When people think of Game Pass, their minds often will jump to the version that Xbox console gamers get. While that version of the service is exceptional, the PC version of Game Pass is just as good of a value for subscribers. Plus, if you are an Ultimate member, you get both versions anyway. If you are looking for the next game to play on your computer, here are the ten best games available on PC Game Pass.
Related: The 10 best games on Xbox Game Pass
The top 10 games on PC Game Pass
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is a remade celebration of one of the most popular real-time strategy games. It looks much better than the original, outputting a resolution of up to 4K. It also has remade music, includes all past expansions (plus a brand new one), and even has a new cooperative mode added. If you are looking for a game to truly eat up some time, this is one of the better choices you can make, as getting through a singular run on the campaign will take dozens of hours.
Doom Eternal
When Doom got rebooted in 2016, it was a welcome return for one of the most iconic first-person shooters ever. With its 2020 sequel, Doom Eternal, the franchise was expanded to feature more attacks that would reward you with resources to survive and thrive against Hell’s demons. Movement felt even better than before and the list of enemies made the game a more rewarding challenge. We are not too impressed with the multiplayer this time around, but the single-player campaign is one of the best FPS adventures you can go on.
Grounded
Grounded is a survival game that has you and up to three friends working to gather resources and survive as shrunken kids left in a normal backyard. While things look harmless for a normal-sized person, things are quite dire when you are that tiny. You will constantly encounter hostile bugs like spiders, mosquitoes, and more, so you will need to craft armor, weapons, and a base to protect yourself while maintaining your food and water intake. The game has come out of early access now and you can complete the story to find all of the dangerous secrets the backyard hides.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Anyone who has ever been a fan of the Halo series should download this great collection. While it started with a myriad of problems, 343 Industries was committed to fixing its issues, and it now runs brilliantly. With your Game Pass subscription, you have access to Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4. Should you decide you want it, you can also purchase Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. Our favorite added feature is the ability to choose which games and modes you specifically want to play in multiplayer. If you are a fan of specific games in the series, you can set it to only search for matches in that game. It is a small feature that makes a significant impact on how enjoyable the experience is.
Hitman Trilogy
The Hitman Trilogy is one of the best stealth games you will ever play. You play as Agent 47 placed in a sandbox level with the sole purpose of eliminating the main targets. As you explore the area, you will find ways to infiltrate security, steal costumes to blend in, and find various ways to kill your unsuspecting target. You could poison them, cause an explosion, shoot them, or maybe let them have an “accident.” There is a lot of freedom here and tons of community-created missions if you ever get tired of the many officially released content.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
The original Mass Effect trilogy is one of the most celebrated RPGs of all time. With the Legendary Edition, you get to play through all three adventures in one package. While you could download the games separately on PC Game Pass, it is easier to have them all bundled together and ready to go. This version has been upgraded to easily handle 4K resolution and includes over 40 DLCs from all of the games. Even if you played the game in the past, it may be worth going through it again to try a different morale path or see if you can save your whole crew.
Minecraft
Everyone knows this game already. Minecraft is a giant sandbox where you can do whatever you want in a giant, endless world. Mine for materials, build your dream home, slay monsters, and so much more. It is great for all ages and is still receiving regular updates today. Even if you have played the game before, there is likely something new you have yet to see in Minecraft. With PC Game Pass, you get access to both the Bedrock and Java Edition, so you can look at the marketplace and use crossplay in the former while implementing mods in the latter.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
We highly recommend playing through the original Ori and the Blind Forest first, but Ori and the Will of the Wisps is even better. Both games are absolutely gorgeous and have beautiful music from beginning to end. The tales here are hard-hitting emotionally and the combat has been vastly improved in the sequel. This is, without a doubt, one of the best Metroidvanias you will come across.
Telltale’s The Walking Dead
This one might be a cheat, but if you haven’t played any of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, you are missing out. The first season is a must-play for any story-driven fans, being one of the best narrative games ever made. You play as Lee at the start of the zombie apocalypse set apart from the show and graphic novels. The choices you make through the story decide who lives and dies and who will be willing to help you should you need it. You essentially adopt Clementine, a little girl that you quickly become close to and will need to watch as you travel looking for safety. As the four seasons go on, you see Clementine grow and mature in the zombie apocalypse world.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is essentially Fallout in space, but with a bigger emphasis on humor. The game is set in the Halcyon Colony, a distant outer space civilization that is controlled by corporate greed. You are brought in to take down the Board who makes life unbearable for the humans who already deal with the dangerous wildlife. This game has excellent writing that will make you laugh as you level up your character to either be the colony’s savior, their nightmare, or something in between. If you have been looking for a classic Fallout experience that is a little different, this will be your closest bet.
