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XBOX Game Pass helps gamers in the UK stay connected

New research reveals that Xbox Game Pass members more likely to play more games, more often with friends and family.


  • Xbox Game Pass members are some of the most social gamers in the UK and are more likely to play games online with friends (13% more likely), family (11% more likely) at least once a week, compared to non-members.

  • Gaming subscription services are fast becoming a mainstay for gamers in the UK alongside other entertainment subscriptions, with 98% of British gamers having an entertainment subscription of some form and more than three-quarters (83%) having access to a gaming subscription.

  • Over half (60%) of British gamers play games via a subscription service at least once a week, which increases to 74% for Xbox Game Pass members.


New research from Xbox reveals how British gamers are staying connected with Xbox Game Pass, with members more likely to connect with friends and family through gaming regularly compared to non-members.

Following the recent announcement that Xbox Game Pass now has 18 million members worldwide, this new research based on a sample of 2,000 gamers across the UK provides a look at how gamers perceive and engage with subscription services for their entertainment. The research found that over half (62%) of gamers in the UK play multiplayer games online at least once a week. Meanwhile, this figure increases for Xbox Game Pass members, who are more social and engaged with different types of gaming overall and are significantly more likely to play multiplayer games online (12% more likely) as well as playing games online with both family (11% more likely) and friends (13% more likely).

The research also shows that entertainment subscriptions are a mainstay in everyday life, with 98% of gamers in the UK having access to an entertainment subscription (providing access to movies, TV, music etc.), and 83% of respondents also having an active gaming subscription. When looking at how frequently British gamers consume different content through subscription services, over two-thirds tell us that they watch movies/TV (70%) and listen to music (68%) via subscription at least once a week. While gaming subscriptions are still relatively new, when we look at engagement, they are hot on the heels of other entertainment services that have been around for a lot longer. Already, over half (60%) of British gamers play games through a subscription service at least once a week, which increases significantly to 74% of British Xbox Game Pass members playing games through the service at least once a week.

“Gaming has a unique power to bring people together, and it’s incredible to see how Xbox Game Pass plays a valuable role for so many people across Europe who use gaming as a way to connect with friends and family regularly,” comments Ryan Cameron, director at Xbox, EMEA.”

According to the research, the main reason British gamers sign up for a new subscription service, whether for gaming or broader entertainment, is primarily for access to lots of different content, with 56% saying this is the main reason they would sign up for a new subscription service. Other key reasons to sign up for a new service includes an easy set-up process (54%) and immediate access to new content as it releases (52%).

Xbox Game Pass offers gamers more choice and opportunity in how they discover, experience and connects through games. Xbox Game Pass has a library of over 100 great games to discover from platformers and racing games to action-adventure, online multiplayer, and everything in between. The library is constantly being updated with new games added all the time including day one releases from Xbox Game Studios, big AAA games, additions of Bethesda Softworks games (new to the Xbox family) and incredible ID@Xbox games. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also available across console, PC and Android mobile devices from the cloud (Beta).

According to the research, gamers in the UK say their favourite video game genres are Action-Adventure, First-person shooter and Sports & Racing games. The Xbox Game Pass library[2] includes great titles we know local gamers will love, including roguelike action-adventure games like Dead Cells, first-person shooters like Battlefield V, and even racing games like DiRT 5 or Forza Horizon 4.


About the research

Research carried out by Opinium in December 2020. The survey sample qualified as 14,000+ gamers (2,000 respondents surveyed in each country) aged 16-40 who play video games at least once a month in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Poland and Germany.


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