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⚠️ PSA: Don’t lose your Xbox Game Pass (or other bundled software) after an ASUS motherboard replace

SLYTERKIT
Level 7

I wanted to share my experience to help others avoid the same nightmare I went through.

The Problem

My ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023) laptop had a hardware issue — the CPU side heatsink (which holds the liquid thermal paste in place) had a broken screw, thanks to an ASUS technician. The laptop still worked fine, but I was worried the liquid thermal paste might leak and damage the motherboard if I tilted it.

ASUS agreed to replace the motherboard. When the technician visited, I asked if all the pre-installed software — like Windows, MS Office, and Xbox Game Pass — would still work on the new motherboard. He assured me everything would carry over.

Turns out, that wasn’t true — at least for Xbox Game Pass.

After the replacement, I noticed everything else worked (Windows activation, MS Office), but Xbox Game Pass was missing.

The Runaround

I contacted ASUS support, and they told me to call Xbox support. Xbox support told me to call Amazon (where I bought the laptop). Amazon sent me back to ASUS. And guess what? ASUS sent me back to Xbox. I was stuck in an endless loop, getting nowhere.

So, I turned to the internet — ASUS forums, Reddit, Microsoft community posts — and realized I wasn’t alone. This has been happening to people for months, even years, and no one has found an official fix.

What I learned is this:

👉 If you didn’t activate your bundled Xbox Game Pass before the motherboard replacement, it’s lost forever.

The Game Pass offer is tied to the original motherboard’s hardware ID. When you go to the Microsoft Store, under Library > Included with device, you should see the Game Pass coupon code with an expiration date (mine was valid until September 2025).

If you didn’t activate it before swapping the motherboard, ASUS, Microsoft, and Amazon won’t be able to restore it. It’s gone.


The ONLY Solution That Worked for Me

After exhausting all customer support options, I called the ASUS technician directly and explained everything. Luckily, he hadn’t sent my old motherboard to logistics yet. He told me not to worry and said he’d hold onto it.

Two days later — on his day off — he invited me to his home. He swapped the new motherboard out and reinstalled my original one. I booted up my laptop, signed into my Microsoft account, and saw my Xbox Game Pass again under Library > Included with device. I activated it immediately.

Then he replaced the old motherboard with the new one again. Thanks to this technician, I got my Game Pass back.


Final Advice:

Activate all bundled software (especially Xbox Game Pass) before a motherboard replacement.
If you can, ask the technician to hold onto your old motherboard temporarily — just in case.
If you lose Game Pass after the swap, swapping back to the old motherboard (if possible) might be the only way to recover it.

This isn’t just about Xbox Game Pass — any unclaimed software or licenses tied to the device (and not linked to your account) will be lost after a motherboard swap.

I hope this helps someone avoid the mess I went through. If you’re stuck in the same situation, feel free to ask questions — I’ll help if I can!

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2 REPLIES 2

mirouhml
Level 7

Hello, thanks for your feedback! May I ask how did you find the issue with your CPU? Mine is currently being repaired by the service center I debugged a lot and couldn't find the issue before sending it to them, towards the end I was suspecting my CPU or RAM slots, my laptop was experiencing a lot of BSODs and random restarts, that's why I am asking maybe we have had similar symptoms or something. 

Nope, mine cpu side heatsink screw holder was damaged by an Asus engineer. Try asus cloud recovery. You could do it from the asus bios. It wipes of windows and every software that was there and clean installs everything for you from the cloud, it’s lot faster than windows cloud recovery. And asus cloud recovery only works if your device is only in warranty. And if you have tried these steps than it’s better to get an expert’s advice.