Players who still subscribe to the top tier of Xbox Game Pass may have endured a massive 50% price hike recently, but one of the benefits touted alongside that increase is soon to arrive. As shared on Xbox Wire on Friday, the Fortnite Crew subscription is coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Nov. 18, 2025.
That means that Ultimate-tier subscribers will get access to the Fortnite battle pass, 1,000 monthly V-Bucks, and other goodies on a regular basis. Fortnite Crew normally costs $12 a month, so if you’re already subscribed to both separately, you can save some money now.
Alongside confirmation of when this new feature will be dropping, Xbox Wire also shared that Fortnite is coming to Xbox on PC, and by extension, is getting Xbox Play Anywhere support.
By extension, that means players using the newly-launched ROG Xbox Ally handhelds will be able to download and play Fortnite natively, without having to install the Epic Games Store launcher.
Xbox Play Anywhere support comes at an interesting time
The newfound launch of Fortnite on Xbox Play Anywhere is quite interesting, as it comes at a time when the Xbox division is placing greater and greater emphasis on Xbox Play Anywhere as a feature for players to take advantage of.
The company is also exploring other avenues with the feature, bringing some games like id Software’s DOOM: The Dark Ages to Blizzard Entertainment’s Battle.net launcher.
Windows Central has even reported that there is a yet-unannounced Xbox Partner Preview event coming later in November that will be heavily focused on games with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
The timing is also interesting (entirely by coincidence) as Steam owner Valve recently announced its upcoming Steam Machine, bringing the idea and functionality of the Steam Deck to a console-like form factor.
Valve’s device has many advantages, bringing in Steam players’ libraries that can now amusingly include Xbox and PlayStation games, but the use of SteamOS means the usual anti-cheat drawbacks will be present. That means games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and Fortnite won’t be playable on Steam Machine, at least for now.
Will Xbox players subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate for Fortnite Crew?
When the tier changes for Xbox Game Pass were previously announced, I argued that the reasoning actually made some sense, with Xbox trying to tackle a very valid problem with “black hole” games eating up player time, but that it wasn’t likely to end up working.
That’s still my opinion now, but I’m curious to see what happens in the weeks and months to come. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber (or someone that regularly plays Fortnite) then please, let me know if you’ll be taking advantage of this new combo.
What is Fortnite Crew?
Fortnite Crew is a subscription that gives players the current Fortnite Battle Pass, 1,000 V-Bucks, and other bonuses for $12 a month. Fortnite Crew is bundled into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $30 a month
What is Xbox Play Anywhere?
Xbox Play Anywhere gives players access to an Xbox console version and the Xbox on PC version of a game with just one purchase.
What is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Players get new monthly games (including day one releases of Xbox first-party titles) and Ubisoft+ Classic titles, as well as EA Play and Fortnite Crew subscriptions.
When does the Fortnite Crew and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offer start?
The promotion allowing Fortnite Crew subscribers to claim free access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate begins on Monday, November 18, 2025.
How long is the free Game Pass Ultimate membership?
Active Fortnite Crew members will be eligible to redeem a code for one month of complimentary access to the full Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service.
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