Microsoft Xbox Store is now rolling out UPI payment | Game Pass Subscriptions Available On PhonePe and Amazon

Microsoft Xbox Store is now reportedly rolling out UPI payment option for Indian users | Game Pass Subscriptions Available On PhonePe and Amazon India with cashback offers:

Microsoft will now allow Indian gamers to use UPI payment methods on the Xbox store, along with making Xbox Game Pass subscriptions available from PhonePe. Previously, games could only be bought by adding funds to a user’s Microsoft balance or by using Visa and Mastercard. It should be noted though that the UPI payment method is being gradually rolled out, so it may not show up on your end at the time of writing.

This makes it the second gaming storefront to support UPI payments, as PlayStation still doesn’t support the payment method.

The addition of Xbox Game Pass subscriptions in the PhonePe app is interesting, as it suggests that Microsoft can natively support UPI integration with any app that supports it. Right now, subscriptions for Xbox Game Pass can be bought from PhonePe and Amazon India with cashback offers. While the availability of these subscriptions through popular digital stores is commendable, buyers will still need to be aware of various scammers that plague the market. These are usually easy to spot, as any seller who may ask for you private information pertaining to your Xbox account is likely malicious.

The following subscriptions for Xbox Game Pass are available on PhonePe via UPI:

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1 Month - Rs. 549

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 Months - Rs. 1,649

• Xbox Game Pass Console 3 Months - Rs. 1,049

• PC Game Pass 3 Months - Rs. 1,049

It remains to be seen whether UPI payments for Game Pass subscriptions will make it to other apps. At the time of writing, Microsoft is offering subscriptions for Xbox Live on PayTM, with cashback points credited to your account upon completion of purchases. Despite the integration of UPI, it may be unwise to get one’s hopes up for Microsoft taking India seriously in the gaming space, particularly when it comes to consoles.

Xbox Gaming's GXI manager Arjun Verma suggested the same in an interview with IGN India last year. “I think from a larger industry point of view, even the folks at Microsoft and Xbox would know that markets like India, Africa or parts of Southeast Asia may not be the right markets to look at mass community or scale in terms of the console space,” he said.

Current subscribers of Xbox Game Pass can download Persona 5 Tactica, Rollerdrome and other games coming to the subscription service in November.

The Xbox Series X and S consoles are now available in India through Amazon, Flipkart and Games The Shop. Xbox Game Pass is a gaming subscription service available for PC and Xbox console owners, starting at Rs. 349/month with the Ultimate membership costing Rs. 549/month.