Xbox Game Pass joins Meta Horizon Plus, and to be honest, I'm thrilled

What you need to know

• Meta has collaborated with Xbox once again, stating it's bringing the "starter edition" Xbox Game Pass into its Horizon Plus subscription for VR gaming.
• The Xbox Game Pass opens up an additional 50 plus library of games, ranging from AAA to indie titles on its Quest headsets.
• The starter edition Xbox Game Pass for Meta Horizon Plus is rolling out today (July 21).

Meta Horizon Plus is a gateway into VR games on the company's Quest headsets. We're always looking to expand our libraries, and Meta's teaming up with Xbox to do so.

This morning (July 21), it was announced that Meta Horizon Plus and Xbox Game Pass are teaming up. Specifically, Meta says the "starter edition" of the Xbox Game Pass will award VR users with "a library of 50+ games." The two companies have included a mix of titles, ranging from popular AAA games to indie titles. The press release says users will find Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 from Bethesda Softworks, Overcooked 2 (chaotic, co-op cooking game) from Ghost Town Games, Deep Rock Galactic, and more.

What's more, Meta says the starter edition of the Xbox Game Pass will deliver 10 hours of cloud gaming "each month." This lets users stream their games, not download. Users can play with others using cloud and PC multiplayer. Don't worry; Meta says there will be an option to "download titles from the library for unlimited play."

Synced progression is another major aspect.

If you've been gaming on your Meta VR headset and have swapped to your Xbox, your game progress (saved data) will remain. This will remain constant if you're gaming on an Xbox, PC, Meta Quest headset, or another supported device. Users have chances to earn additional rewards by playing, too. Xbox Game Pass for the Meta Horizon Plus subscription is rolling out today (July 21).

Meta adds, "Your Meta Horizon+ subscription also comes with exclusive deals to help you fill out your Meta Quest library. It's all yours for just $59.99 USD per year, or $7.99 USD per month. You can even try Meta Horizon+ for a month on us."

Meta & Xbox: once again

(Image credit: Microsoft / Meta)

There's more to experience soon. Meta says it's working on a way to let users emulate an Xbox gamepad with its Quest Touch controllers. Users can expect this support to roll out over the next few weeks. However, for the time being, users can play their Xbox games on their Quest headset without a controller, or users can pair their controller with their headset for a "traditional experience."

Meta and Xbox together for the sake of games isn't anything new. If you happened to miss it, the two companies collaborated on a Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition in June 2025. This headset was truly a limited edition device. Meta's storefront sold out of them quickly, and many consumers were faced with Best Buy or scalpers (yikes). The Xbox Edition Quest 3S wasn't much different from the standard model. The packaging is where they're different.

There's the classic green and black color scheme from Xbox, as well as a "special edition preinstalled Elite Strap." Consumers received an Xbox controller included with the purchase, which was already paired with the system. Turning it on and playing is always the way to go, and that's what this offered.

Android Central's Take

The emulation for the Meta Touch controllers is pretty cool. Although, I do enjoy classic controller-style gameplay. I typically play on a PC nowadays, but I've been playing on my console more, too. Playing with a controller, lounging. There's nothing better. Meta bringing the Xbox Game Pass into their Horizon Plus subscription service is also a major win for people who love VR and gaming on a VR device. Xbox Game Pass has a pretty good selection of games. If I had one, I'd definitely do it.