Introduction
The most advanced version of Game Pass is called Ultimate and costs $15 per month. It provides access to a subscription with games from the publisher Electronic Arts and the X Cloud cloud service.
To put it simply, Game Pass is the video game equivalent of Netflix. There is both exclusive permanent content released by Microsoft and temporarily available from other companies: it may be removed from the library a couple of months after inclusion in the subscription. There is no need to purchase games separately within Game Pass.
It’s easy to get lost among such diversity. Therefore, we have selected 20 games that subscribers of the service are definitely worth trying.
1. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Briefly: six Halo games in one re-release with improved graphics
Year of release: 2014
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: 343 Industries
Genre: first-person shooter
Game modes: single-player, co-op, multiplayer
Approximate duration: 56 hours
Where to play: PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series
Plot. Genetically modified human John-117 , better known as the Master Chief, saves humanity from Covenant attacks. This is an alien alliance that is taking over the entire galaxy. The main character’s task is to destroy enemy forces on earth and in space.
The Master Chief Collection contains all the main series games released up to and including 2012: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo 4.
What’s special? The first Halo, released in 2001, is considered a revolutionary shooter. Thanks to it, health regeneration and a limited number of carryable weapons have become standard in video games.
The series is praised for its smart enemies, multi-tiered levels with a large number of approaches to the enemy, the ability to use military equipment, as well as an exciting and lively multiplayer. Halo also boasts a well-developed universe: it is constantly being supplemented with the help of books, comics and TV series.
Not only is The Master Chief Collection available on Game Pass, but also two subsequent parts – Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite. In the latter, an open world has appeared that can be explored without restrictions.
2. Forza Horizon 5
Briefly: a game about racing in Mexico
Year of release: 2021
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Playground Games
Genre: racing
Game modes: single player, multiplayer
Approximate duration: you can play until you get bored
Where to play: on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series
Plot. You play as a racer at the Horizon Festival in Mexico: winning competitions, collecting famous cars, completing challenges and helping organizers organize events in different parts of the country.
What’s special? Forza Horizon isn’t your typical off-piste racer. This is a game with a large open world available for exploration. You can ride anything that moves: trucks, jeeps or classic cars. Everything is licensed and looks great.
In addition, Horizon 5 has all four seasons, and the time of day and weather change dynamically. You can’t take your eyes off the landscapes of Mexico, either in winter or summer. This is now the best race for relaxed gaming sessions. Previously, this title belonged to the Need for Speed series.
3. It Takes Two
Briefly: a cooperative game about a married couple turned into dolls
Release year: 2021
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Genres: action, platformer
Game mode: cooperative
Approximate duration: 12 hours
Where to play: PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series
Plot. The couple Cody and May decide to get a divorce. Their daughter Rose does not want to put up with the whims of her mother and father and therefore makes a simple wish: let her parents stay together. The wish suddenly comes true: Cody and May turn into animated dolls. To regain their human appearance, they will have to do the impossible – find a common language and resolve the crisis in their relationship.
What’s special? Formally, It Takes Two is a traditional platformer with puzzles that you need to solve together. In fact, the game changes genres on the fly and turns into a shooter, a fighting game, or a third-person action game. At such moments the most interesting things begin.
Going through It Takes Two is like going through family therapy. You can play only together, online or sitting on the same couch. To win, you will have to find a common language with your gaming partner. Cody and May teach you to value relationships with loved ones more: It Takes Two is fun to play with loved ones, relatives, and friends.
Game Pass also has A Way Out, the previous game from the same studio about the escape of two prisoners from prison. It’s not as varied as It Takes Two, but it can also be played with just two people. It’s less therapy and more crime drama.