Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass on February 28, 2017, and made a small selection of titles available to a small number of members of its Xbox Insider club for testing and feedback.
The service was initially made available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers later in the second quarter of 2017, and then to all users. Xbox Game Pass does not require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, but it is necessary for any online multiplayer features that the titles in the catalog may offer.
Microsoft said that certain Xbox games would be made available via a new backwards-compatibility option, similar to the one in place for Xbox 360 games, as part of the company’s E3 2017 press presentation.
Microsoft announced an extension of Game Pass on January 23, 2018, with the first first-party title, Sea of Thieves, launching on March 20, 2018, and appearing in the catalog on the same day as the game’s retail release.
Can you play online with Xbox Game Pass?
Yes. All of the advantages of Xbox Live Gold, which provides you access to multiplayer games on your system, are included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. (Online multiplayer is available in free-to-play titles without an Xbox Live Gold subscription.)