Xbox Game Pass was predicted to finish 2021 strong, and true enough, it is lording over the competition as this year's premium gaming subscription (sorry, PlayStation Plus).

If you got yourself a subscription just in time for the holidays, you're going to want to make the most out of that. And that is what this article is for.

Read on to learn how to maximize your brand new Xbox Game Pass subscription, so you can get the most bang for your buck.

Maybe Go For Ultimate

Microsoft made Game Pass available in different price tiers, just like almost any subscription plan these days. You can get a standard monthly subscription for $10 a month, which according to Kotaku, gives you access to the Game Pass library and nothing else.

But this won't be bad in its own right. It might be a standard subscription, but Game Pass' library is massive over 300 games, as per Pocket-Lint.com. That's likely way more games than you'll know what to do with for the holidays.

Going for Game Pass Ultimate, however, nets you a lot more perks. For an extra $5 a month, you'll be able to play games from both the console and PC libraries. Aside from that, you'll also get access to Xbox Live Gold, which will give you another four new games every month via Games With Gold.

Originally, you can get Live Gold as a separate subscription to Game Pass, but with Game Pass Ultimate, you're getting it for free.

Lastly, this perk is intended for gamers on the go. Game Pass Ultimate will let you stream your favorite games directly to an Android or iOS device-no need to actually own a console. All you need is a stable-enough internet connection, and you're good to go.

Read Also: Sony to Create an Xbox Game Pass-Like Subscription Service

Try Out The First-Party Exclusives Without Paying Full Price

If you want to play the generation's biggest first-party Xbox games like "Halo Infinite" or "Forza Horizon 5"--but don't want to pay full price for it, Game Pass has you covered.

That's because Microsoft ensured that all their first-party games would be coming to Game Pass on Day One. While everybody else will be queueing at a local GameStop or flocking the online storefronts for Xbox or Steam, you're going to be sitting pretty at home and loading the game up from your subscription.

Best Games To Try Out On Game Pass Before 2021 Ends

Of course, there's far more to Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate than Microsoft's most iconic franchises. There are also loads of other big games you should try on it, as per CNET.

Among the best ones are as follows, with their corresponding Metacritic scores:

• "Doom Eternal": 88%

• "Control": 85%

• "The Outer Worlds": 82%

• "Ori And The Will Of The Wisps": 88%

• "Halo: The Master Chief Collection": 85%

• "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order": 81%

• "Gears 5": 84%

Trying out all of these games won't require you to shell out the full $60 bucks, which is a great deal in itself.

For PC Gamers Wanting To Get Game Pass

If you're a PC gamer and you want to get a Game Pass subscription, you can! All you need to do is to optimize your system for it, as detailed in this video from the YouTube channel Xbox On:

Here's the kind of hardware your PC will need to get started with Game Pass, as per Xbox.com: 

• Windows 10 v1903 or newer

• Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 with four cores or more

• NVIDIA GTX 1050 or AMD RX 560 with 2GB of VRAM or more

• 8GB RAM minimum

• 150GB of free disk space (SSD preferred)

• Full support for DirectX 12

• 1080p Full HD monitor

With this kind of hardware (which is quite reasonable for most gamers out there), you're going to get a good Game Pass experience.

Happy gaming!

Related Article: How To Upgrade The Storage Capacity Of Your Xbox Series S

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce