Sea Of Thieves (Xbox One)

Rare’s high seas hijinks have come a long way since they first arrived on the scene back in 2018. What was once a rather threadbare and often aimless pirate experience has now been transformed into a rich and vibrant world full of adventure, intrigue and activities for teams of up to four players.

Yes, getting into great big sea battles against other teams of players, fighting all manner of fantastical creatures and searching for treasure may be the main draw here, but even the simple act of just working together to successfully manoeuvre your ship is a joy, such is the craftsmanship with which Rare has put this world together. With the best water we’ve ever seen in a video game - the sea here really is a character in and of itself - Sea of Thieves is a highly atmospheric adventure playground that provides an endless time sink for groups of friends - and solo players! - who love to roleplay the pirate lifestyle.

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Sea of Thieves [Digital Code - UK/EU]
Sea of Thieves [Digital Code - UK/EU]

Signalis (Xbox Series X|S)

We never had a chance to review Signalis on Pure Xbox back at launch, but we were hearing great things about it long before it ever arrived on Xbox Game Pass! Fortunately, the final product ended up proving a smash hit as well, offering up a "classic survival horror experience" that fans have been absolutely loving on the service. With an impressive Metacritic score of 82 (for the PC version), Signalis is definitely worth a play on Xbox Game Pass.

Sniper Elite 5 (Xbox Series X|S)

The big arrival for Xbox Game Pass in May 2022 was undoubtedly Sniper Elite 5, which joined the lineup on day one and exploded onto the scene with a critically acclaimed entry in the series. In fact, we called it the best Sniper Elite of all time in our 9/10 review here at Pure Xbox, and here's a sample of what we had to say:

"Sniper Elite 5 is the very best entry in this long-running franchise to date. Karl Fairburne's latest WW2 adventure effortlessly mixes jaw-dropping campaign environments, improved close quarters combat and ruthless enemy AI, resulting in a game that puts this series firmly into the top tier of action titles once and for all."

Slay The Spire (Xbox One)

Mega Crit Games' Slay the Spire should come with some sort of health warning, as this superb blend of deckbuilding, roguelike and dungeon-crawler is one the most fiendishly addictive games we've played in actual years, it's almost impossible to put down.

An almost unfathomably moreish mix that's jam-packed full of depth, it sucks you in and refuses to let go with its wonderful art style, clever enemies, tactile and expansive decks of cards, relics and floor after floor of puzzle-like battles to savour. If you've ever liked single player card games, this is for you. If you've ever thought about trying card games, this is for you. If you've never even though a...you get the point. Slay the Spire is one of the best games released in the past few years and an absolute must-play on Game Pass.

Stardew Valley (Xbox One)

With so many farming sims on the market right now, it can seem tough to decide which is the best one to go with. However, we're here to tell you the decision is actually easy, it's Stardew Valley.

One of the first titles in the genre to push farming sims properly into mainstream consciousness, Stardew Valley is just an incredibly addictive game that makes tending to crops and managing relationships some of the most fun its ever been. Since its initial release multiple updates have further expanded the game and turned it into the ultimate, refined version of itself. Even if this genre doesn't appeal to you, this is one experience you do not want to miss out on - and it's on Game Pass so you've really got no excuses!

Starfield (Xbox Series X|S)

What do we really need to say about Starfield? This was Bethesda's biggest release of all time, and a massive milestone for Team Xbox as well. It's absolutely ridiculous in terms of scale and immersion, and if you like RPGs in any form, you owe it to yourself to try this Xbox and PC exclusive out. Yes, it's that important!

Don't forget that even though this is an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC exclusive, you can still try it on Xbox One with Xbox Cloud Gaming - but you'll need to be an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member. The same goes for playing it on phones, certain TVs and various other devices, that's the magic of the cloud!

Starfield Digital Premium Edition [UK/EU Download Code]
Starfield Digital Premium Edition [UK/EU Download Code]
Starfield Standard Edition [UK/EU Download Code]
Starfield Standard Edition [UK/EU Download Code]

Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)

Sunset Overdrive was released at a time when morale and belief in the Xbox brand was arguably at its lowest (2014), and being an Xbox exclusive, it somewhat slipped under the radar. It's become a cult classic in recent years though, thanks to its fast-paced gameplay and traversal, over-the-top story and colourful visuals.

This is the Xbox game that was developed by Insomniac Games before they went off to join PlayStation Studios and create Marvel's Spider-Man, so it's no surprise it's so good. It's never received a a proper next-gen touch-up, which is a shame, but play it on Xbox Series X and Series S and it benefits really well from the Auto HDR feature.

STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order (Xbox One)

Looking for a good Star Wars game on Xbox Game Pass? Thanks to EA Play, you're very spoilt for choice with the likes of Battlefront 2 and Squadrons also available on the service, but we have to give the nod to Jedi: Fallen Order for its incredible single-player adventure and masterful lightsaber controls — it truly is a Star Wars fan's dream.

Developed by Titanfall and Apex Legends studio Respawn, Jedi: Fallen Order sees you taking the role of former Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis following the Great Jedi Purge, in which he embarks on a journey to rebuild the Jedi Order. If you've ever enjoyed classic games such as Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, we think you'll love this one.

State of Decay 2 (Xbox One)

The first State of Decay was an excellent game on the Xbox 360, but State of Decay 2 took things to another level, introducing way more depth to the game along with the addition of online co-operative play for the first time. It received mixed reviews back at launch for a variety of reasons, but developer Undead Labs has been working on it solidly for well over three years now, adding loads of extra features, many of them for free and/or included with Xbox Game Pass. If you like zombie games and survival games, this is a perfect blend of the two.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Xbox Series X|S)

Cowabunga! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return in Tribute Game's superlative homage to the classic side-scrolling Turtles games of yesteryear. This one sticks close to the formula found in the likes Turtles in Time, but the developers have modernised, refined and beefed things up to make for a game that will wow newcomers as much as it will us oldies who are all wrapped up in nostalgia.

As we said in our 9/10 review, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is "a fantastic slice of arcade beat 'em up nostalgia that old hands, diehard fans and newcomers alike can enjoy in equal measure. It is, in short, one shell of a good time."

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition (Xbox One)

While Fallout 4 may have been the only Xbox One exclusive release from Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim received an enhanced version for the Xbox One early in its life cycle.

There's not much to say about Skyrim that many don't already know, but focusing on the Xbox One version, one of the best elements about it is its mod support. With such mods that allow to bolster the game up to 60 frames per second, or even fix quest lines that the developer itself didn't even manage, it's possible to create the most definitive edition of the game. With its recent addition into Xbox Game Pass, there's no excuse not to dive back in.