We’ve now got a whole bunch of first-party Xbox releases on the calendar for 2025 thanks to this week’s Developer Direct, and don’t forget about the initial one that’s coming along in just a few weeks’ time – Obsidian’s Avowed!

This epic fantasy RPG launches for Xbox Series X, Series S, PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming on February 18th via Xbox Game Pass, but you know the score at this point – there’s also a way to get “early access” a few days ahead of time.

If you’re an Xbox Game Pass member and you’re intending to remain that way, the cheapest option for early access is via the “Avowed Premium Upgrade Addon”, which costs £17.99 / $22.49 and includes access from February 13th along with a couple of Premium Skin Packs, a Digital Artbook and the Original Soundtrack.

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The “Addon” version doesn’t include the actual game itself (which is why it’s only meant for Xbox Game Pass members), but the standard “Premium Edition” does – although it’s a much more expensive £89.99 / $89.99.

It’s been proven through the likes of Starfield and Forza Motorsport that the “upgrade” versions in particular have proven very popular to date, but the big difference this time is that there’s not much in the way of premium DLC to go alongside the early access. When it comes to Avowed, you’re mainly just paying for a chance to get hands-on early.

Should you spend your hard-earned money on it? We’re not going to be the judge of that just yet. It might be worth waiting to see what the reviews are like, of course, but if you’re really keen to get started with Avowed as soon as possible, by all means go for it. You could even use some left-over Microsoft Rewards points on it if you have any!