Kentucky Route Zero (Xbox One)

Cardboard Computer's 2103 masterpiece, Kentucky Route Zero is a sublime magical realist point-and-click adventure that takes you on a beguiling journey to a place that exists both below and beyond.

This really is a trip to be savoured, ruminated on; no need to rush. Each beautifully illustrated act here brings with it some new perspective, new places and people to forge deep connections with. You may be confused, even bewildered by your initial steps down into the subterranea that exists somewhere beneath this version of Kentucky but, by the end of your journey, you'll have made friends and memories and been escorted through a rich and beautiful experience that will stay with you much longer than you may expect.

We don't want to give anything away about this one here in all honesty, just get it downloaded and dive in!

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Xbox Series X|S)

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great big celebration of everything Star Wars that looks and plays like a dream on Series X and provides an absolute ton of content for solo players to get stuck into.

The upgrades to the series' core gameplay here — the combo-focused combat, flashy space battles, boss encounters, over-the-shoulder shooting action and cover system — all combine to make this the best LEGO Star Wars has ever felt to play. Throw in a humongous open world setting that's bursting at the seams with secrets and collectibles and you've got an absolute smorgasbord of all things Star Wars to revel in. May the force etc etc!

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Xbox One)

Three of the most universally adored sci-fi epics ever made brought together in one huge and lovingly remastered package. It was hardly gonna end badly was it?

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a dream come true for Mass Effect fans and a chance for us all to return to this wonderful world full of choice and consequence, dense and fascinating lore and, as the franchise progresses, some absolutely cracking combat sequences.

There are still a few rough edges here, we'll just never enjoy planet scanning or driving that infernal Mako, but overall this is one epic, emotionally charged sci-fi package and a long-awaited return to the Normandy that we hadn't even really realised we were so excited about. It was sure good to see you again, Shepard.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Xbox Series X|S)

After the fairly average effort that was Marvel's Avengers, we guess nobody was really expecting all that much from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, although with Eidos Montreal at the helm here we certainly hadn't lost all hope.

As it turned out, we needn't have worried, as what we've ended up with is a rip-roaring adventure that's packed full of hilarious banter between its band of misfit heroes, some wonderfully colourful and quirky alien worlds and lots of proper, actual, you're going to make us cry emotion.

Yes, the gameplay is all pretty straightforward stuff that isn't gonna set the world on fire, but it's serviceable, it's fun, and it's bolstered to no end by the writing, world-building and absolutely gorgeous graphics on offer here. This really is one of the very best adventures we were taken on last year!

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

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Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Xbox Series X)
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Xbox Series X)

Max Payne 3 (Xbox 360)

Finally! After what seems like years of waiting, our own personal favourite entry from the excellent Max Payne series is now backwards compatible and anyone who has yet to dive into this single player Xbox extravaganza should do so at the earliest possible opportunity.

Max Payne 3 remains a super slick and polished action adventure that funnels players through a tightly knit campaign littered with brilliant gunfights and face-offs. The franchise's signature bullet time gameplay is intact here and it's honestly never looked or felt better as you fling yourself in slow motion across rooms, take cover behind obstacles and gun down foes in a series of brilliantly escalating, and evermore absurd, scenarios. This is a breathless, breath-taking action game that you simply have to try for yourself.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Metro Exodus (Xbox One)

4A Games' third entry in their stellar Metro franchise sees a radical shift to a semi-open world environment, a risky move that, thankfully, pays off big time as Metro Exodus is perhaps the best of this radioactive bunch.

Taking Artyom's adventures out into wide open and unusually bright settings could have turned out to be a really bad move for a series that thrives on claustrophobia, on dark spaces and the cloying paranoia of not knowing what awaits in the never-ending shadows of their post-apocalyptic Metro tunnel settings. However, 4A has dealt with this by creating amazingly absorbing and atmospheric playgrounds that are jam-packed full of exploration and deadly action to get stuck into, whilst also providing plenty of classic underground activity for fans of the franchise to sink their teeth into. This is an incredible looking adventure too, a real stunner on next-gen platforms, that provides a ton of single player survival horror action for those brave enough to sign up.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Xbox Series X|S)

Some might say Microsoft Flight Simulator is less of a game and more of a, well... a simulator — call it what you like, but there's no doubting that Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most impressive "games" to ever make it to console, featuring the ability to literally fly anywhere you like in the world. If it exists on our globe, you can fly to it.

It's a next-gen only exclusive, for obvious reasons, and it'll take you some time to get used to all the various controls, but once it all clicks into place, there's nothing quite like cruising over your own house in Microsoft Flight Sim and looking for all the various landmarks in your area... even if many of them do turn out to be fairly unrecognisable. There's a lifetime's worth of aerial excellence for solo players to dig into here and it's all available via Game Pass to boot.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Minecraft (Xbox One)

What would any list of great Xbox single player games be without the endless joy and creativity provided by Minecraft?

An amazing mixture of endless creative possibilities set in a lovely blocky world that's absolutely dripping in atmosphere and character, Minecraft really has got it all. Build complex designs and structures that you've spent aeons working on, build your very own village, ultra modern house, castle of horrors or get busy following along the story in order to visit the Nether and the End and destroy the Ender Dragon...you can do pretty much anything here. There's value in exploring how materials break down here too if you've got kids looking to get stuck in, and they'll learn all manner of things about the real world around them as they play. If you've got a console, this game is a no-brainer.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

NieR:Automata (Xbox One)

NieR:Automata is a game that continuously gains momentum. As each scenario plays out, the story dramatically unfolds, its fast paced combat becomes more demanding, and its plot beats become even stranger. It's a game that's hard to describe, but one that's an absolute rollercoaster of a ride.

It also encourages repeat playthroughs, each delivering different paths, plot points and further exploration of its world to create one of the most unique RPGs out there. With the remake of NieR Replicant also available for Xbox, now is the perfect time to dive in and experience this absolute treat.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Nobody Saves The World (Xbox Series X|S)

Canadian developer Drinkbox Studios never lets us down with the sterling quality of their indie releases, with the likes of the superb Guacamelee series, Severed and Mutant Blobs Attack rounding out an impressive back catalogue.

And so, it's quite understandable that we've all been waiting with baited breath for their latest game, Nobody Saves The World, to finally arrive on Xbox Game Pass, with the studio once again pretty much nailing it. This is a colourful and clever dungeon-crawling romp with a bevvy of smart mechanics up its sleeve, including the ability to transform into everything from a robot, to a ghost, dinosaur, rat and warrior knight as you blaze a trail through its wonderfully well-designed dungeons and boss battles. As we said in our review, "this is one of the slickest indie RPGs we've played in quite some time" and a game that you should check out ASAP.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes