Xbox Rewards program overhauled, Game Pass Quests are coming to PC

Game Pass Quests are coming to PC this week as part of an overhauled Xbox Rewards program.

Rewards with Xbox enables users to earn points by purchasing games, DLC and media content from the Microsoft Store, which can then be redeemed for Xbox gift cards to spend on games and in-game content.

Points can also be earned through gameplay, but starting today this feature will be restricted to adults.

“This update aligns more closely with our continued commitment to foster positive, age-appropriate gaming experiences by making points earned through play activities available only to players 18 years and older,” the company said.

Game Pass Quests, which are currently exclusive to Game Pass Ultimate members, will be made available to PC Game Pass members too starting on January 7.

The overhauled system lets Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members earn points in the following ways:

• Daily Play – Earn 10 points a day by playing any game from the Game Pass catalog for at least 15 minutes.
• Weekly Streaks – Play for at least five days a week to complete your streak. The more days you play, the more points you earn. Now comes the challenge: maintain your streak week over week to unlock bigger point multipliers. A 2-week streak will earn 2x the base streak points, a 3-week streak will earn 3x the base streak points, and anything beyond a 4-week streak will earn 4x the base streak points.
• Monthly 4-Pack – Explore the Game Pass catalog by playing four different games (for at least 15 minutes each) every month.
• Monthly 8-Pack – Push your gaming further and play eight different games (for at least 15 minutes each) every calendar month. Don’t worry, the 4 games from your 4-Pack count towards the 8-Pack, too.  Here’s how Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can now earn points (and remember, Rewards offers may vary by region and may change over time.

“Beyond changes to the exclusive Quests for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members, we’re also bringing new ways to earn points for all players,” Microsoft added.

“Starting January 7, 2025, all Rewards members 18 years and older will be able to access the new PC Weekly Bonus, awarding them 150 points when playing (for at least 15 minutes) for 5 days or more.

“With this update, we’re also rebalancing points from the current Console Weekly Bonus to 150 points and the Daily PC Play to 10 points.”

In November, Xbox started letting Game Pass Ultimate members play select games they own via cloud streaming on PC, phone, tablet, handheld, and most devices with access to a web browser.

At the time, it said support for the feature would be coming to consoles and the Xbox app for PC in 2025. It has since been made available on consoles for Xbox Insiders.