Challenge everything

Xbox Game Pass now comes bundled with EA Play — for free

The best value in gaming just got, improbably, even better.

Among all of the breaking video game news today, some of the craziest news about next-gen platforms almost got lost in the shuffle. Today, Microsoft announced that it's subscription game service, Xbox Game Pass will now be coming bundled with EA's competing service EA Play — for free!

That means that every major game released by Microsoft and EA will be available going forward for the low price of $15 a month. With AAA titles going for $60 all the way up to $120 on the regular these days, that's a mind-boggling value.

It's in the game — Some of the titles gamers can expect to land in their lap this fall include the UFC, Madden, and FIFA franchises, The Sims, Need for Speed: Heat, Plants vs. Zombies, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Titanfall 2, and Mass Effect. While EA may not be everyone's favorite developer, they have a ton of franchises and IP — and most certainly something for everyone. Plus, again, it's coming to the subscription at no additional cost.

Star Wars — Game Pass is available on Xbox and Windows PCs — but it's also known for its cloud streaming features, which allow players to stream games from their consoles or the cloud. Not every EA title will have this feature enabled, but if it's popular enough we're sure Microsoft and EA will be more than incentivized to pump out updates.

Apex — Reminder that if you buy a new Xbox console on a financing plan for $24.99 or $34.99/month, you get Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass included in that monthly payment plan. EA Play, formerly known as EA Access, is still available as a standalone service for $4.99/month and $29.99/year.