Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family launched and it's a hell of a deal

Microsoft has officially launched Game Pass Friends and Family in Ireland, also confirming details and pricing for the new subscription plan.

After a beta period, all gamers in Ireland can now sign up or upgrade their current Xbox plan for €21,99 per month with support for up to four additional people. This means that it will cost each member around €4,40 per month for full access to Game Pass Ultimate. Considering that a single subscription costs €12,99 per month, it's a hell of a saving if you can put together a team to split the costs.

Unlike other subscription services, this is not limited to households or family. You can have a subscription linked to your friends and other players, all enjoying the same benefits and their own individual accounts. It also allows these members to play online games together, or the same game at the same time separately.

These benefits include hundreds of games through Game Pass, including day-one access to first-party titles. It includes console, PC, and cloud access, as well as an EA Play membership. It also includes all Xbox Live perks, like Games With Gold and online play.

Players in Ireland can now join the plan by going to account.microsoft.com and sending an invitation email to add people to the plan. Once that friend or family member accepts the invite, they can start playing.

At present it is only possible to share membership with people in Ireland. Those who sign up with time remaining on their current plan will receive a conversion rate. For example, 30 days on Game Pass Ultimate converts to 18 days on Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family.

It's not yet known when it will launch in the UK, but we'll keep you posted. Currently, the only other territory available is Colombia.