Game Pass offers a bunch of great titles through its affordable subscription service. Here are the 10 best games on Game Pass.
Game Pass has been a real game changer since its introduction in 2017. Although the scope of its influence, and the quality of its best games, has only grown in recent years.
As the console wars between PlayStation and Xbox have entered the next-gen, and competition for gamers’ money has intensified, Game Pass has become an integral part of Microsoft’s strategy. By offering such a wide selection of the best games on the market, they have staked-out a part of the market as their own.
However, with such a large library of games at one’s fingertips, actually picking the best games to play can be a headache – the real problems of life, am I right?
So to help with this excruciating dilemma we have put our heads together and created a list of the top 10 best games on Game Pass. Now of course this list isn’t final, as some titles do drift in and out of the Game Pass library. Nonetheless, we hope it provides you with some useful suggestions, and that ultimately you find the right game for you.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a charming indie 2D platformer that is bound to leave an impression – if you manage to conquer its initial difficulty spike. Make no mistake, Hollow Knight will leave you frustrated and exacerbated at times. But if you persevere through it, you will surely fall for its unique art direction, vibey music, mysterious lore and memorable characters.
Quite simply, it’s one of the best games of the last few years – and the chance to play it for free on Game Pass should prove too much to pass up.
Subnautica
An open-world survival game that takes place almost entirely underwater. You crash-land on an alien planet, almost entirely made of water, and are forced to use every ounce of your resourcefulness and bravery to survive.
The world is beautifully rendered, and a great deal of the enjoyment I got playing the game was from exploring the diverse flora and fauna of the aquatic planet. Subnautica has wonder, terror, and imagination to spare.
Skyrim
You’ve probably heard that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda Softworks in a megadeal, which is bound the have a huge impact in the console wars. Consequently, pretty much all of Bethesda’s impressive catalogue of games have, at least initially, found their way onto Game Pass.
Skyrim is our pick of Bethesda’s open-world RPGs, which admittedly can prove divisive amongst gamers. It has majestic scale, a half-decent main story, fantastic lore, and the ability to do epic battle with a nearly endless supply of dragons. There’s so much to do you’ll forget all about the arrow you took to the knee, all those years ago.
Grand Theft Auto V
The most successful game of all time is, you better believe it, successful because it does a whole lot really damn well. Despite its title, GTA V is about more than just stealing cars – although chances are you’ll end up doing plenty of that too.
GTA V has an engrossing main campaign, that in a series first, allows you to play as three different characters. The narrative focuses on the giddy highs, and unavoidable pitfalls, of a life of crime, with plenty of humour mixed in to get effect. And when your done with that – the online mode is there to offer addictive competitive and cooperative gameplay options.
What Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch is one of the best games on Game Pass, at least if you are going by what the critics say. The thing that made it somewhat difficult to recommend is its relatively brief runtime.
However, because of its inclusion in the Game Pass stable of games, it’s a no-brainer. The game tells a slightly creepy tale of a family lineage with something a-miss. To say more would be a disservice to you, and the game itself, so just get to it – if you know what’s good for you.
Wasteland 3
Wasteland 3 was a bit of a broken mess on its release. Since it’s been patched up though it has fulfilled its potential as a premier turn-based combat title. Think XCOM 2, but with a more devious smile plastered across its face.
The post-apocalyptic world, along with its surprisingly complex political machinations, is another major draw that contributes to Wasteland 3 being the one of the best games on Game Pass.
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 is an absolutely huge game. You are placed in the role of Geralt of Rivia, a master slayer of monsters (and people), and pushed into an adventure that the word epic was probably created to describe.
Or you could spend the rest of your human life playing your way through side quests that range from slaying monsters to finding an old woman’s lost frying-pan. Perhaps the greatest achievement of The Witcher 3 is managing to make virtually anything fun to do. Seriously, I don’t even regret finding the frying pan.
The Medium
The Medium is a love letter to the classic third-person horror games of the ’90s such as Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. Fittingly, the story begins with a mysterious phone call that urges Marianne, our main playable character, to meet them at an abandoned resort. As I am sure by now you know, something horrible has taken place.
That horrible thing most certainly isn’t The Medium though. The well-written story, empathetic characters, clever innovations, and unforgettable atmosphere combine to create an experience that is one of the best recent games to be added to Game Pass.
Control
Control is an action-adventure game that was originally released in 2019 to widespread acclaim. The story revolves around a shadowy organisation named the Federal Bureau of Control. Going into much more detail would entail going into a lot more detail. However, let it be known that this game is a deep dive into a whole new world of weird.
The game is inspired by the internet collective SCP Foundation which exists to share fictional stories, presented as true, about paranormal and metaphysical objects. So that’s what we are dealing with. There is a captivating main storyline full of oddball characters and a heap of telekinetically bolstered gunplay.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
A direct sequel to 2015’s Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps takes that recipe and turns it into an even more refined masterpiece of metroidvania-style platforming.
The art direction is really something to behold, full of magic and majesty, and will ensure that you enjoy every moment of your adventure – of which thankfully there is a lot more of than Ori and the Blind Forest.
Find out more about Xbox Game Pass here.
