Having an Xbox Game Pass subscription is almost essential for Xbox owners. The service, which runs $10 to $15 a month, not only includes a large, ever-changing catalog of games to download and play, but also bundles access to online multiplayer services. Each month, Microsoft adds new games to the service, and in November, an indie hit is leading the pack.
Read more: Best Game Subscription Services
If you’re on the fence about Game Pass, or just looking for some suggestions about what to play, below are some recent and classic favorites on the service.
Monster Hunter Rise first launched on the Nintendo Switch in 2021, but it’s now out on Game Pass for PC, Xbox consoles and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The latest in the action-RPG franchise is one of the easiest to pick up for new players while also having a catalog of giant monsters to takedown that longtime fans will enjoy.
Another long-running franchise out on Game Pass in January is Persona, in the form of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden. Both games feature young heroes taking on demons, monsters and other evil beings that hide in the modern world. Subscribers can play either game on PC, Xbox consoles or Xbox Cloud Gaming.
New and noteworthy
Recent hits
- Forza Horizon 5
- Pentiment
- As Dusk Falls
- Citizen Sleeper
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Death’s Door
- Farming Simulator 22 (no, really)
- Sea of Thieves
- Deathloop
- Halo Infinite
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Outer Wilds
- Psychonauts 2
- Vampire Survivors
- Tetris Effect: Connected
Read more: Best Cloud Gaming Services
Must-play classics
- Assassin’s Creed Origins (and AC: Odyssey)
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Dishonored 2
- Dead by Daylight
- Fallout 76
- Doughnut County
- Skyrim
- Grim Fandango
PC gaming picks
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
- Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
- Solasta: Crown of the Magister
- Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Expeditions: Rome
- Wasteland 3
We’ll keep this list updated with new additions and new staff suggestions. You can also check out our picks for the best games on PlayStation Plus.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Game Pass has evolved far beyond its Xbox-bound origins to become a subscription that delivers something for everyone who plays games, and now encompasses console and PC game downloads, access to online multiplayer services, a deal with gaming giant EA and a cloud-based service that streams games to nearly any device.
Microsoft offers several versions, but because of how the features are sliced up between them, only the $15-per-month Ultimate plan, with all the benefits detailed above, really makes sense. Read our Xbox Game Pass review.
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