Xbox Game Pass Raising Its Prices Might Make Me Actually Play My Backlog

Summary

• The upcoming price hike for Game Pass is disappointing, but it may provide the opportunity to tackle your personal backlog of games.
• Everyone prioritizes games differently, with financial considerations playing a major role for those on tight budgets.
• While Game Pass may have lost some value, returning to your own backlog can be just as exciting as playing new games on the service.

I’m not happy about the upcoming price hike for Game Pass, as what was once an amazing value for the consumer is becoming a pale shadow of its glory days, but there is one silver lining; I might finally get around to my own personal backlog of games. Everyone who plays video games is different in how they prioritize which games to play, and in what order. Those who have tight budgets, or who grew up in such circumstances, like me, have a harder time not taking finances into consideration when starting a new game, making Game Pass a major factor.

Some people worry Game Pass is killing Xbox, but I have no such concerns, since I’m a consumer who enjoys playing games, not a stockholder with any stake in the success of the Xbox brand. My investment begins and ends with whether Game Pass is a good value for me, my friends, and the gaming community at large, not whether it is sustainable in light of the rising costs of AAA game production. Those AAA costs do factor in when I decide what to play next, however. Knowing a game retails for $70 USD, I’m going to view it differently.

The same rationale for canceling Game Pass could apply to subscribers of PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium, Amazon’s Luna+ service, or any other similar gaming subscription plans, all of which take time away from one’s own backlog.

It’s Time To Cancel Game Pass & Return To Backlogs

Stop Prioritizing Game Pass Over The Games You Own

At $20 per month, it’s probably time to cancel Game Pass for many subscribers. The cheaper tier that lacks day-one releases is still a solid value, but getting access to brand-new titles is part of what made Game Pass special for many. Looking at the current retail price of a game does impact the gaming choices I make; even though I was more excited about finally playing games in my backlog, like Pillars of Eternity or Pathfinder: Kingmaker, I prioritized Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. I had enjoyed Fallen Order well enough, and Jedi Survivor was a $70 game then.

Working through shorter games, like action titles instead of expansive RPGs, can help with clearing a backlog, but these are also some of the best titles to play through subscription services like Game Pass, in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Jedi Survivor is a game I liked, and probably one I would have wanted to play at some point, regardless. Game Pass is great for sampling titles outside your normal wheelhouse, but few would commit to beating a game solely because it’s available to them through the service, if they’re not having fun with it. I’m unlikely to play Modern Warrior 3 on Game Pass, even though I know it’s a high-priced title, because the Call of Duty series simply does not appeal to me. Still, the cost consideration does weigh in, to the detriment of fun.

Video games are a leisure hobby, and logically, people should play what they want to, not select games out of a sense of obligation.

If I beat a $70 game I enjoyed through Game Pass, it’s a fun experience, and I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth from the service. Still, I might be more in the mood to do another run through of a game I own, like Disco Elysium, or to finally play some of the deeper cuts in my backlog, like SaGa Frontier 2 or Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. Those are games I already own, however, so devoting my gaming time to beating any of those titles,while I have a subscription to Game Pass going, feels financially irresponsible.

Game Pass Saved Consumers Money In The Past

It Was Hard To Argue Against The Value Of Game Pass, But Not Anymore

I’m interested in playing Dungeons of Hinterberg on Game Pass, and I may download it as soon as it is added. I know these titles will not stay in the Game Pass library forever. When PlayStation Plus Extra lost games like I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear, I had regrets over not prioritizing playing those titles before they left the service. That feeling of a financial missed opportunity is compounded when it’s a newer game that does not routinely have low sales prices. Ultimately, time is the most precious resource, but for most of us, finances always enter the equation.

Seeing Game Pass lose some of its value proposition for consumers is a bad thing, for players as a whole, and for me, to be clear. Still, there is apart of me that looks forward to my subscription’s expiration, at which time I may decide it’s not worth the asking price to renew. Then, I can play the titles that have been sitting in my backlog for several gaming generations. I can play what I want, based on my current mood and interest, instead of worrying about what games are leaving Game Pass to shape my gaming priorities.

There are some cases in which gaming subscription services could help with playing catch-up on a backlog. Prior generation games that might be inconvenient to play on their original hardware are being routinely added to services like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra, playable on current-gen hardware.

Video games are a leisure hobby, and logically, people should play what they want to, not select games out of a sense of obligation. Choosing to put shiny new Game Pass releases over something I might be more inclined to play, in a vacuum, like Shadowrun: Dragonfall or Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, is admittedly antithetical to the notion of leisurely fun. Put simply, Game Pass was too good a value for me to not let it shape my gaming choices. Now that it’s lost some of that value, such choices are fully mine. My preferences can take priority once again.

A Backlog Can Be As Exciting As New Game Pass Games

Returning To The Games That Best Fit Your Preferences Could Be For The Best

Though Game Pass may soon change forever, if the whole suite of Activision-Blizzard IPs is added to the service, few of these are in my wheelhouse, other than the Diablo series. Nothing suggests the service will justify a $20 per month asking price, and I’m absolutely at peace with that. Microsoft will likely lose subscribers, but thousands of gaming backlogs may sigh in relief, as players finally engage with video games they have neglected in favor of beating the latest titles added to Game Pass before the service drops them. Game Pass’ loss is a victory against the eternal backlog.

As a counterpoint, playing a recently released game via Game Pass today might mean one less game added to one’s backlog in the future.

The economics and sustainability of Game Pass is irrelevant to me, as a consumer, since I have no stake in the company. As a video gaming enthusiast, I have more choices than ever, with Game Pass, as well as PlayStation Plus Extra, Luna+, and publisher-specific subscription plans from Ubisoft and EA. Thebest library of all is still my own, since those are the games that specifically reflect my own tastes and purchasing decisions. Game Pass has allowed me to beat dozens of games at a fraction of their costs, but my backlog is patiently waiting for me to return.