Microsoft confirms the existence of an Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan

Microsoft has officially confirmed the existence of an Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family tier.

The news comes a few weeks after the company began testing a new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan that could be shared with up to four other users.

At the time, some (including this writer) suggested that experimental offering sounded an awful lot like an Xbox Game Pass family plan, and it seems those assertions were bang on the money.

In an FAQ posted on the Xbox website, Microsoft formally introduced us to the new Game Pass Friends & Family option, which lets five individual accounts (including the primary user) take advantage of a single, bumper membership.

"Add up to four friends and family members, whether they live under the same roof or not. Each person uses their own account and Xbox profile to save their games, track their achievements, and receive personalized recommendations," reads the website.

"Share a library of hundreds of high-quality console and PC games, with new games added all the time. Everyone can play at the same time, even play the same game, or play online multiplayer games together."

The plan grants all of the same perks as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate including an EA Play membership, exclusive discounts, and cloud streaming. It's currently being piloted in Colombia and the Republic of Ireland, where it's priced at 49,900 COP and €21.99 respectively.

Microsoft notes the plan might be rolled out to other countries and regions in the next few months, but stopped short of confirming any future plans. 

It's worth noting that the Friends & Family plan also comes with some limitations designed to prevent users from constantly leaving and rejoining memberships.

You can find out more about the Friends & Family plan on the Xbox website.