a host of titles, including Halo 5 Guardians and BioShock Infinite.

Here's everything you need to know about the new service.

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How are games accessed?

While Sony's rival PlayStation Now streams titles over the internet, the Xbox Game Pass downloads games directly to the user's hard drive to eliminate the possibility of glitches caused by poor network connections.

However, this will take up more of the console's internal storage, so games may need to be deleted to allow space for new titles.

What titles are available?

There will be around 100 games from both the Xbox One and older Xbox 360 console available at launch, although the selection of Xbox 360 will only include those in the backwards compatibility programme.

Among the headline games is 2015's Halo 5 Guardians, which was praised by IGN for being lager "in almost every way" than the "excellent games that came before it", but the list also includes classics such as Banjo-Kazooie and the first-person shooter BioShock Infinite.

Microsoft says it plans to add more games on a monthly basis.

How much will it cost?

Subscribers of the £40-a-year Xbox Live Gold service are entitled to a 14-day trial of Xbox Game Pass, followed by monthly instalments of £7.99.

"You also get discounts on full purchases of games and on game add-ons for currently available titles on the console," says TechCrunch.

If successful, the website says the service "should come to Windows 10" in the future.

Gold subscribers can access the service now, while regular Xbox One users will be able to sign-up to the Xbox Game Pass from 1 June.

Microsoft opens its library with Xbox Game Pass

01 March

Xbox players will soon be able to access a selection of old and new games through Microsoft's new $10 (£8) subscription services.

The Xbox Game Pass will allow subscribers to access more than 100 games, which can all be downloaded directly to the console instead of the common practice of streaming.

Several publishers are involved with the service, including Bandai Namco and Codemasters, and more games will be added to the line-up in the coming months.

Microsoft is also offering discounts on titles and downloadable content across the Xbox One online store. Figures have yet to be announced, but values are expected to vary over different games.

However, the company isn't the only games giant to launch a subscription services for its backlog of titles.

Electronic Arts (EA) allows gamers to play an array of games through its £3.99-per-month Access service, while membership to Sony's £12.99-per-month PlayStation Now unlocks more than 300 games from its older systems, although it has recently been axed on all of its devices expect the PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.

Sony says the move puts the service in "the best position to grow" and will lead to improvements to the user experience.

The Xbox Game Pass is expected to go live later in the spring.