We fully believe that Xbox Game Pass is the best deal you can get into in gaming. For a monthly subscription, you to download or stream hundreds of games, similar to how you would handle movies, but with video games. The only problem is the choices available can sometimes be too much. When faced with so many options, some people will shut it down because it becomes overwhelming. With that in mind, here are ten games you should absolutely try on Game Pass.
Related: The 10 best indie games on Xbox Series X and S worth playing
The best games to try on Xbox Game Pass
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Odyssey is our favorite Assassin’s Creed game of all time. You play as either Alexios or Kassandra in Ancient Greece, armed with Leonidas’ spear, a worthy substitute for the series’ usual hidden blades. You are a misthios, or a mercenary, and will take on all kinds of jobs and adventures as you travel the large sprawling map. There is ship combat, exploration for days, and a bunch of abilities you can unlock to make you an unstoppable killing machine. There is much to see here to invest dozens of hours of life into.
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood is made by Turtle Rock Studios, the original makers of Left 4 Dead. This game is essentially a spiritual successor and a modern reinvigorating take on that formula. Four survivors, or Cleaners in this case, work together to fight endless waves of undead creatures known as the Ridden. These worm parasites have created special enemies that can easily take down if you decide to be a lone wolf. There are also cards you unlock to give you various stat increases and upgrades to make your life easier.
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is one of the best 3D platformer games ever made. Originally released on the Nintendo 64, the Xbox 360 version is playable through Game Pass and is an absolute joy for players of any age. You play as the titled duo, a bear named Banjo and his bird friend in his backpack, Kazooie. They work together to overcome obstacles and gather Jiggies so they can make their way up the evil with Gruntilda’s lair to try and save Banjo’s sister, Tootie, before her youthful prettiness is stolen from her. This is back when Rare was at its best.
Dishonored 2
With Bethesda becoming a part of Xbox Game Studios tons of their great games became available in Game Pass. Of course, you could play Skyrim, Doom, or Deathloop, but we highly recommend Dishonored 2. You play as Corvo or Emily Caldwin as they try to take down the evil witch Delilah, who has stolen the throne of Dunwall. You can either go about this stealthily or use the supernatural magic of The Outsider to take down anyone standing in your way. Every mission here is great and can be approached from various angles.
Forza Horizon 5
For racing fans, you can’t get better than the Forza Horizon series. These games don’t bog down the experience for anyone who thinks simulation games are boring and allows you to explore the area freely as you work to unlock better cars. Horizon 5 takes place in Mexico, a beautiful location for the series as you race around the roads or decide to go offroad and plow through cactuses. There is also a Hot Wheels expansion that places you on enlarged tracks that are a lot of fun for anyone who grew up with a collection of these toy cars.
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite rightly gets some flak for how slow the game is to implement new content, but that doesn’t take away from it being the best feeling Halo game ever. The weapons and controls here are perfect and are a ton of fun to play. Also, the new approach to an open-world campaign works brilliantly and shows how Master Chief is a human under all of that armor. The beautiful thing with Game Pass is that even if you get tired of Infinite, you can play the past games in The Master Chief Collection.
It Takes Two
With Game Pass, you also get access to all of the EA Play library. Of all the games here, we highly recommend It Takes Two if you are looking for a cooperative game. You and a friend play as Cody and May, a married couple undergoing a divorce. When their daughter Rose finds out, she unknowingly casts a spell on them, turning them into dolls. Now the two must work together to rebuild their marriage for Rose to return them to their normal bodies. While we don’t really agree with the sentiment of forcing a straining marriage, the gameplay here is great, with lots of variety. If not this, we also recommend A Way Out for a similar experience about two men escaping prison.
Minecraft
Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world, so there is a high chance you already own the game on some device. If you somehow don’t, you can play either the Bedrock or Java Editions on PC or Xbox as you work with friends to create sprawling block worlds. Whatever you want to build, you can with the proper approach in either Survival or Creative modes. The modding community and Marketplace are also great places to expand your gameplay on either edition so you’re not always stuck with the same approach.
Psychonauts 2
It took a long time, but when Psychonauts 2 came out it was the follow-up to the original Xbox game that we were waiting for. You pick up the story as Razputin who finally arrives to Psychonauts headquarters. As a new cadet, you will jump into people’s minds to fight the unhealthy mental illnesses that person is dealing with. There are a lot of hard-hitting things to be seen here, but the game is overall lighthearted and a lot of fun to go through.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is essentially a Fallout game in space, but with a bigger focus on comedy. You will travel the various worlds in this game and interact with all kinds of people as you take on different missions and acquire new guns. Along the way, you will make choices that decide the fate of the colony and how people see you. This is one of the more interesting RPGs out there and should definitely be given a try while waiting for its sequel to release sometime in the future.
