Humble Choice Explained: How The Xbox Game Pass PC Alternative Works

For several years, Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass has been considered one of the best deals in gaming. But is there another, lesser-known service that provides even better value? That's precisely what Humble Choice claims to offer. The service, which is offered by Humble Bundle, promises a collection of games every month, and unlike Game Pass, you get to keep them forever, even if you stop paying. As the price of Game Pass climbs, that's an onerous burden for some.

Game Pass works by charging a subscription fee to access a vast library of games from the Xbox platform. Subscribers can download those games and play them for no extra charge, meaning they can enjoy unlimited games for a fraction of the cost of purchasing a single, AAA title outright. Xbox often makes some of its biggest titles available on launch day for subscribers of Game Pass. For example, last year's widely acclaimed "Indiana Jones and The Great Circle" became available on the service immediately alongside its regular launch. It's undoubtedly a great deal, but there's a major catch: the games aren't yours. As soon as your subscription runs out, you're locked out of your Game Pass games until you renew.

Humble Choice has intrigued many gamers by taking a different approach. Each month, its subscribers are given access to a more limited selection of games, but own a license to them in perpetuity. You're also supporting a charity each month, which is a great way to feel better about your gaming habits. For Pride Month this June, proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project, which focuses on mental health for LGBTQ+ individuals. Here's how Humble Choice works, why some gamers will love it, and why others may want to steer clear.

Humble Choice was ranked among our top ten gaming subscriptions. It is offered by Humble Bundle, a company that got its start by selling bundles of games, books, and software while donating a portion of the proceeds to charity. Humble Choice switches things up by charging a flat rate of $12 a month or $129 a year for a particular set of games each month. As with normal bundles, a portion of this subscription goes to charity, and the games are yours to keep. Xbox Game Pass, meanwhile, has two tiers. Game Pass PC gives you access to Microsoft's library of PC games for $12/month, while Game Pass Ultimate includes console and multiplayer games for $20/month.

Here's where things get a little less rosy. Unlike Xbox Game Pass, which is able to use Microsoft's enormous presence in the gaming industry to make a truly staggering range of extremely popular games available through its subscription, Humble Choice is, as its name suggests, a little more modest. There's no "Halo," "Minecraft," or "Indiana Jones" here. June 2025's offering includes eight titles, none of which are household names. "Warhammer 40K: Boltgun" is the most mainstream on the menu, alongside "Dungeons of Hinterberg" and several others that exist similarly off the beaten path. Humble Choice subscribers can also comb through the Vault, which includes "more than 50 DRM-free indie favorites and experimental oddities," according to the marketing copy. You'll also receive a steep discount on games in the larger Humble Store, which includes some mainstream titles like "Elden Ring." If you're an avid and adventurous gamer who loves exploring indie games, this might be your dream come true, but it's not for everyone.

As noted above, Humble Choice is not designed to appeal to those who mainly play AAA titles. You won't find any of the splashy titles that make headlines, or at least not very often. Instead, the service is tailor-made for the sort of gamer whose bread and butter are small, indie titles from studios most people have never heard of. If that sounds like you, or if you've been meaning to expand your gaming tastes, Humble Choice might be the best possible gaming subscription you could spend your money on. You'll get access to a collection of indie games in the Humble Choice Vault, as well as this month's batch of games and perks.

Another group of people who might be suited to Humble Choice  — albeit with caution  — are those without an older gaming PC. Indie games often have much more forgiving system requirements, meaning you may not need a beefy graphics card to make them run decently on your computer. Of course, you'll need to check on a per-game basis. For those with powerful PCs, another draw is the Humble Store, which offers discounts on AAA titles to Humble Choice members.

Humble Bundle currently shows non-subscribers which games are being offered during the current month, so it could also be worth looking every so often, just to see if anything from your wish list is available. It would be far cheaper than buying that specific game in a lot of cases, and you'd get a few extra games to boot. Don't forget to check the non-subscription bundles for games, books, and software on the main Humble Bundle page as well. There are some unexpectedly good finds, like a collection of Warren Ellis comics available at the time of writing.