Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 landed on Game Pass March 3. Planet of Lana 2 dropped day-one today. Dice a Million launched February 25. Three games worth a combined $100 at retail — available in one week at $19.99/month. The question isn’t really whether Game Pass is worth it right now. The question is which tier you’re paying for.
That distinction matters. The Standard tier excludes the thing that makes Game Pass worth subscribing to in the first place. Here’s the full breakdown.
The Four Tiers: Two Are Worth It, One Is a Trap
Game Pass Core — $9.99/month
Online multiplayer access plus about 25 rotating games. If you’re purely paying for multiplayer access and nothing else, fine. For actual game discovery, skip it.
PC Game Pass — $9.99/month
The underrated pick. Same day-one library as Ultimate, full catalog access, $9.99/month. KCD2 is on it. Planet of Lana 2 is on it. Dice a Million is on it. If you only game on PC, this is the right call — no point paying for Xbox console access you’ll never use.
Game Pass Standard — $14.99/month
The trap. Looks like a reasonable middle option, but it cuts out day-one releases — the exact reason most people subscribe. You’re paying $14.99 for a decent back-catalog that doesn’t include anything new. You’re $5 away from Ultimate. Upgrade or drop to PC Game Pass.
Game Pass Ultimate — $19.99/month
Xbox + PC + cloud gaming + EA Play + day-one launches. This is the full version. If you play on Xbox console, this is your tier.
What Just Dropped and What It Actually Costs
March 2026 is the best Game Pass month in at least a year. The specific games and their retail prices:
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — $59.99 on PC, $69.99 on Xbox at full price. Metacritic 87/100. Roughly 55 hours for the main story, 100+ with side content. Full breakdown here — or jump straight to the beginner’s guide if you’re already playing.
- Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf — ~$24.99. The sequel to one of the best-looking indie games in recent memory. Launched day-one today on Game Pass Ultimate and PC. Our preview is here.
- Dice a Million — $14.99 (launched at $11.99). Balatro-style roguelite with 120+ unique dice and 10 character classes. Day-one on February 25. Full review.
Combined retail price if you bought all three: $99.97–$110. Combined cost on Game Pass: $19.99 for one month.
The back catalog is also strong right now. South of Midnight is a stop-motion Southern Gothic adventure worth 12 hours of your time. Diablo II: Resurrected is in there. Mass Effect Legendary Edition — all three games, 100+ hours, still holds up.
EA Play Is Included (and People Forget This)
Game Pass Ultimate bundles EA Play at no extra charge. EA Play sells standalone for $4.99/month and gets you The Sims 4, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the Dead Space remake (2023), EA Sports FC, and 10-hour trials of new EA releases before launch.
If you were going to pay for EA Play anyway, Ultimate is effectively $15/month for the Game Pass layer. That changes the math in your favor.
Cloud Gaming Is Actually Good Now
Two years ago, Game Pass cloud streaming was a novelty you’d try once and forget. The latency killed anything that required precise inputs. In 2026 it’s genuinely usable for most titles — stream from a browser, Samsung or LG smart TV, phone, or tablet. No console, no PC required.
Playing KCD2 via cloud on a phone isn’t how you’d choose to spend 55 hours. But it works, and for travel or a secondary device, that’s real value bundled into your $19.99.
The Honest Case Against Subscribing
Games get pulled. Titles leave the library regularly without much fanfare. Dishonored 2, Prey, and multiple Battlefield titles have been removed over the past few years. If you’re mid-playthrough when something leaves, you either buy it or stop. Microsoft doesn’t advertise this heavily.
Day-one doesn’t mean everything. Sony exclusives won’t appear. Elden Ring has never been on Game Pass. “Day-one for Xbox published games and select third-party games” is the actual wording.
Patient gamers don’t save money. If you wait for everything to hit $10 on Steam, Game Pass costs you $19.99/month instead of nothing. The math only works if you play new releases within a few weeks of launch.
Who Should Subscribe Right Now
Get Ultimate ($19.99) if: You play on Xbox console, you want KCD2 or Planet of Lana 2 and haven’t bought them yet, or you’d normally pay for EA Play. One month of Ultimate costs less than any single one of the games that just launched.
Get PC Game Pass ($9.99) if: You’re PC-only. Same day-one library, half the price. This is the right call for most PC gamers who don’t need Xbox console access.
Skip it if: You buy everything on sale and play games 6–12 months after launch. Game Pass isn’t designed for you, and you’re better off waiting for Steam sales.
Verdict
In March 2026: yes, subscribe. KCD2 at $60 covers three months of Ultimate by itself. Add Planet of Lana 2 and you’ve justified the cost through June.
The longer honest answer: Game Pass is cyclical. March is exceptional. Some months the new additions are thin and you’ll wonder why you’re paying $19.99. The service rewards people who subscribe around big launches and cancel during dry spells — Microsoft makes both easy. Right now, though, there’s no better time to be on it.
If you’d rather skip the recurring charge, 3-month Game Pass Ultimate cards on Amazon let you pay upfront. Pair with a solid wireless controller and you’re set for the season.
