Is the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC coming to Xbox Game Pass?
While the base game of Starfield is available to play on Xbox Game Pass, you won't get access to the Shattered Space DLC with Microsoft's all-you-can-eat gaming service. However, you will be able to purchase the expansion or upgrade to the Premium Edition without buying Starfield if you're a Game Pass member.
Shattered Space won't be on Xbox Game Pass
Bethesda Game Studios gargantuan space exploration RPG Starfield was one of 2023's biggest games in terms of both size and popularity, and it's about to get even bigger with the imminent arrival of the Shattered Space DLC. Set entirely on the mysterious alien world of Va'ruun'kai, the expansion will focus on the enigmatic House Va'ruun as it attempts to recover from devastation brought about by a secret Grav Drive experiment that went disastrously wrong. Players will be caught in the middle of relief efforts in the faction's capital city of Dazra, political schemes within the organization, and encounters against bizarre, almost supernatural creatures that are invading as a direct result of the "vortex incident."
Indeed, Shattered Space looks to not only be big, but also deep — something that should please critics of the arguably underwhelming RPG depth in Starfield's base game. In many ways, it sounds a lot like the beloved Far Harbor expansion from Fallout 4, and that's got plenty of players interested. Naturally, since Starfield is an Xbox exclusive and Bethesda is now part of Xbox Game Studios, many of those fans are wondering if they'll be able to access the expansion through Xbox Game Pass.
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Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's buffet-style gaming service that lets you play as many titles from its library as you want in exchange for a monthly fee, and since Starfield itself is on Game Pass, it's understandable to assume that Shattered Space will be as well. However, that's actually not the case, as the $29.99 expansion is not included in Game Pass subscriptions. That means you'll either have to buy Shattered Space directly or get the $34.99 Starfield Premium Edition upgrade to check out the DLC when it launches, though you can also buy the full $99.99 Premium Edition too if you haven't purchased the standard version of Starfield yet.
Note that there are great CDKeys deals on the Steam versions of all of these right now that I've linked to below (read our CDKeys FAQ to learn more about the retailer); sadly, Xbox editions are all full price save for a small discount on the complete Premium Edition.
... But that doesn't mean Game Pass doesn't help
While Shattered Space won't be on Xbox Game Pass, being subscribed to the service will still help you get access to the expansion affordably if you're playing on Xbox or Windows PC via the Microsoft Store. Firstly, the fact that Starfield itself is part of the Xbox Game Pass games list means that members only have to buy the expansion or Premium Edition upgrade to play, whereas someone who hasn't gotten the $69.99 game already would have to purchase it, too.
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Subscribers to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier of the service will also save some money when getting the DLC or Premium Edition upgrade, as Ultimate members get $3 off Shattered Space and $3.50 off the Premium Edition upgrade. Admittedly, those discounts pale in comparison to what Steam players can get from CDKeys right now, but hey — some savings are better than none.
Those are the two ways Game Pass helps get Starfield and Shattered Space in your hands now, but who knows? It could always come to the service at some point down the line, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it added to the Game Pass library once it eventually stops making lots of money from direct purchases. If that ends up happening, I'll update this article with the latest information.
