After many affected players have complained about this error, we dived in and inspected this Game Pass problem closely and come up with a shortlist of all the possible causes for it: Missing Windows update – This error could happen because you are missing one or more of the latest Windows updates. Most commonly, GamePass is missing a key security WU infrastructure update that it needs. Unless your system has it, you can expect certain games (particularly games from first-party studios) to refuse to launch. To fix this, you need to install the latest Windows infrastructure update that you are missing.Corrupted Xbox App – Your Xbox App might have some corrupted files which are not letting you launch any game. This is a frequent problem among users who recently upgraded to Win 11 from Win 10. You should be able to fix this issue by repairing the Xbox App and the Xbox Game Pass from the Apps & features.Gaming Services problems – Another motive that might cause this Game Pass not launching games error is because the ‘Gaming Services’ from Microsoft is going through some problems or scheduled maintenance. You can try to fix this by forcing to delete the Gaming Services from using PowerShell, then reinstalling the Gaming Services. But this will only work if the issue is rooted locally.Date and time error – For some players, this error was caused by the ‘Set time automatically’ option. As it turns out, this might become a problem as GamePass cross-checks the system date against the server date and discovers a mismatch. AIf this scenario is applicable, you can fix this problem by syncing the date and time to the one in real-time.Offline permissions are disabled – This Game Pass error might be also caused in a scenario in which the GamePass app is not permitted to establish offline permissions. Because of this, you might be forbidden from launching any games that require an Internet connection via Game Pass. To fix this, you need to go to the settings of your Microsoft Store account and enable the option.Gaming Service process bug – Players report that this error could also happen because of a bug that is affecting the main process of Gaming Services. You can fix this by closing the Gaming Service task to force it to restart, then launching any game you want to play. Now that you know all the possible causes of this error, here’s a list of all the potential fixes that will help you fix this Game Pass issue on Windows computers:
1. Close the Gaming Services from Task Manager
Before we move to more technical methods, the first thing you should try to fix this weird GamePass behavior is to close the Gaming Services process via Task Manager. By doing this, you could reset the Gaming Service, and when you relaunch the game it should work in case the launch doesn’t happen due to the service being stuck in limbo. This is the easiest fix out of the bunch presented in this article and it’s the ideal way to start troubleshooting this problem. Here are the steps you need to follow in case you don’t know how to close the Gaming Services from the Task Manager: If the problem is still not resolved, move down to the next method below.
2. Update your Windows version
The first potential fix for your problem is to see if there are any available Windows updates that you missing. Most commonly, you’ll experience this problem in a situation where you are missing one or more Windows infrastructure updates. This can be an issue on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. As it turns out, GamePass needs a key WU infrastructure update in order to validate certain first-party titles from Microsoft. If you’re missing those, chances are Game Pass will refuse to launch certain game titles like Gears of War, Forza Horizon, and more. There are a lot of affected users that successfully managed to resolve the problem after they updated the Windows build to the latest. If you don’t know how to update your Windows installation, follow these steps: In case you are still not able to launch any game, check the next method below.
3. Repair the Xbox App
The next thing that you can try is to repair the Xbox application from the settings of your computer. This method will repair the vast majority of scenarios where you are unable to launch game-pass games due to some type of corruption issue. You can do this by accessing the Apps & Features menu and triggering a Repair procedure from the Reset tab. This method was confirmed to work by both Windows 10 and Windows 11 users. After the app will be repaired and restored, you will be able to play the games you want (if the problem is caused by some type of local corruption). Follow the instructions below for specific instructions on repairing the Xbox app from the Apps & Features menu. Note: The instructions below will work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. In case the Game Pass is still not launching games even after you repaired the application, go to the next method below.
4. Force-reinstall the Gaming Services app via PowerShell
If none of the methods so far have addressed the Game Pass issue in your case, another thing that a lot of PC-based affected Game Pass subscribers recommend is to delete the Gaming Services using a PowerShell command. Note: This operation will resolve a more advanced corruption problem that can not be addressed with a simple repair procedure. Force-reinstalling also means that every cache file currently stored by the app will be deleted too. After the Gaming Services is deleted via the Powershell command, you will need to open the Xbox Game Pass app to reinstall the Gaming Services – you’ll be prompted to do so right after you open the application for the first time after the force-reinstall. Here are the steps you need to follow in order to force-reinstall the GamePass Gaming Services: If the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.
5. Sync your date and time
Some players have managed to fix this odd behavior where Game Pass was not launching games by changing the date and time. As it turns out, you can expect this to be a problem because the GamePass service ends up cross-checking the system dater against the server date and terminates the launch of the game if it discovers a mismatch. If this scenario looks like it could be applicable, you can fix the problem by syncing the date and time from the dedicated Date and Time menu. After doing this, you should be able to launch any game using the Game Pass. Important: After unchecking the box next to the Set the time automatically option, you need to manually set the correct date and time. In case you don’t know how to manually sync the date and time, here is a guide that will guide you through it: Note: The instructions below will work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. In case your Game Pass is still showing the same problems, try the next method below.
6. Delete the Gaming Services via Registry Editor
If the method above didn’t produce the results you were after, you can also try getting rid of the potentially corrupted Gaming Services infrastructure via Registry Editor – only attempt this if the Powershell method above has failed. Important: After you delete the Gaming Services via Registry Editor, you need to go to the Apps & features section and repair the Gaming Services, as well as the App Installer – This is required in order to re-generate the Registry keys that you’ve just eliminated. A lot of Windows 10 GamePass subscribers have used this method to finally launch the games they were entitled to after the conventional method failed. Here are the steps that you need to follow to delete the Gaming Services via Registry Editor: In case this error still appears, go check below the next method.
7. Enable the offline permissions
Another reason why you might experience this issue is when GamePass is not permitted to launch games while your PC is not connected to the internet. In order to be able to do this, the app needs offline permissions. A few affected users have managed to fix this Game Pass issue by enabling offline permission to their Xbox accounts. You can do this from the App Settings of your account, on the Microsoft Store app. This process is easy to do and will allow you to fix your issue if this scenario is applicable. Here’s how you can enable the offline permissions in case you don’t know the steps: If none of the methods below have helped you fix this Game Pass Not Launching error, check up on the last method from this list.
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