Game Pass Essential is the most basic tier of Microsoft’s service. First of all, it’s fun from a multiplayer access perspective. But it also includes dozens of games, a list that has been significantly reduced in recent months due to the wholesale removal of “old-timer” game passes from subscriptions.
However, players noticed that Game Pass Essential unexpectedly added the game No Man’s Sky. It’s already available on the service, although Microsoft hasn’t made an official announcement anywhere yet.
The same week that “No Man’s Sky” was added to Game Pass, the game celebrated its 10th anniversary with a major COSMOS (7.0) update. Judging from the online situation on Steam, this update has made significant changes to the game and restored audience interest in the game. At the same time, the developer emphasized that the development of the game will not end with the release of this update.
Note that No Man’s Sky has been available on other tiers of Game Pass for over 6 years. It was added to the service in June 2020 and has remained a subscription since then. The game’s release on Game Pass Essential also means there are no plans to remove it from other subscription tiers anytime soon.
With the addition of No Man’s Sky, Game Pass Essential now includes 58 games.
