Netflix-style Xbox Game Pass announced with over 100 Xbox One and 360 titles

Microsoft makes moves to compete with Sony's PlayStation Now, but with current-gen games.

Microsoft has announced Xbox Game Pass, a Netflix-style service granting subscribers access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles via backwards compatibility on a user's Xbox One console.

Arriving in Spring, Xbox Game Pass will cost $9.99, or £7.99 in the UK. The service will be offered with a small selection of games to members of the Xbox Insider Program later today (28 January).

Games include Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Fable 3, Saints Row 4 and Mad Max. As stated in Microsoft's statement, games will added to the service monthly, with some titles only being made available for a limited time.

Subscribers will also get access to exclusive discounts should they want to own games available to them through the service in perpetuity.

"One of the best things about Xbox Game Pass is that you can discover and download the full titles directly on your Xbox One," says Xbox boss Phil Spencer's statement. "That means continuous, full-fidelity gameplay without having to worry about streaming, bandwidth or connectivity issues.

"In addition, all Xbox One games in the catalogue – and related add-ons – will be available to purchase at an exclusive discount for Xbox Game Pass members, so you can make the games you love part of your permanent library to play whenever you want. Every month new games will cycle into the subscription with some cycling out, giving you a constantly-updating library of games. Xbox Game Pass is your ticket to endless play.

"It's important to us that Xbox Game Pass provides an enjoyable and seamless experience. Before the program rolls out to the broader community later this spring, we'll be testing Xbox Game Pass with select members of the Xbox Insider Program in the Alpha Preview ring starting today with a very limited number of titles.

"The titles that are available in Preview are just a small glimpse at the expansive catalog of games that will be available when Xbox Game Pass launches this spring. Xbox Live Gold members will also be receiving exclusive access to Xbox Game Pass prior to the program launching to the broader community. We'll have more details on timing closer to launch.

"We hope you enjoy Xbox Game Pass and all that it has to offer. We're looking forward to hearing the feedback from the gamers in the Xbox Insider Program and then from the rest of the Xbox community when it's broadly available later this spring. Your feedback will make this program better for all gamers."

Sony currently offers a similar service with PlayStation Now, but its library of over 450 games doesn't include any from the current PS4 system.