Microsoft announced that Xbox Insiders in Preview Beta can join and test Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for the first time.

“Starting today, Xbox Insiders in Preview Beta can join and test Xbox Game Pass Ultimate before it launches later this year in current Xbox Game Pass markets,” an Xbox program manager identified only as Scott announced. “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is currently available to English speaking Xbox Insiders in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia in Preview Alpha, Preview Alpha – Skip Ahead, or Preview Beta.”

According to Microsoft, Insiders who upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from the normal Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass subscriptions will receive all of their remaining subscription time for each, for up to 36 months. So if you have, say, 12 months of Xbox Live Gold left and 12 months of Xbox Game Pass, you will receive credit for 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. That’s quite an incentive, and it makes testing the new service kind of a no-brainer.

For now, however, those with Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Live Gold tokens are unable to apply them towards Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft says it is looking into how to enable that functionality, but it recommends that users redeem any Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Live Gold tokens they may have before upgrading to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

What’s unclear is how one joins and tests Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Scott’s post doesn’t explain that, and I’m not seeing it in the Xbox One Dashboard (yet). Will keep looking.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will launch later this year at $14.99 per month and it combines the features from Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass into a single subscription.

Tagged with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate