So if you’re a gamer like me, who values their PC storage space, you may not always want games installed directly onto your device. PCs are usually for multi-use purposes, so games aren’t the only things that can take up storage. I personally use my PC for work, which means downloading lots of programs and files that can take up a fair bit of storage space.

Video games can come in very large sizes, so it’s only too easy for them to take up most of your storage if you let them. Luckily, cloud storage is available on most platforms these days, including Xbox. Whether it was available for PC Game Pass, though, was something I had to look up.

Does PC Game Pass have cloud saves?

The PC Game Pass does have cloud saves, but not for all of its games. Whilst most of them do allow cloud saves, there are a select few that don’t support this feature. One example is Slay the Spire – some people assumed it would have cloud save and suffered the consequences.

Fortunately, it’s quite easy to check whether a game can do cloud saves. Each game has a capabilities section, where it should list a bunch of tags. If the game has the cloud save feature, it should have the tag ‘Xbox Live cloud saves’. If it doesn’t, then the game doesn’t support cloud saves.

What is a PC Game Pass?

The PC Game Pass is one of 3 subscriptions offered by Xbox, which lets you download and play over 300 games for free. Games are constantly being added, and sometimes removed, so the library is always changing. If you can’t find your favourite title there right now, it might just get added some time soon.

As long as you pay the monthly fee of $9.99, you can get access to the PC Game Pass library as well as discounts on games if you purchase them. Bear in mind that you won’t actually own any of these games unless you buy them, so if you’re not content just ‘renting’ the games out – you should purchase them. Cancelling the subscription will make you lose access to the Game Pass library, which means no more free games even if you’ve downloaded them.

Is the PC Game Pass worth it?

Whether the PC Game Pass is worth buying depends on a lot of variables, like your play style, what kind of games you like, whether you like trying games out before purchasing them, and much more. In the end, what you need to decide is whether the PC Game Pass is worth $9.99 per month.

Testing Games Out

I always like researching a game before deciding on a purchase. This can mean playing a free demo, watching a playthrough, or reading reviews. Getting to actually experience a game in its entirety brings ‘testing games out’ to a whole new level. You can play until you’re satisfied with the game, instead of always second-guessing your purchase due to lack of information.

Price

If you tend to go through a lot of games, having a large library of free games every month could be just what you’re looking for. As long as you don’t feel the need to own every one, having the Game Pass is a cheap price to pay for all the games you could experience.

Most games are well over $9.99 nowadays, and AAA titles are usually quadruple that amount. Getting free access to even one of them per month is well worth the Game Pass in terms of money saved.

Game Library

Having a library of games to choose from means little if you don’t actually like any of the games. Similar to many game libraries, PC Game Pass mostly offers big name titles, such as 7 Days to Die, Yakuza, and Elder Scrolls. So if you’re a fan of more popular games or AAA titles, you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for with the Game Pass.

On the other hand, if you’re a fan of more obscure titles, the Game Pass may not offer the type of games you enjoy playing. As someone who likes a lot of indie games or non-AAA titles, I was sceptical about whether Game Pass had any games I liked. I knew there would be some of course; some indie titles, like Stardew Valley and Undertale, have made a big name for themselves and would most likely make the list.

I was more concerned about anything outside of super famous games, like Oxenfree or The Last Campfire. So I decided to look up the list of games for PC Game Pass and was pleasantly surprised to find multiple smaller games I had an interest in. Some examples include Little Witch in the Woods, Broken Age, and Gris.

There still weren’t a ton of smaller games on the list, but there seemed to be enough for gamers of all types to enjoy the Game Pass. Depending on what you’re looking for, a nice handful of free games might make the subscription worth it. Or you could always just use the Game Pass to buy the games at a discount – whether that’s worth £7.99 depends on how much money you end up saving.

Do Game Pass saves carry over to PC?

Some Game Pass saves do carry over to PC, but not all games support this feature. Once again, you’ll have to check the capabilities section for a game. If the game allows save transfers, it should have the tag ‘Xbox Play Anywhere’.

‘Xbox Play Anywhere’ means the game can be played on both PC and Xbox. This is important if you want to transfer saves across platforms. If your saves are in the cloud, they should automatically sync to any devices you play on – this includes PC.

If a game doesn’t support save transfers, your saves will simply not sync when you play on another device.