Dordogne (Xbox Series X|S)
If you're looking for a heartfelt journey on Xbox Game Pass, then Dordogne should fit the bill. The watercolour visuals are striking from the outset, and there's plenty of emotion baked into the story. It's also a pleasantly short experience, only lasting a few hours. In other words, it doesn't outstay its welcome!
Here's what we had to say in our review of Dordogne here at Pure Xbox:
"Mimi's story may be a slight one, but the short running time and simplicity of the narrative add to the charm here. This is a game about reconnecting with your childhood, rediscovering long-lost memories and re-engaging with the things that make you who you are."
Fable 2 (Xbox 360)
Yes, we're all impatiently waiting on the revival of Fable being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, but until that time, we're just going to have to make-do with the original three Xbox titles — Fable Anniversary, Fable 2 and Fable 3. We could have included any of them here, but we're going to highlight the second game in particular.
If Fable is new to you, it's a very British-style action RPG taking place within the fictional land of Albion, where you take the role of a young hero who needs to save the world. In addition to the main campaign, you can get married and have children, build a property empire, take part in various jobs and more. Definitely give it a try!
Fallout 4 (Xbox One)
OK, yes, it's not quite as good as 3, or New Vegas, but Bethesda's Fallout 4 is still a sublime RPG, a huge and wonderfully detailed slice of post-apocalyptic fun that delivers up hundreds of hours-worth of shooting, stealthing, stealing, discovering and dungeon-crawling all wrapped up in an excellent story that chock-full of memorable characters.
We were 100% not sold on the building of settlements, it felt shoehorned in and a little boring if we being honest, but you don't even need to touch that aspect of proceedings here if you don't want to, and this an entry in the series that absolutely still delivers when it comes to setting you free in a big mad wasteland, letting you go your own way, make your own friends and enemies and cause your own unique brand of trouble.
FIFA 23 (Xbox Series X|S)
Isn't it just the best thing having EA Play as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? It means you get games like the immensely popular FIFA 23 cropping up on the service just a few months after launch, and we don't know about you, but we feel like this is probably the best FIFA in quite a few years.
Everything about the gameplay feels super solid (although we still long for the days of PES), and the addition of the Men's and Women's World Cups is definitely appreciated. It's also the final FIFA of all time... at least from EA Sports!
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Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Series X|S)
One of the most exquisite looking games currently available on any gaming platform, that also happens to be just about as good as arcade racing games get? Yeah, that'll be Forza Horizon 5.
Playground Games' latest may not do anything particularly new for the franchise, but it doesn't really need to, this is their open world racer's exquisite gameplay loops honed to absolute perfection and plonked down in the very best setting that the series has seen so far. An endless array of wonderfully flashy sports cars, tons of events, seamless online functionality and constant, almost overwhelming, bells, whistles and unlockables see every moment you spend with this game feel like some sort of crazy, car-based sugar rush.
Ghost Song (Xbox One)
The atmospheric 2D adventure game Ghost Song quietly crept onto Xbox Game Pass at launch in early November 2022, and quickly found itself becoming one of the highest-rated games of the entire year! If you like Metroidvanias, Ghost Song should definitely be on your radar, as it's one of the best examples of the genre on Xbox.
Here's a bit more about it:
"Strike out beneath the surface in search of answers in Ghost Song, an atmospheric 2D adventure of self-discovery, ancient mysteries, and cosmic terror. Explore winding caverns lit only by bioluminescent flora, battle strange and powerful creatures, and acquire new abilities to help you unearth this alien world’s long-buried secrets."
Ghostwire: Tokyo (Xbox Series X|S)
Just like Deathloop, we had to wait an entire year for Ghostwire: Tokyo to finally make its way to Xbox after being a PlayStation exclusive for such a long period of time, but at least we got it on Xbox Game Pass!
Ghostwire: Tokyo is very different to another Tango Gameworks title on this list (Hi-Fi RUSH), focusing instead on a supernatural adventure in which you'll wield a "powerful arsenal of abilities" as you traverse the game's beautiful rendition of the Japanese capital. Plus, it's even better now thanks to the Spider's Thread Update which launched alongside the Xbox version, so you should definitely consider giving it a try on Xbox Game Pass.
GoldenEye 007 (Xbox Series X|S)
It felt like we were never going to see GoldenEye 007 on Xbox, but it finally made its appearance in January 2023, and we still can't quite believe it to be honest! This is the classic N64 experience you know and love, but with native 16:9 widescreen resolution at up to 4K Ultra HD, along with a much improved modern control scheme.
The downside to this version is that you don't get frame rates above 30FPS (even if you're on Xbox Series X), and there's no online multiplayer to speak of either, but we can't grumble too much. This is one of the best video games of all time, and we're finally able to play it on Xbox Game Pass!
Grand Theft Auto V Next Gen Update (Xbox Series X|S)
Grand Theft Auto V has come and gone on Xbox Game Pass over the past few years, but we've never seen the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions included as part of the service before - until now. You can experience the next-gen graphics and performance baked into these editions, which make a great game even better.
Of course, there's option of either playing through the story or diving into Grand Theft Auto Online, and the latter is a much more expansive beast than it was back at launch ten years ago. Quite honestly, you could play just this game and nothing else, and you'd probably still get value for money out of your Xbox Game Pass subscription!
Gris (Xbox Series X|S)
We had to wait multiple years until Gris finally made its way to Xbox, but at least it's now on Game Pass! If you haven't heard of it, this is a platform adventure game which takes you on a "serene and evocative experience" with light puzzles and exploration elements. There's no danger, there's no death and there's no frustration.
Gris is an award-winning experience that holds an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam, so if you like the sound of it, it's definitely worth a go. It's only a short game, but it's stylish, beautiful and has a fantastic soundtrack.
Grounded (Xbox One)
Obsidian's Grounded feels like it's been available on Xbox Game Pass for ages now, but it only recently came out of early access, so we've pretty much got a brand-new game on our hands here. This one's been consistently surprising us over the past few years, implementing constant updates that have really transformed the experience into a must-play. There's also an arachnophobia mode if you can't deal with the creepy spiders!
Even if you tried this one a little while ago, it's worth a re-download to see all the changes since.
Comments 30
You don't have any of the Dishonored games or Prey on here.
That's illegal I tell you! (No Arkane love)
Again, this is another of those guides where everyone should feel free to throw suggestions in the comments — we'll add to it accordingly in the future
Hollow Knight is my favourite 'picked up on a whim on game pass' game. One of the greats and not just within its genre in my opinion.
Nier Automata and resident evil 7 would round out my top 3 suggestions, but others are dead cells, tetris effect, the forgotten city, nobody saves the world, halo collection, deaths door, pyschonauts 1 + 2, dead space, dragon age, mass effect trilogy, fallout 3/NV, doom + eternal... Basically a lot 👍.
Edit: I forgot what remains of Edith Finch, lumines and Limbo.
Forza Horizon 5 has pretty much been a desert island game for me, I already logged hundreds of hours, one of those games I could play forever. Halo Infinite is another obvious hit, best FPS I have played in a long time. Outside of that I just love to check out some of the occasional indies, but I have also loved playing No Man's Sky.
Prey and Dishonored 2 are truly 2 gems that deserve to be in this list
I would add Remnant from the Ashes. It is even better than Outriders in his genre.
Artful escape is amazing. Easy to play and what an experience.
Yakuza 3, 4, 5 and 6 say hello.
@homme_parametre besides both being third person shooters they're hardly the same? Typing this the complaints about Outrider's difficulty sprang to mind, something which I definitely didn't mind and sure as hell wouldn't make me class it as a soulslike, the way remnant from the ashes is. But it is a great game and should definitely be in this list.
@Kurt101 you're right about that, it's short, pleasing to the eye and jam full of good songs. My goty of last year, such a surreal experience.
@PureXbox You should have us rank ‘em with some votes. Always fun to see how NSO games rank on NintendoLife. I think it’d get really interesting.
Not agreeing with every game on this list, obviously - so many people and so many tastes - but in my book, the first Gears of War and Forza Horizon 4 should absolutely be in this list.
@Nf157 What Remains of Edith Finch is beautiful indeed, despite the terrible performance in the first stages of the game.
@Bartig I forgot about the performance issues until you mentioned it. Probably a telling sign of how good it is.
@Cherip-the-Ripper Sure both games aren't exaclty the same (Remnant is basically a Souls-like with guns...) but i would put them both in the "looter shooter" folder imo.
Dovahkiin and Streets of rage.
GamePass has a huge value, still I consider it as a "try" platform: if I play a game on the service and I like it, I will eventually buy it using the 20% GP Offer or another sale due to respect and incentive to the developers.
Can we rate the games ourselves so the list is based on community preferences like the lists they make on NL and PS?
Really want them to add some 360 games like The Witcher 2
@everynowandben I remember the ac list on p+ being terrible so maybe not that good of an idea.
@everynowandben Yes, it's something we want to look at doing at some point - bare with us!
@Chaudy The Witcher 2 on 360 was awful. Loads of framerate issues and fog everywhere. I had a PC by the time it released so I played it there but for consoles we need the superior Xbox One X Enhanced version of The Witcher 2 on Game Pass, not the 360 version.
Im currently playing banjo tooie again. On my phone with xcloud gamepass. Having a great time! I just have to wait till nobody is in the house as xcloud won't work very well
I finished or played for a good chunck (at least 5/10h until I retired them) 22 out of those 75 although some of them I completed on other systems prior (for instance desde cells, dragon quest or Skyrim). Let's see If the number evolves with time
@EliJapan Great spot, thank you!
Chorus is one of my favorite game this year , beautiful graphics, fast action with all the powers you acquire dog fighting is a blast to play unlike other flying/space games, if you like space shooter you will fall in love with chorus.
Good list. Personally I’d also add - Tinykin, Hellblade, Forza Horizon 4&5, Halo Wars (both), Master Chief Collection, Halo Infinite, GRID Legends & Dishonoured
Will there be a review for The Legend of Tianding? I’m curious as to whether or not it will make this list.
Few more games added to / removed from the list!
@FraserG I would like a series of weekly brackets of 10 games each poll us on our three favorites and the top 5 move on to the next round
@themightyant Love Arkane. (Dishonored 2 is on the list, PREY should've been on it also.)
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