By Jacob Miller | Jul 22, 2026
The Starter Edition itself was designed with that exact goal in mind. It offers access to a focused slice of the broader Game Pass library, without online multiplayer and with limited cloud streaming time of 10 hours per month. It is not a replacement for a full Game Pass subscription but rather an introduction to one, intended to give curious players a genuine taste of the service and potentially encourage them to upgrade over time. Finding homes for it inside subscriptions people already have is a smart way to grow that funnel without requiring additional spending upfront.
What Meta Horizon+ Subscribers Now Get
Through this partnership, Meta Horizon+ members gain access to the Game Pass Starter Edition's library, which includes titles such as Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Grounded, DayZ, Deep Rock Galactic, and more. All of these games are available for unlimited local play on supported hardware, with 10 hours of cloud gaming per month also included. Importantly, players can use the Starter Edition across Xbox consoles, PC, and a Meta Quest headset, with progress carrying over between platforms. Combined with the native Horizon+ library of just over 100 games, Meta Quest owners now have access to more than 150 games through a single Horizon+ membership priced at $7.99 per month, which undercuts the equivalent Discord Nitro bundle priced at $9.99.
The Game Pass Starter Edition is accessible through the free Xbox app available in the Horizon Store. Microsoft and Meta are also planning further integration in the weeks ahead. A gamepad emulator is set to arrive soon that will map Meta Quest Touch controller inputs to standard Xbox controls, reducing the need for subscribers to purchase a separate gamepad before diving into the Game Pass library. It is a practical addition that removes one of the more obvious friction points for VR users who may not already own conventional gaming hardware.
What This Means for Both Companies
The partnership makes sense for both sides. For Microsoft, it places Game Pass in front of a VR-first audience that might not have otherwise considered trying the service. VR gaming remains a relatively niche segment of the broader market, but reaching that audience expands the pool of potential long-term subscribers without requiring any of them to buy an Xbox console first. The cross-platform play and progress sync also makes the experience more seamless than it might otherwise be for someone coming in without a traditional gaming setup.
For Meta, the arrangement adds tangible value to a Horizon+ membership beyond what native VR software alone can offer. Demonstrating that a $7.99 monthly subscription now unlocks more than 150 games across both VR and conventional platforms makes the membership more competitive and harder to dismiss as limited in scope. There are some regional and device compatibility factors that could affect access for certain users, and the full benefit of the bundle is greater for those who also own an Xbox or gaming PC. Even so, the arrangement gives Microsoft a quiet but meaningful way to grow its subscriber base and gives Meta a stronger reason for Quest owners to commit to Horizon+.
The partnership between the two companies has been building for some time, with Xbox controllers already sold through Meta's official accessories store, and this latest development extends that relationship in a more directly consumer-facing direction.
