One of the big news that finally came out during Gamescom 2024 was the announcement that Genshin Impact will be coming to Xbox this November, four years after the game originally launched in 2020. Note: Although it’s a free-to-play game, you’ll need to purchase a Game Pass subscription to access Original God’s online multiplayer elements.
As one user on ResetEra discovered, Genshin Impact’s Xbox Store page listing states: “Online multiplayer on console requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Game Pass Core (sold separately).”
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While the Game Pass logo appeared at the end of the Xbox Genshin announcement trailer, the line’s appearance confused some potential players, many of whom seemed to think it just meant those who subscribed would get some extra in-game items or bonus. For context, Xbox eliminated subscription requirements for many free games in 2021, when Xbox Live Gold was the name for something you had to pay to access multiplayer games.
That’s why if you play games like Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Apex Legends through Xbox, you don’t have to pay an Xbox subscription fee to play online. The requirements listed by Genshin Impact are worded similarly to those for the paid version of Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox, which requires a Game Pass subscription to play online, but the store listing for the game’s free trial allows you to “play for free until 70 level, no game time limits,” with no Game Pass requirements listed.
Additionally, you can currently pre-order the Xbox port of Genshin for £9.99/$9.99 via a bundle similar to the pre-orders for some Hoyoverse PlayStation 5 versions, although it’s free-to-play and some are wondering about online play Whether the indication that Game Pass is required is some kind of bug on Xbox’s part or if it will be further clarified ahead of the September 20 launch.
VG247 has reached out to Xbox for comment.
Do you plan to play Genshin Impact on Xbox when it comes out in November? Let us know below.
