If you haven’t subscribed to it yet, Xbox Game Pass is a fantastic game subscription. You get over 100 titles that are available to download whenever you want, and are yours to keep as long as you stay subscribed to the service.
The only problem we have with Game Pass – which really isn’t even that big of a problem – is that there are almost too many options and the way it’s organized isn’t conducive to finding the best games, or even the most popular ones.
Rather than force you to dig through the catalogue yourself, we’ve put together a list of the 22 must-download games from the service. That way you know what to look for when you load up the service or, if you haven’t yet subscribed, what you’re getting should you decide to commit to Microsoft’s massive all-you-can-download subscription service.
1. Alien Isolation
There are a lot of places you can start on this list, but few are better than Alien: Isolation, a survival-horror game from Creative Assembly and SEGA that task you with surviving an alien-infested ship. If you’ve always admonished the characters in horror movies that make an easily avoidable mistake that turns out to be fatal, here’s your chance to prove that you’d make the better first mate.
2. Batman: Arkham Knight
We might be waiting a while for the next Batman movie with Robert Pattinson but if you need your fix of the caped crusader before that, check out Batman: Arkham Knight on Xbox Game Pass. The final entry in Rocksteady’s Batman trilogy also works as a great standalone title as you don the cowl to stop Batman’s entire rogues gallery from taking over Gotham in what has to be the longest night in Batman’s career.
3. Devil May Cry 5
Xbox Game Pass has no shortage of huge, ambitious open-world action and RPGs, but if you’re looking for something a bit more manageable – and still action-packed – check out last year’s Devil May Cry 5. The game won a number of Action Game of the Year awards just a few months ago, so it’s nice to see it available to download on Xbox Game Pass already.
4. The Elder Scrolls Online
Unfortunately you won’t find Bethesda’s sprawling fantasy epic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Xbox Game Pass, but you will find the next best thing – The Elder Scrolls Online. An MMO set in the world of Tamriel, The Elder Scrolls Online has you select from one of three factions, aligned by their geographic locations in the world. Within your faction you’ll form guilds to fight against one another and quest to the far reaches of Bethesda’s sprawling game world, all without paying a monthly fee.
5. Fallout 4
Speaking of Bethesda, Fallout 4 is also available on Game Pass. A masterclass in post-apocalyptic world-building, Fallout 4 is the action-RPG that keeps on giving all these years later with new discoverable side quests and a never-quite-complete homestead that requires your constant attention. If you haven’t yet irradiated yourself by heading out into the wasteland, now is the perfect time.
6. Gears 5
One of the best parts about Xbox Game Pass is getting newly released first-party games for free at launch – like, for example, Gears 5. Not only does this game have a fantastic single-player story that follows the events of Gears of War 4, but it has a ton of great multiplayer modes that are available as part of the package, too.
7. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
While Gears 5 and Ori take top billing as the best Xbox One-exclusive games on Xbox Game Pass, Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes in a very close third. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically the discography of the Halo universe, replete with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and the anniversary edition of Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4. The Collection includes all those games plus all the multiplayer maps. It’s basically the best thing to happen to any Halo fan ever.
8. Kingdom Hearts 3
It took years to finally release, but Kingdom Hearts 3 was worth the wait. The story is a bit slow and slightly convoluted for newcomers to the series, but once you’re past the intro you’ll find a charming and action-packed adventure that we once called “the fantastical nature of Final Fantasy with the magical familiarity of Disney in worlds that are almost indistinguishable from the films they depict”. Yeah, it’s that good.
9. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Admittedly the next game on our list, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, has a lot in common with Kingdom Hearts 3. They’re both fan-favorite franchises that can be a bit tricky to get into, but once you know what you’re doing it will completely capture your imagination. The difference is that Kingdom Hearts is, at most, a PG story while Metal Gear Solid V often has an interrogation scene, exposed intestines, and a half-nude woman walking around because she “needs to breathe through her skin”. OK, so maybe they’re not that similar.
10. Monster Hunter World
At one time a very niche franchise here in the West, Monster Hunter has finally gotten its comeuppance with the critically acclaimed Monster Hunter World. This RPG franchise about hunting monsters sounds a bit childish, but the fast, frenetic gameplay and gear grind make for extremely satisfying gameplay that can either be undertaken alone or shared in the company of friends. Either way you can’t go wrong.
11. NBA 2K20
While EA has yet to sign on to Xbox Game Pass – instead supporting its own platform called EA Access – 2K has signed on to the service and put up its biggest sports game of the year, NBA 2K20. A solid basketball sim, 2K20 adds a number of all-time-great basketball teams to the mix in addition to a more cinematic single-player experience and, for the first time ever, WNBA teams.
12. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
For years, Ori and the Blind Forest was one of our favorite Metroidvania 2D dungeon crawlers on Xbox One – it was heartfelt, beautiful and challenging, and the world simply oozed personality and intrigue. Years later, Moon Studios and Microsoft have released Ori and the Will of the Wisps, a sequel that adds some new combat elements like a shard system that allows for more customization of Ori's abilities, and big boss battles that make it more memorable and break up the puzzle-solving.
13. Outer Wilds
What if you only had 22 minutes to live? What could you learn in that time and, if given 22 more minutes, what would you do with that time? This philosophical quandary is put to the test in the action-adventure-exploration game Outer Wilds that tasks you with learning as much about the pint-sized universe as you can in 22 minutes. At that point the sun will go supernova and you’ll have to start all over again – this time just a little smarter and more seasoned than you were before.
14. The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds from developers Obsidian Entertainment takes everything you loved about the Fallout franchise – the humor, the writing and the arsenal – and brings it to the wider universe. What follows is a wacky, satire-rich RPG that injects loads of fun into the classic Fallout formula we've grown to love.
15. Overcooked 2
If you need a fun multiplayer game in a pinch, pick up Overcooked 2 on Xbox Game Pass. This cooperative cooking game saddles you up with other players to try and operate a restaurant kitchen efficiently, fulfilling orders as they come down from customers. It sounds easy, but things get tricky when parts of the kitchen move or malfunction randomly – the trickiness and silliness of it all, though, are well-worth any and all irritation you may experience.
16. Rage 2
Rage 2 wasn’t the most well-received game when it launched in 2019, but it is still a fun (and fast) first-person shooter that’s only loosely tied to the 2011 original. What you can expect is a Mad Max-like experience that pits you against wastelanders and super mutants as you bust your way through the badlands.
17. Red Dead Redemption 2
New to the service this month is Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar’s magnum opus Western set at the turn of the 19th century. What we like most about the open-world action game is the breadth of its world, the depth of its characters, the endless possibilities it gives you to explore and the side-missions that seemingly never end. OK, so I guess there are a lot of things to like about it.
18. Sea of Thieves
Rare's swashbuckling adventure Sea of Thieves lets you take on the role of a pirate sailing the seas of a fantastical world – either alone or as part of a crew of up to four members. It's up to you whether you choose to focus on trading, treasure-hunting or plundering the loot of others. This is a great title for those who enjoy playing with others in an open-world environment with a Pirate-themed twist.
19. Slay the Spire
For strategy fans, Slay the Spire is like Magic: The Gathering meets Spelunky. This rogue-like deck builder has you modifying a deck to work your way to the top of the spire. As you battle your way to the top of the tower you’ll have to make decisions on which cards to upgrade, which potions to stock and which relics to take, all of which can be the difference between life and death in a boss battle. If you like mind-bending card battlers, Slay the Spire is well worth the disk space.
20. Tekken 7
While there are a number of great fighting games on the service, Tekken 7 is easily the most polished of the bunch now that it’s had two years to work out the kinks. A 3D fighter with a two-decade pedigree, the Tekken franchise makes some significant strides forward with the tenth entry in the series that adds rage arts and power crushes to the mix, creating closer, more intense matches between players of different skill levels.
21. Viva Pinata
If you’re tired of warzones, explosions and fisticuffs, this tranquil sandbox sim is like a virtual chill pill. This Xbox 360 gem puts you in charge of a pinata garden that you’ll whip into shape over a few hours. Each design decision you make brings out various new pinata creatures who’ll become residents if certain conditions are met. The hunt to capture new creatures, make them happy and get them to breed is a seriously addicting game loop and one that’s well worth experiencing a full decade after its release.
22. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Some have said The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best game of the decade, and it’s tough to disagree with them. This massive open-world RPG can be a bit daunting because of its overwhelming size and 60+ hour completion time, but it presents incredible value as it’ll keep even the most ravenous of gamers entertained for a week or two.
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