Outriders will be on Xbox Game Pass at release, but not for PC

Outriders
(Image credit: People Can Fly)

Outriders, People Can Fly's grungy, roadie-running co-op RPG, will be available to play via Xbox Game Pass when it launches on April 1st. Great news, right? Well...

Unfortunately, it seems that PC players haven't been invited to the party. In Xbox's announcement post, Microsoft announced that Outriders will be available on Game Pass from launch on "Console and Android phones and tablets", via regular Xbox Game Pass For Console and Game Pass Ultimate.

While the phrasing of Game Pass Ultimate caused confusion (that service notably includes all Game Pass games across PC and Console), Xbox confirmed via Twitter that Outriders would not be coming to PC shortly after the announcement.

Skipping Game Pass on PC is a shame, considering we were included in the generous free demo (so generous, in fact, that the developer had to step in to ensure demo legendaries didn't break the full game). Game Pass or not, however, Outriders arrives as normal on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on April 1st.

That sizeable demo also helped Outriders shine, arguing the case for demos making a comeback. Despite coming across as a drab, generic take on Destiny, Outriders' wildly creative loot system convinced Andi H that People Can Fly could be onto a real winner.

"A generic-looking bunch of sci-fi supersoldiers darting between cover might not scream Next Big Thing in 2021, but it's the stuff they're capable of once you start tinkering with builds and see the crazier end of the loot spectrum that makes Outriders one to watch."

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.

Read more
Obsidian's Avowed
A long-awaited RPG release hits PC Game Pass Day One this month
Nightreign knight holds his fist in menacing fashion
Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I'm totally not fuming because PC players aren't invited to the party, or anything
Elden Ring parry character
Don't worry about missing Elden Ring Nightreign's network test on PC—nobody could play it on console either
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
This month's PC Game Pass offering features sweet RPGs and brutal actioners from the Far East
midnight murder club
'The point is to be generous': This $20 FPS releasing next month is trying something new—giving away a full version of the game
Avowed - Kai crosses his arms
'It's nice to have options': Blizzard thinks Avowed's new cross-buy feature is breaking down barriers
Latest in Third Person Shooter
helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 composer recalls stomping around his apartment and channeling 'Super Patriotism' to capture Arrowhead's satirical vision in music: 'The satire works because the music believes it's a pure patriotic love without irony or criticism'
farcana
'The Middle East's answer to Marvel Rivals' is an 'AI-powered', crypto-infused hero shooter that looks like hot garbage
Marvel Rivals characters - Invisible Woman preparing to cast a shield.
'Searches for Invisible Woman went up 3,000%': Marvel Rivals devs innocently reflect on how popular some of their heroes have become
A Helldiver charges through the fire and flames in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 CCO Johan Pilestedt says the industry's got it backwards by putting features over fundamentals: 'We talk way too little about the core philosophy'
Marvel Rivals codes - Venom and other heroes
'A developer who actually listens': Marvel Rivals' devs fix accidental Peni Parker nerf just 9 short hours after saying they would
Two characters from Warframe 1999 lounging in a bar.
The warframe with a guitar that shoots fire is out today alongside a bunch of metalcore-inspired skins, cementing Warframe's spiral into Y2K madness
Latest in News
Sci-fi character from Dune
Dune: Awakening promises us a breath of fresh air, skipping early access for a full launch with no monthly subscription in May
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach concept art
'The dream of the tech industry is to sell off your company at an overinflated price and retire,' says actor behind Baldur's Gate 3's Karlach, 'And I feel that's being done with game studios right now'
assassin's creed shadows protector's armor
Assassin's Creed Shadows hits 2 million players, putting it on track to be the series' most successful game yet
Minthara BG3 looking upset
Another round of Baldur's Gate 3 unearthing reveals Minthara can end up living in a sewer, an unused beach ending, and more
A shirtless man rides a big fish underwater
Ark devs distance themselves from AI-generated trailer: 'we did not know that they were doing it'
Team Fortress Spy being shocked
An FPS studio pulled its game from Steam after it got caught linking to malware disguised as a demo, but the dev insists it was actually the victim of a labyrinthine conspiracy