Is Age of Mythology: Retold on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes, Age of Mythology: Retold is available to play through Xbox Game Pass. Specifically, the remade real-time strategy title has been made accessible day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as well as PC Game Pass, allowing both Xbox and PC players to jump in through Microsoft's subscription service.
Age of Mythology: Retold is on Game Pass now
September is shaping up to be quite a month for strategy game fans, with Frostpunk 2 and Ara: History Untold launching just a few days apart from one another in a couple weeks. Before those big-name titles drop, though, there's another new experience to dive into: Age of Mythology: Retold. Two years after its announcement and 22 years after the original game was released, the remake of the beloved real-time strategy (RTS) classic is finally here and available to play on both Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.
Age of Mythology: Retold aims to elevate the original Age of Mythology — itself a mythology-focused spinoff of the more historical Age of Empires games — with modern audiovisual presentation, several impactful gameplay adjustments, full controller support, and more. Reviews for it are in, and the vast majority of critics (including our own Samuel Tolbert, in our review of the game) agree that it's a great remake that longtime fans and newcomers both should check out. As you'd expect, the positive reception has only fueled excitement for the RTS, and as a result, many gamers are wondering if they'll be able to play the game with Microsoft's subscription service Xbox Game Pass.
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If you're one of them, I've got good news: Age of Mythology: Retold is available on Xbox Game Pass now, and is accessible on both Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and/or PC Game Pass, respectively. The former is $19.99/month and includes the full Game Pass catalog on Xbox and PC, and also allows you to play games like Age of Mythology: Retold on Xbox Cloud Gaming. The latter, meanwhile, is $11.99, with its offerings limited to the PC platform (the Microsoft Store, specifically).
Something important to note is that Age of Mythology is not available through Xbox Game Pass Core, which is the basic $9.99 version of Game Pass that replaced Xbox Live Gold last year. This tier of the service only gives you online multiplayer on console and access to a limited selection of 25 games.
How else can you play Age of Mythology: Retold?
While Xbox Game Pass will be an attractive option for many fans looking to play Age of Mythology: Retold, the service isn't a good fit for everyone. For example, if you're just looking to play the remake and don't care about having access to the rest of the Game Pass catalog, I don't recommend using a membership to do it.
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Luckily, in cases like these, you also have the option of simply buying the game directly on Xbox, the Microsoft Store, or Valve's PC gaming platform Steam. By doing this, you'll own it permanently and won't have to worry about staying subscribed to Game Pass in the long-term to keep playing. The basic version of the game is $29.99, while the Premium Edition that includes access to the new Norse god Freyr and the first two upcoming DLC expansions is $49.99.
Ultimately, if you like to play lots of other games or just want to play Age of Mythology: Retold for a month or so, I'd use Xbox Game Pass. But if all you're interested in is long-term access to what is undoubtedly one of this year's best Xbox games and best PC games, you'll be better off with a full purchase.
