Players aren't happy about Avowed's $70 price tag, and honestly, who can blame them? Obsidian's latest RPG adventure comes in two flavors - a Standard Edition at $70 and a Premium Edition at $90 - but many gamers think that's way too steep for what's being offered.

The numbers don't lie either. Only about 36% of PC players are actually paying full price for their games these days, showing just how many folks are pushing back against these premium price points. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can grab a Premium Edition upgrade for $25, which sounds better until you look at what you're getting - some cosmetic skins, a digital artbook, soundtrack, and five days of early access starting February 18, 2025. Notice what's missing there? Any actual substantial gameplay content.

Look, I get it - pricing new games is tricky business. But when you're asking players to shell out $70 or even $90, you better be bringing something special to the table. Let's dig into what Avowed is actually offering and see if these premium prices make any sense.

Here's How Avowed Works on Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass subscribers, you're in luck - Avowed drops right into your library on February 18, 2025. And yeah, it's got that sweet Xbox Play Anywhere support, so you can bounce between your Series X|S and Windows PC without missing a beat.

What You Get: Base Game vs Premium Stuff

The standard version of Avowed comes free with Game Pass - pretty straightforward there. But here's where it gets interesting: throw down $24.99 for the Premium upgrade and you'll snag:

• A couple of fancy companion skin packs
• Digital artbook to flip through
• The game's soundtrack
• Five days of early access

Here's the catch though - and I really wish they'd make this clearer - those premium goodies are tied to your Game Pass subscription. Let that expire and poof! All that extra stuff vanishes until you resub.

Early Access Timeline

Premium folks got their hands on Avowed starting February 13, 2025, at 3 PM GMT. That's a decent head start for diving into what's supposedly a 40-hour main story.

The rest of us Game Pass players? We're jumping in on February 18, with specific launch times depending on where you live: 10 AM PST, 1 PM EST, and 6 PM GMT. Better clear some hard drive space though - you're looking at a chunky 74.8GB on Xbox or 72GB on PC. At least you can preload it and be ready the second it unlocks.

Let's Talk About That $70 Price Tag

Avowed is rolling out with the now-standard (and honestly, kind of painful) $69.99 price point for its Standard Edition. Yeah, I know - another $70 game. Welcome to modern AAA gaming, folks.

What's in the Standard Box?

The Standard Edition is exactly what it says on the tin - you get the base game and that's pretty much it. All the main story stuff and core gameplay features are there, but don't expect any fancy extras. No cosmetic goodies, no digital trinkets, and definitely no early access perks.

Premium Perks (If You're Into That)

Want to spend more? The Premium Edition will set you back $89.99 and throws in:

• Five days early access (because waiting is hard)
• Two companion skin packs
• Digital artbook
• Game soundtrack

Here's where it gets interesting though - Game Pass members can snag the Premium upgrade for just $22.50. Not a bad deal if you're already subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass.

The Price Tag Around the World

The regional pricing situation is wild, and not in a good way. Take Ukraine - they're paying ₴2999 on Steam, making it one of Europe's priciest regions. The Xbox version's a bit easier to swallow at ₴1800.

Steam's been shaking things up with their pricing tools lately. India saw an 85% price bump, and Indonesia got hit with an 80% increase. It's all tied to economic stuff and currency shenanigans, but man, some regions are really feeling the pinch.

How Does Avowed Stack Up Against Other Early Access Games?

Game Pass is getting pricier these days, with Ultimate now running $19.99 monthly. That's the tier you'll need if you want those sweet day-one releases, by the way.

The RPG Price Wars

Avowed's pricing feels a bit steep when you look at what other RPGs are doing. Take Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - its premium package throws in early access, skins, soundtracks, AND future story DLC for $35.00. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II showed up with fancy DLSS 4 support, while The Outer Worlds - another Obsidian joint - set expectations for how they price their games.

Here's what's wild - most of these premium editions actually include future DLC. Meanwhile, Avowed is basically just charging you for early access and some digital goodies. Though if you're feeling thrifty, CDKeys has it for $56.89, saving you about $13.00 off retail.

The Game Pass Story

Game Pass has come a long way with early access stuff. They're sitting pretty with 34 million subscribers as of February, and most of those folks are rocking Ultimate. But things are changing - the new Standard tier at $14.99 monthly won't get you those day-one releases anymore. Ultimate subscribers still get the good stuff though, like EA Play and cloud gaming.

Look, I've done the math - buying three new games at $69.99 each would set you back over $200.00. Compare that to $19.99 monthly for Game Pass Ultimate, and Microsoft's strategy starts making a lot of sense. They're basically saying "Hey, why buy these games separately when you could just... not?"

Should You Pay Premium for Avowed?

Look, I've been thinking about Avowed's price tag a lot lately. $69.99 for standard and $89.99 for premium is no small chunk of change, and I keep coming back to one question: what are we really getting here?

What That Extra Cash Gets You

The premium stuff is... well, it's exactly what you'd expect these days. Some companion skins, an artbook, and a soundtrack. Oh, and five days of early access - which honestly feels a bit thin for that $20 premium markup. Remember when premium editions used to come with actual substantial content? Those were the days.

How Long Is This Adventure?

Here's where things get interesting. The main story will take you 20-25 hours to wrap up, but most folks are clocking in around 30-35 hours with side stuff. Completionists (you know who you are) can stretch it to 40+ hours. Some reviewers have even reported spending 70 hours poking around The Living Lands.

But here's the kicker - no New Game Plus mode at launch. That's gonna sting for anyone hoping to carry their badass character into another playthrough.

What Players Are Saying

The Steam reviews are sitting at a pretty solid 81% positive. People are loving:

• The combat and exploration vibes
• How the world looks and feels
• Quest design that doesn't feel forced
• All those juicy character build options

But - and it's a big but - plenty of players think $30-40 would be more reasonable. And you know what? They might be onto something. That's why so many folks are suggesting Game Pass as the way to go. $11.99 for PC or $19.99 for Ultimate sounds way better than dropping seventy bucks, right?

The Bottom Line on Avowed's Price Tag

Here's the thing about Avowed - that $70 price tag is tough to swallow, but Game Pass is basically waving at us saying "hey, there's a better way!" And honestly? They're not wrong. Why drop seventy bucks when you can take the game for a spin through Game Pass first?

The choice is pretty straightforward: shell out $70-90 to own it forever, or hop on Game Pass for a fraction of that. Sure, some die-hard fans might dig those Premium Edition goodies and early access perks, but let's be real - the standard version is probably all most of us need.

Look, Avowed isn't skimping on content - you're getting 30-40 hours of solid RPG action here. But no New Game Plus at launch? And a Premium Edition that's basically just some cosmetic stuff? That $70 asking price starts feeling a bit steep.

Game Pass is the smart play here, folks. You get to dive into this shiny new Obsidian RPG right away, plus hundreds of other games to boot. Perfect for anyone who's on the fence about dropping full price. Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one.