StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass in November

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Blizzard's classic StarCraft RTS games are coming to Game Pass this November. 

Microsoft dropped a surprising announcement during Tokyo Game Show 2024 this week: StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection are coming to Xbox Game Pass. Starting from November 5, anyone with a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription will be able to play the classic Blizzard titles at no additional cost. 

StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection launching on Game Pass

Microsoft held its Tokyo Game Show 2024 stream this week to reveal a swathe of new announcements and trailers for games like Overwatch 2 and Metal Gear Solid Deta: Snake Eater. One of its biggest announcements by far was that two classic Blizzard games - StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection - are coming to Xbox Game Pass. 

The two real-time strategy games will be the latest Blizzard games to hit Microsoft’s game subscription service, following the finalisation of Blizzard’s $69 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023. For those not in the know, both games are only available to play on PC and Mac - so they won’t be available on Xbox Game Pass for Console. Console ports for StarCraft remain a distant dream, sadly. 

Both StarCraft and StarCraft 2 are technically free-to-play, as long as players stick to their multiplayer modes. What they actually have to fork up for are both games’ campaigns, but now anyone with a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription won’t have to. StarCraft: Remastered upgrades the original 1998 game with ultra HD visuals, modernised online features and re-recorded audio. 

StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on the other hand, features over 70 singleplayer missions from the sequel’s campaigns. A co-op Commander mode also allows players to team up in online multiplayer. Interestingly, a new leak dropped today by journalist Jason Schreier suggested that Blizzard is working on a new StarCraft shooter - so it’s a great time to catch up!

Both StarCraft games will hit Game Pass on November 5, 2024.