StarCraft and StarCraft 2 join the Xbox Game Pass line up!

Back in 1998, I was a 12 year old boy when Blizzard released arguably one of the most influential games of the strategy genre. StarCraft set the tone in RTS games, becoming an example for developers world wide as well as gaining a massive following of players. 

It gave me a new group of friends, boys like me (and the older ones in school) with the same hobby. Now in 2024, even more players get to experience this legendary game as it joins the Xbox Game Pass line up!

A little history on StarCraft

StarCraft is described as a military science fiction game. It is set in the 26th century and allows you to play as one of three races: the human Terran, alien insects Zerg and powerful Protoss. Blizzard released the official Brood War expansion pack the same year as the base game released, which added more content and fixed balance issues players were asking for since the release.

The three campaigns (Episodes) in StarCraft 1.

12 years later, Blizzard released StarCraft II over a course of 5 years. Starting with Wings of Liberty, it created an official sequal to the original StarCraft game based on the Terrans, the human faction of the games. In 2013, Heart of the Swarm was released as the second part of the game with a focus on the Zerg race. In 2015 then, the third part of the trilogy was released when Legacy of the Void became available. This final part focusses on the Protos race

25 years after the original release, Blizzard released StarCraft: Remastered in 2017. It is a remastered edition of the original game plus the Brood War expansion. The remaster does not add any new playable content to the game, instead focussing on better graphics, audio and online features.

Best in class and awards galore

Since its release, StarCraft has received multiple awards and positive reviews. It was heralded as Game of the Year for multiple publisher platforms, like GameSpot, PC Gamer and D.I.C.E. Awards (AIAS back then).

No wonder then it was the best selling video game of the year. Especially in South Korea the game is immensely popular with some 50% of all copies sold over there. StarCraft competitions are broadcast over multiple television channels dedicated to the professional gaming, making Korean professional StarCraft gamers media celebrities.

StarCraft was inducted in the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2021, where it stands proudly amongst top games and absolute classics like Minecraft, GTA3, Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man and Space Invaders.

Now on Xbox Game Pass!

If you have never experienced StarCraft before, now is your chance!

As of November 2024, the original StarCraft (the Remastered version) including the Broodwar extension are part of the Xbox game pass line up. It is a great way to get to know the game, without having to pay anything extra!

I'm fully aware that going back to classics from your childhood is almost always a disappointment. StarCraft is the exception though. The gameplay and storylines are still as good as they were over 30 years ago. If you are an RTS fan, you should definitely give StarCraft a run.

And once you're done with the 3 StarCraft campaigns and the Brood War content, you can continue on to StarCraft II. With the way those releases were split into separate games, including new units and involved campaigns, you'll have over 100 hours worth of content to explore.

You're welcome!