[GameSpot] - PC Game Pass Is Expanding To New Regions, As Microsoft Seeks To Reach "Billions" Of Players

[343iBot]

PC Game Pass is coming to even more parts of the globe as part of Microsoft's effort to "bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet."

A preview of PC Game Pass is now available for players in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. This is the same version of PC Game Pass that's already available in other regions, so members can expect all the same benefits. This includes access to a growing library of games, all Xbox Game Studios launches on day one, and titles from the EA Play library.

"As this is the first step in bringing access to PC Game Pass in the region, participants can test and share their feedback so we can make improvements across the service," Microsoft said.

After the testing period, and assuming things go to plan, Microsoft said it will launch PC Game Pass officially in those countries later this year.

PC Game Pass is the PC version of Xbox Game Pass formerly known as Xbox Game Pass for PC. The program launched in 2019, following the debut of Xbox Game Pass in 2017.

"At Xbox, our mission is simple, to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. Bringing PC Game Pass to new countries in Southeast Asia is an important part of how we will achieve this as we strive to reach billions of players," Xbox Asia business lead Jeremy Hinton said.

Some of the games available in PC Game Pass include Halo Infinite, Minecraft, Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires IV, Sea of Thieves, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, and that's just titles from Xbox.

PC Game Pass was formerly known as Xbox Game Pass for PC. Microsoft changed the name because it was confusing some members of the audience who assumed they would need an Xbox. That was never the case, and the new naming convention should help make that more clear, Microsoft said.

By Microsoft's latest count, all versions of Game Pass had combined to reach 25 million members. The service competes with other subscription-based offerings, like the new version of PlayStation Plus. For more, check out GameSpot's PS Plus vs. Game Pass comparison.

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