Xbox Game Pass really is available for free now – here's how to redeem it

Xbox Game Pass running on a TV — (Image credit: Rik Henderson / Future)

Quick Summary

The Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition is now available as a free reward with Discord Nitro.

All Nitro members get 10 hours of Xbox Cloud Gaming per month and access to more than 50 PC and Xbox games to play for free.

After being leaked last week, a free tier of Xbox Game Pass is now available, with access to more than 50 Xbox and PC games, plus 10 hours of Xbox Cloud Gaming playtime to be used each month.

As well as exclusive Discord features, Nitro subscribers also get big discounts on Logitech, SteelSeries and KontrolFreek accessories, plus the new Xbox Game Pass tier.

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This is all for a monthly fee of just £7.99 / $9.99, which is what you would have paid for Nitro without the new rewards.

Discord Nitro also gives you 500MB of uploads to share in Discord servers, HD video streaming, custom emojis, server boosts, and plenty more. If you use the service anyway, it's a decent amount of extras for the money, that's now much more attractive still.

According to VGC, existing Xbox Game Pass subscribers will also soon get Discord Nitro benefits, including free Discord Orbs. This is the in-app currency for Discord and can be redeemed in the Discord shop for benefits and other goodies.

"This is the biggest expansion to Nitro since we launched it, and it starts with Nitro Rewards, a new benefits program that includes Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost and gear discounts from top gaming brands," wrote the service's senior director of product, Lu Zhang.

Some of the games available for free in the Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition tier include Fallout 4, Grounded, DayZ, and Stardew Valley.

You can redeem the reward in Discord in the Nitro Home tab. Just head to the Nitro Rewards page and you should find an Xbox Game Pass card. All you need to do then is link your Microsoft and Discord accounts, if you haven't already.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.