With a Netflix-style selection of hundreds of PC games, plus supplemental game streaming options, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is a great deal for PC gamers even if you’ve never touched an Xbox. In a demonstration of how popular the game subscription service is becoming, AMD is now bundling a month of free Game Pass service with new graphics cards and processors. The “Equipped for Battle” promotion begins now and will extend into June of 2022.
Buyers of AMD Ryzen CPUs in the 5, 7, and 9 series (3600 or higher), as well as the Radeon RX 6600, 6600 XT, 6700 XT, 6800, and 6800 XT graphics cards will all get a voucher for one free month of Xbox Game Pass for PC. That’s not a huge incentive for buying since it’s just a $10 value, and the cheapest hardware on that list is $250 at retail. (The “affordable” Radeon RX 6600 GPU, with a retail price of $330, is currently going for around $600 at street value due to the ongoing shortage.)
But the fact that AMD is interested in marketing anything at all with “Xbox” in the name is an impressive achievement on Microsoft’s part, and a symbol of its deep ties with AMD, who makes the chips inside recent Xbox consoles. Game Pass continues to win praise from PC gamers thanks to a wide selection of downloadable titles, which include brand new games published by Microsoft’s collection of game developers, like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Deathloop. Recent additions to the catalog, including games from the EA Play pass and the Bethesda library (which Microsoft acquired last year), only sweeten the deal.
AMD’s promotion will last until June 30th, or until it runs out of coupon codes. The Xbox Game Pass freebie is in addition to any free games bundled with new graphics cards, like the Far Cry 6 and Resident Evil Village keys currently given away with new Radeon RX 6900 XT cards.
