When we started covering the Xbox Game Pass Quests (and therefore, Microsoft Rewards) program back in 2020 here at Pure Xbox, there were a lot of game-specific tasks that players needed to complete for points. Some of these were lengthy and difficult, and we created a big Game Pass Quests guide as a result - which ended up proving really popular.
As time passed, we became aware of a YouTube channel known as Rewards Hunter which would provide fantastic video guides for every Xbox Game Pass Quest on a weekly basis, often within just a couple of hours of them going live. It was so good that we asked if we could include their videos in our Pure Xbox guide, which they graciously accepted.
However, things have changed with Microsoft Rewards a lot over the past couple of years, and a recent overhaul to the Xbox Game Pass Quests system has led to the owner of the Rewards Hunter channel deciding to shut it down.
It's been a long time now since players had to complete any kind of game-specific tasks to earn Microsoft Rewards points, but for the duration of 2024, it still required achievements - which the channel continued to help players with.
That's no longer the case with the new system, which removes the need to earn achievements (a change that's admittedly gone down well overall) in favour of simply playing games consistently on a daily and/or weekly basis.
As you can see, the owner of the Rewards Hunter channel is handling it well, but nevertheless has made a video outlining their thoughts about how the Xbox Game Pass Quests system has suffered a "downfall" over the years.
And yeah... this is a difficult one. We're genuinely fans of the new Xbox Game Pass Quests format that's been implemented for 2025, and speaking personally, I'm much more engaged with it already than I was in 2024. That said, the glory days of a few years ago were surely the best - the Quests were more inventive and the points were plentiful!
What really matters here is the effort that Rewards Hunter has put in for fans over the past few years, and we'd like to take this opportunity to highlight their contributions. Hopefully they'll find a reason to come out of retirement eventually!
Here are a couple of their most popular Xbox Game Pass Quests videos from the past:
What do you think about Xbox Game Pass Quests now compared to how they used to be? Tell us below.
Comments 15
Hey Fraser! I'm glad you spotted this. I planned to share it with you this morning. Thanks so much for all of your support over the years when we had the real quests. You're awesome! 😊🏅
@ChickenPossible Thank you too! All the best 😊🏅
@ChickenPossible Thanks for all your hard work friend, it was great while it lasted. Take care 👍
Anyone else see ChickenSalad / PossiblePeace?
I also stopped doing quests, it requires too much time to make it worthwhile and tbh they’re only worth doing if you already planned to playing something from Game Pass.
I feel so lucky that I can complete all the dailies at work, and it only takes around 30 to 45 minutes a day. However, I can see how the new reward system might be less engaging for many people. Personally, I'm glad there are no more achievements required.
@ChickenPossible
Wish you all the best!
And thank you for all the hard work!
I like the new quests since finding out that cloud works to activate them so I can keep up the weekly streak without worrying about the electricity costs that my console and TV would be consuming (which are currently so high in UK that it would entirely negate the value of the rewards points, I did the maths!). I just let the game stream on my phone/tablet over breakfast and job done.
What I don’t like is that this will inevitably fudge the numbers of my end of year gaming recap. Just as how Age of Empires was my ‘top played’ game of 2024 and 2023 when I’ve never actually played that game in my life, just idled it for the ‘Play on PC with friends’ quest back when that was a thing. Oh well, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for free money.
Every time there were changes I thought of how it would affect this guy. It was sad.
Yup I used to do all my rewards religiously....but completely given up onit now for like a year ...they ruined it
I may be in minority, but am so happy and thrilled to see achievements getting less exposure.
Full disclosure, I hate achievements with a firery passion.
@bazchillin Amen, brother. Was pointless time sink.
Those game specific quests he described is giving me shivers. Almost never did them, but I still do MS Rewards.
@ChickenPossible Really sad to hear this, you were a part of that golden age of the quests. I really used to enjoy watching your videos to help me blast through the quests, even used to watch them when I didn't need too 🤣 Thanks for the hard work you put into creating them. I hope you get to create some new content soon 🫡
@ChickenPossible hi thanks for the years of rewards points you helped me with. Sad that microsoft kept doing this. All the best for the future.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...