Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a set amount to spend on gaming every month, and the GTA+ vs Game Pass question keeps coming up: GTA+ costs $7.99, Xbox Game Pass runs $9.99 to $19.99, and both promise “free” games and monthly perks. The names even sound like they solve the same problem.
They do not. One is a perk layer for a single franchise. The other is a Netflix-style library of hundreds of games. The GTA+ vs Game Pass question comes down to one thing: is Grand Theft Auto the game you play most, or do you bounce between titles every week?
Here is the short answer, then the full breakdown.
GTA+ vs Game Pass: The Quick Answer
| GTA+ | Xbox Game Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99/month | $9.99–$19.99/month (3 tiers) |
| What you get | GTA Online cash, cars, properties, ~10 Rockstar games | 400+ games, day-one releases, cloud streaming |
| Best for | Hardcore GTA Online players | Anyone who plays many different games |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Xbox, PC, cloud (no PS5) |
| Keep the games? | No — access ends when you cancel | No — access ends when you cancel |
Both are rentals, not purchases. That is the one thing they truly share.
What GTA+ Actually Gives You
We have covered GTA+ in depth before, so here is the short version. For $7.99 a month you get:
- $500,000 in GTA dollars deposited into your Maze Bank account every 30 days
- One free vehicle each month, usually a new or returning car from the latest update
- One free property that rotates monthly (garage, apartment, or business)
- Exclusive clothing and cosmetics with the GTA+ badge
- A rotating games library of roughly ten Rockstar titles, including GTA V, Red Dead Redemption, Bully, and L.A. Noire
Everything GTA+ gives you lives inside the Rockstar ecosystem. It makes GTA Online cheaper and more convenient. It does nothing for any other game you own.
If you want the full definition and how it changes for GTA 6, read our guide on what GTA+ is.
What Xbox Game Pass Actually Gives You
Game Pass is the opposite shape. It is a big, broad library that spans publishers and genres. Depending on your tier you get:
- 400+ games spanning Xbox first-party, indie, and third-party titles
- Day-one releases — big Xbox exclusives land on Game Pass the day they launch
- Cloud gaming on Ultimate, so you can stream to a phone, tablet, or weak laptop
- EA Play bundled into Ultimate
- Online multiplayer included (Core and up)
The catch is the price. Game Pass now comes in three tiers, and the exact lineup has shifted a few times in the last two years. As of August 2026, the tiers sit roughly at Core $9.99, Standard $14.99, and Ultimate $19.99. Microsoft adjusts these numbers every so often, so double-check the current price before you subscribe. I am not going to pretend the numbers are frozen.
The key point for this comparison: none of it is GTA. Grand Theft Auto is not on Game Pass, and GTA 6 almost certainly will not be on Game Pass at launch, either. If GTA is the reason you are comparing these two, that single fact settles most of it.
The Money: $7.99 vs Up to $19.99
GTA+ is cheaper, full stop. At $7.99 flat, there is one tier and no upsell.
Game Pass is a ladder. Core gets you online play and a small library. Standard gets you the big library but no cloud and no day-one games. Ultimate gets you everything — cloud, day-one releases, EA Play — for $19.99.
A full year looks like this:
| Subscription | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| GTA+ | $7.99 | ~$96 |
| Game Pass Core | $9.99 | ~$120 |
| Game Pass Standard | $14.99 | ~$180 |
| Game Pass Ultimate | $19.99 | ~$240 |
If raw price is your only metric, GTA+ wins. But price per month is the wrong way to judge a subscription. Value is price divided by how much you actually use. A $7.99 subscription you never claim rewards from is more expensive than a $19.99 one you use every night.
Game Library: One Franchise vs a Buffet
This is where the GTA+ vs Game Pass debate actually gets decided.
GTA+ gives you a tight, curated shelf of Rockstar games — GTA V, GTA Online, Red Dead Redemption, Bully, L.A. Noire, and a few more. Ten-ish titles. All from one publisher. If you love Rockstar’s style, that shelf is gold. If you do not, it is ten games you will never install. The full current list, and what happens when a game leaves, is in our GTA+ games library guide.
Game Pass gives you hundreds of titles that rotate constantly. Racing, RPGs, shooters, indies, day-one first-party launches. You will never run out of something to play, but you will also never “own” any of it, and a game you were halfway through can leave the service with a few weeks’ notice.
One is depth on one brand. The other is breadth across everything. Which you prefer is not a math problem. It is a personality question.
The Core Difference: A Perk vs a Buffet
If I had to compress the whole GTA+ vs Game Pass comparison into one sentence, it would be this: GTA+ makes one game you already play cheaper and more rewarding, while Game Pass is a second backlog you pay for monthly.
That distinction matters more than the price tags. It is why these two subscriptions are not really competitors, even though people keep asking which one to get.
A player who logs into GTA Online every weekend, grinds Cayo Perico, and collects cars will feel GTA+ pay for itself in the first month. The $500K deposit, the free vehicle, and the exclusive items land exactly where that player is already spending time.
That same player might subscribe to Game Pass and, a month later, realize they have not launched a single non-GTA game. Twelve dollars for a library you never open is twelve dollars wasted.
Reverse it, and a player who finishes a game every two weeks and bounces between genres will feel Game Pass is the obvious choice. GTA+ would just be $8 a month for a game they visit occasionally.
I will be honest about my own bias here: I have watched too many people pay for a subscription out of optimism and then not use it. “I will get around to it” is the most expensive sentence in gaming. Decide what you actually play, then buy the subscription that matches it.
Who Should Choose GTA+
Pick GTA+ if you check most of these:
- You play GTA Online for ten or more hours a month
- You buy cars, properties, or Shark Cards in GTA Online
- You want a GTA$ cushion before GTA 6 launches
- You mainly play Rockstar games and little else
For the value math on whether GTA+ is worth it, we broke down the Shark Card comparison in detail here.
Who Should Choose Game Pass
Pick Game Pass if you check most of these:
- You finish games regularly and move on to new ones
- You want day-one access to Xbox exclusives
- You play on PC or cloud as well as console
- You already pay for Xbox online multiplayer anyway
If you are on PS5, note that Game Pass is not an option at all. Game Pass lives on Xbox and PC. GTA+ lives on PS5 and Xbox. The only place these two can overlap is on an Xbox Series X|S.
Can You Get Both?
Yes, if you are on Xbox and have the budget. GTA+ ($7.99) plus Game Pass Ultimate ($19.99) is about $28 a month. That is real money. Whether it is worth it depends on whether you genuinely use both.
The honest answer for most people: no. Pick the one that matches your playstyle, and spend the difference on an actual game you want to own.
FAQ
Is GTA+ better than Game Pass?
Not “better,” just different. GTA+ is cheaper and rewards you inside GTA Online. Game Pass gives you hundreds of games across every genre. If GTA Online is your main game, GTA+ is the better value. If you play a variety of games, Game Pass is.
Is GTA on Game Pass?
No. The Grand Theft Auto games are not part of Xbox Game Pass, and there is no indication GTA 6 will launch on Game Pass. If you want GTA-specific perks, that is what GTA+ is for.
Can you use GTA+ and Game Pass at the same time?
Yes, on Xbox. GTA+ and Game Pass are separate subscriptions from separate companies, so nothing stops you from having both. It just costs about $28 a month combined.
Is GTA+ on PC?
No. GTA+ is PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only. Game Pass is on Xbox and PC. So on PC, Game Pass is your only option between the two.
Does Game Pass include online multiplayer?
Yes, from the Core tier up. Game Pass Core replaced Xbox Live Gold and includes online multiplayer plus a small game library.
Will GTA 6 be on Game Pass?
Almost certainly not at launch. Rockstar has never put a mainline GTA game on Game Pass at launch, and there is no deal announced for GTA 6. If you want GTA 6 perks, GTA+ is the subscription Rockstar is positioning for it.
Bottom Line
GTA+ vs Game Pass is not a fair fight because they are not playing the same sport. GTA+ is a cheap perk layer for people who live in GTA Online. Game Pass is a broad library for people who play everything.
If GTA is your main game, get GTA+. If it is not, get Game Pass. And if you are on PS5, the decision makes itself — GTA+ is the only one of the two you can buy there.
Now that you know the difference, read the full breakdown of what GTA+ is, check the GTA+ games library, and run the value math on whether GTA+ is worth it.
More GTA Guides: What Is GTA+? | GTA+ Price & How to Buy | Is GTA+ Worth It for GTA 6? | GTA+ Games Library | GTA VI Ultimate Guide Hub
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Xbox Series X | PS5 Console | Xbox Game Pass Gift Card