PC Game Pass (was Xbox Game Pass for PC)

Soldato
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I'm fine with games coming and going, but they really should give some advanced warning of when they will be going. I'm not sure how long you've been playing it but I'm guessing you wouldn't have started if you'd known the date it was leaving up front.

Yeah, this was my concern exactly. If there'd been a warning when installing, for instance, I wouldn't have minded at all.

The issue is exacerbated by how difficult it can be to find game files like saves using the file system MS uses. Fortunately, The Surge is a game which puts saves in Documents. Some games that do the equivalent of putting them in Steamapps are impossible to find and even if you do find the save, the filename will be all wrong. So this leaves the very real possibility of putting hours into something only to be tied into paying the MS stores prices to continue or losing your progress.

However, I have noticed that I can still go into The Surge this morning, so it seems there's some leeway. I'm still not certain what that means, though. Is it that when games leave the Pass it's just that they disappear from the list of those you can install, but if you've already installed it you can keep access as long as you want? Is there some limited grace period?

I'm pleased I can still play it, but feeling uneasy that it could disappear at any time.

I've looked for information on the apps and MS sites about what happens to your games when they leave Game Pass, but I haven't been able to find anything. The uncertainty is still displeasing, even if I can still play through for now.

This would be much worse for those games that take many hours to play (I don't feel I want to start Stellaris using Game Pass now, for instance). A bit of transparency is all that's really required here.
 
Soldato
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FM2019 isa 'leaving soon'. I hadn't even quite reached my first match! :D

In hindsight, an FM game is probably about the worst choice to install from a service where the games are present for a limited time.
 
Soldato
Joined
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4,102
Yeah, this was my concern exactly. If there'd been a warning when installing, for instance, I wouldn't have minded at all.

The issue is exacerbated by how difficult it can be to find game files like saves using the file system MS uses. Fortunately, The Surge is a game which puts saves in Documents. Some games that do the equivalent of putting them in Steamapps are impossible to find and even if you do find the save, the filename will be all wrong. So this leaves the very real possibility of putting hours into something only to be tied into paying the MS stores prices to continue or losing your progress.

However, I have noticed that I can still go into The Surge this morning, so it seems there's some leeway. I'm still not certain what that means, though. Is it that when games leave the Pass it's just that they disappear from the list of those you can install, but if you've already installed it you can keep access as long as you want? Is there some limited grace period?

I'm pleased I can still play it, but feeling uneasy that it could disappear at any time.

I've looked for information on the apps and MS sites about what happens to your games when they leave Game Pass, but I haven't been able to find anything. The uncertainty is still displeasing, even if I can still play through for now.

This would be much worse for those games that take many hours to play (I don't feel I want to start Stellaris using Game Pass now, for instance). A bit of transparency is all that's really required here.

Hmm yeah, hopefully it works as you've suggested there and you can still keep playing stuff you've already installed. Having said that, I don't have The Surge installed but do still have the option to install it at the moment, so looks like it hasn't disappeared yet anyway.
 
Associate
Joined
21 Jan 2010
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554
Been tempted to get the game pass, but currently only have a steam controller (kids nabbed my xbox one). Has anyone had any luck using steam controller with the xbox/windows store games? I had rise of the tomb Raider but couldn't get it to work. Read about GloSC, but unsure what this does?
Thanks
 
Soldato
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Hmm yeah, hopefully it works as you've suggested there and you can still keep playing stuff you've already installed. Having said that, I don't have The Surge installed but do still have the option to install it at the moment, so looks like it hasn't disappeared yet anyway.

Oh, that's weird. It's gone from the list on my app and on the website. The whole system seems a bit oqaque, tbh.

I notice they have Wasteland 3 added too, which is actually tempting me to stay on despite this. Or maybe I'll cancel and resubscribe when it's released...
 
Soldato
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Yes. If you like the game pass then the best option at this point would be to buy xbox gold first then it will convert your remaining gold time to game pass ultimate

That seems rather confusing then. They are offering me options of either 1 month or 3 months but it won't make a difference as all I will get is the 5 days I have left regardless?
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Aug 2007
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4,102
Oh, that's weird. It's gone from the list on my app and on the website. The whole system seems a bit oqaque, tbh.

Whilst I'm sure you don't disbelieve me, this is what I'm seeing:

the-surge.jpg
 
Soldato
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Whilst I'm sure you don't disbelieve me, this is what I'm seeing:

the-surge.jpg

No, I didn't doubt you. I find the whole Game Pass system lacking in polish and consistency, tbh. This doesn't really surprise me.

I am getting put off The Surge a bit by the super-janky camera on the third boss anyway, tbh. More deaths by camera even than any of the dodgy camera Dark Souls bosses (ahem, Nameless King, ahem)!

Forced perspective changes, forced lock-on changes, random camera re-focusing! I don't think the boss itself should be that hard, but I hate these kind of camera shenanigans!

(I feel like I am being a right grumpy old man today! :))
 
Soldato
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That seems rather confusing then. They are offering me options of either 1 month or 3 months but it won't make a difference as all I will get is the 5 days I have left regardless?

No. You will get 3 months and 5 days :D

EDIT: And if you bought 1 year Xbox gold then you will get 1 year and 3 months
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
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No, I didn't doubt you. I find the whole Game Pass system lacking in polish and consistency, tbh. This doesn't really surprise me.

Yeah, its definitely not quite right in a few areas. In their defence though, they do still describe it as a beta, with a lower price to reflect that.
 
Soldato
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Yeah, its definitely not quite right in a few areas. In their defence though, they do still describe it as a beta, with a lower price to reflect that.

I guess there is that, true.

BUT - The Surge is no longer playable as of this morning. I get the message that it's not in my account and it won't load. No warnings prior to this. Not when I installed it. No emails, no communications telling me directly which games were leaving the pass, when, and what the consequences would be.

This is enormously disappointing. Not due to the cost (£1 for the first month is nothing), but because I'm now in the position of having played this game for 11 hours and really feeling into it and to continue I'll need to buy a copy from somewhere. Except it's not on sale anywhere right now, and MS store has it at £17.99 (minus the 20% GP discount). Much more than I would have picked this game up for normally.

I guess I'll wait for the Steam sales and see what happens. But it's a difficult, Souls-like game that relies heavily on muscle memory you develop as you play, and there are also lots of currently inaccesible areas I need to track back to soon, but which I'll no doubt forget about in a few weeks.

I'd actually rather have not even started this on the Game Pass than to start it and have it removed 11 hours in like this. :(

If this was one of the many games that have difficult to locate saves under the MS system like many do, I'd have faced losing my progress entirely.

Unless there's a lot more transparency about this in the future, I won't be keeping my subscription once I've played Metro Exodus.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Aug 2007
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29,084
I guess there is that, true.

BUT - The Surge is no longer playable as of this morning. I get the message that it's not in my account and it won't load. No warnings prior to this. Not when I installed it. No emails, no communications telling me directly which games were leaving the pass, when, and what the consequences would be.

This is enormously disappointing. Not due to the cost (£1 for the first month is nothing), but because I'm now in the position of having played this game for 11 hours and really feeling into it and to continue I'll need to buy a copy from somewhere. Except it's not on sale anywhere right now, and MS store has it at £17.99 (minus the 20% GP discount). Much more than I would have picked this game up for normally.

I guess I'll wait for the Steam sales and see what happens. But it's a difficult, Souls-like game that relies heavily on muscle memory you develop as you play, and there are also lots of currently inaccesible areas I need to track back to soon, but which I'll no doubt forget about in a few weeks.

I'd actually rather have not even started this on the Game Pass than to start it and have it removed 11 hours in like this. :(

If this was one of the many games that have difficult to locate saves under the MS system like many do, I'd have faced losing my progress entirely.

Unless there's a lot more transparency about this in the future, I won't be keeping my subscription once I've played Metro Exodus.

You can get the surge as part of the 3.99 EA Origin membership.

Metro Exodus was pretty good but the main title I'm looking forward to on the gamepass is Age of Empires 4.
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Nov 2013
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4,121
Reading the complaints about leaving games in the last few pages, a related question occurs:

If, when it leaves, the game icon disappears from your game pass app - how do you uninstall the game files? You could end up with multiple games you can't play taking up space and hidden in their indecipherable file structure.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Feb 2009
Posts
3,824
Reading the complaints about leaving games in the last few pages, a related question occurs:

If, when it leaves, the game icon disappears from your game pass app - how do you uninstall the game files? You could end up with multiple games you can't play taking up space and hidden in their indecipherable file structure.

I was able to uninstall The Surge through the usual Windows uninstall method. No problem on that score. All the games I've installed from Game Pass have shown up in this list.
 
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