If you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code lying around and are wondering how you can activate it on your Microsoft account, you’ve landed on the right page. Read on to figure out how you can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate using the 25-digit code.

Things to Know Before Redeeming Your Subscription

Before getting started with the code activation process, I want you to keep a few things in mind.

1. You must know which region the key has been issued for. If it’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Global key, it can be used for activating the subscription in any country that supports Xbox Live.

Here’s the catch! If your Game Pass Ultimate key was issued in the United States, it can only be activated in a Microsoft Account whose region has been set to US.

If your MS Account’s region has been set to India (and you plan not to tamper with it), you will need a key that has been issued for use in India. You can always change the region associated with your Microsoft Account but the keys will be region-locked once issued i.e., you cannot change a key’s region.

Want to know how you can change the region associated with your Microsoft Account and what consequences would there be? Details on that in a separate article.

You just need to head to account.microsoft.com and enter the Your info tab (second option in the list on the left). Under Profile info heading, click on Country and region and select your preferred region in the drop-down menu that you will find in panel that comes up.

2. You will also need a valid payment method issued (*or supported) in the same region as your activation code.

To put it in picture, say your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate activation key was issued for use in US, you are going to need a credit/debit card issued in the USA to proceed with the activation.

However, if you have PayPal, you can easily activate Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with your account’s region set to US. Simply login to your PayPal account and select your usual debit card (and it doesn’t matter where this card has been issued) and your subscription will be activated. The US Xbox Store accepts PayPal as a valid payment method for both purchases and subscriptions.

Don’t have an Xbox Account yet? Here’s how you can set up your Xbox Account!

Activate Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Using 25 Character Code

Now onto the real deal! Keep your 25-digit code and the details of your payment method handy.

1. Head to account.microsoft.com.
2. Login to the Microsoft Account in which you plan to activate Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
3. Once logged in, check the region set on your Microsoft Account and make sure that it matches with the region in which your code was issued. Instruction for changing the region associated with your Microsoft Account has been mentioned above.

Keep in mind that you must verify your identity by entering the 6 digit code sent to your mobile number or email address for changing your account’s region.

4. Type in redeem.microsoft.com in a new tab. You will be taken to this screen.

5. Paste your code in the text box that says ‘Enter 25-character code’ and press on ‘Next’.
6. Enter your payment details in the next page and also, you need to put an address in file for this subscription. Look up for the address on Google because you need to enter a valid Zip Code.

We’ll cover these steps in detail (with screenshots included) along with the common errors that you might encounter during Xbox Game Pass Ultimate activation process in a separate article. Stay tuned for updates!