An Xbox Game Pass subscription
is almost a must-have 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.
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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.
Of note right now are Pentiment, a new narrative game from RPG specialist Obsidian Entertainment, A Plague Tale: Requiem, which is a sequel to a much-lauded indie game, and Chivalry 2, a competitive (and violent) medieval multiplayer game, which I got a great kick out of. Vampire Survivors, another recent addition, is a simple-looking game that was an addictive hit earlier in 2022 on Steam.
PC gamers just got access to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, a squad shooter set in that highly stylized sci-fi universe. It’s only available on the PC version of Game Pass for now.
The H.R. Giger-inspired Scorn is a great example of a cool-looking game that’s great to sample via Game Pass, but you probably wouldn’t want to pay full price for.
New and noteworthy
Recent hits
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Must-play classics
PC gaming picks
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.