Fresh rumors circulating online suggest that Xbox Game Pass may be gearing up to add Call of Duty: Vanguard to its ever-growing game library. Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's gaming subscription service that grants players access to a massive catalog of titles for a recurring monthly fee. The service offers several different tiers, and despite the recent price hikes, it's still considered to be a quality deal in the gaming world, particularly for those who enjoy jumping between different titles.
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard was a huge moment for Xbox Game Pass, as it opened the doors for Call of Duty games to join the service. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the first title to make the leap, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 made history as the franchise's first-ever day-one Xbox Game Pass launch. Since then, multiple classic games from the FPS franchise have been added to the platform's roster, and now, it seems like another entry could soon be following the same path.
New Xbox Game Pass Game is a Big Hit
A newly-added Xbox Game Pass game is proving to be a big hit among users of the subscription service.
Call of Duty: Vanguard Might Soon Join Xbox Game Pass
A Reddit user known as Narrow_Leek2452 has discovered that Call of Duty: Vanguard is now available on Xbox PC. It's believed that this move suggests that the game is heading to the subscription service, as the title had previously only been listed for Xbox consoles on the Microsoft Store. With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare joining the service on April 17, there is speculation that Microsoft might be looking to add more older entries from the franchise. However, it's crucial to take rumors with a grain of salt as Microsoft still hasn't officially stated anything.
Call of Duty: Vanguard originally launched in November 2021 and was developed by Sledgehammer Games. The title is set during World War II and takes players across multiple arenas of the battle, including the Pacific, Eastern Front, North Africa, and Western Front. It follows the story of a group of soldiers from different nations as they unite to form one of the world's first special forces units and do whatever it takes to expose a mysterious project. Although it is an ambitious game, it received mixed reviews from fans, with criticism being aimed at its campaign, server issues in multiplayer, and overpowered weapons that affected gameplay.
While fans on Reddit and Twitter are excited about the possibility of another Call of Duty title joining the service, there are also concerns. Reports suggest that the franchise could skip Xbox Game Pass in 2026, allegedly due to Microsoft taking a massive financial hit in lost sales by making the titles available through the subscription service on both consoles and PC. However, such a move would damage the service's reputation, which has already been affected by the recent price increases.
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Even the new Microsoft Gaming CEO, Asha Sharma, acknowledged in a leaked internal memo to Xbox employees that the subscription service has become too costly for players, and the brand needs to reassess its value proposition. One of the proposed solutions involves evolving the Xbox Game Pass into a more flexible model, but this would require a lot of time to develop. It's still unknown whether any price changes for the service are on the horizon, but players are hopeful that Microsoft will listen to their concerns.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 72/100 Critics Rec: 51%
- Released
- November 5, 2021
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Sledgehammer Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
WHERE TO PLAY
Rise on every front in the latest installment of the critically-acclaimed Call of Duty franchise. For years, the world has endured the largest and deadliest war ever seen, but the tides of World War II are finally turning. Now a select few must rise to finish the job and change the landscape of the war for good. The critically-acclaimed Call of Duty franchise returns with Call of Duty: Vanguard, in which players will experience global combat through the eyes of heroes of World War II and the fateful events that brought them together. Developed by Sledgehammer Games, Vanguard is a deeply engaging narrative, featuring a select group of soldiers from different countries and backgrounds who rise together to meet the world’s gravest threat, change the fortunes of the war and set the table for what we know today as special forces combat. Through the remarkable journey of these steeled soldiers, players will experience influential battles of World War II as they fight for victory across multiple theaters of war – the Eastern and Western Fronts of Europe, the Pacific and North Africa. This is their story. This is Call of Duty: Vanguard.
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- How Long To Beat
- 6 Hours
Source: Pure Xbox