Xbox Game Pass is proving to be a much better deal than many of us predicted it would be. By providing a bumper crop of video games every month for a pretty reasonable subscription fee, Microsoft has created a service that's pretty worthwhile, especially when games like Gears 5 are available for everyone to enjoy.
New titles are being added pretty frequently, and here are some of the upcoming additions to the Xbox Game Pass lineup:
Munchkin: Quacked Quest
Munchkin: Quacked Quest attempts to bring the fun yet rage-inducing card game into the world of video games. You and three other frenemies compete to gather as much loot and ducks as you can carry to achieve the highest level and win the game. Oh, and you'll also screw with each other along as the way since this is Munchkin after all. Get ready to find new ways to make your friends and family despise you when it releases sometime this Autumn.
Demon's Tilt
You've fought monsters, you've played pinball, but have you fought monsters by playing pinball? Demon's Tilt is a unique new indie title that combines hack and slash combat, projectile heavy shmup action, and the paddle-pushing mayhem of pinball. The game is currently still in Early Access on Steam, but it looks like its official launch will coincide with its inclusion in the Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft taking a chance on a title as original as this one truly shows the variety of games you can find on their service.
Genesis Noir
It's not entirely clear what kind of a game Genesis Noir is. It appears to be about a private eye who traverses a cosmic dream world made up of wavy lines and unusual shapes. According to the Steam page, it's set before, during and after the Big Bang, and your goal is to destroy creation. So yeah, it's weird. We'll likely all be left in the dark about this title until it finally releases.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
Lonely Mountain: Downhill's gameplay looks like all those BMX videos where the riders hit all those impressive jumps and turns, only instead of some extreme sports athlete you're some blocky man made out of polygons. There's a lot of potential for this to be a great bike-racing experience, and it looks like there'll be some brutal Trials-esque spills and crashes as well. This is scheduled to release sometime this Fall and will launch on Xbox Game Pass on the same day.
Yooka-Laylee
While opinions are divided on whether this throwback to the 3D platformers of the N64-era is a success or not, there's still a lot of charm to this lizard and bat combo. They definitely haven't achieved the same fanbase as Banjo-Kazooie - their obvious inspiration - but if you're looking for some hijinks and jumping, Yooka-Laylee will soon be gliding over to Xbox Game Pass.
Cities: Skylines
There's a simplistic pleasure in building roads, and connecting power grids to create the perfect city. Many of us will never be architects and engineers, so games like Cities: Skylines will be the closest we ever get. This is essentially the modern-day SimCity, and considering that series is lying dead in the vast graveyard of EA's unused franchises, there are few city planning games better than Cities: Skylines.
Dead By Daylight
Behaviour Interactive seems to want to spread their horrific, asymmetrical multiplayer experience across as many platforms as they possibly can. Already available on several other consoles and PC marketplaces, soon you can either run for your lives or murder with impunity right from the comfort of Xbox Game Pass.
Minit
You might think that you can't accomplish a lot in 60 seconds, but Minit shoves an entire adventure within that time frame. After gaining possession of a cursed sword, you have only one minute to live, and after your death, you resurrect Groundhog Day-style and have to find a way out of this predicament. As the title suggests, it's not very long so you have little reason to not play it all the way through.
The Escapists 2
The Escapists 2 builds upon its predecessor's concept, giving us even more ways to get out of jail free. With tons of contraband to steal, craft, or otherwise acquire, you can plan out the ultimate escape route. It even has co-op so you can help each other out of the hoosegow, or even sabotage your attempts at freedom. It's like if you combined Terraria with The Shawshank Redemption.
The Talos Principle
It's weird to think that the developer behind Serious Sam would end up creating a thought-provoking first-person puzzle game. Yet, the minds that came up with screaming dudes with bombs for hands somehow also conceived The Talos Principle. A challenging game that requires a decent amount of brainpower, it's Croteam's best game that doesn't include a guy wearing sunglasses wielding a minigun.
The Red Strings Club
Another game that delves into the questionable morality of A.I. and body modification, The Red Strings Club is a cyberpunk point and click with a compelling narrative. You'll be tasked with taking down a corrupt corporation through espionage, subterfuge, and excellent bartending skills. Reviews are strong for this one, and it's from Devolver, so expect a weird and wild futuristic adventure.
Vambrace: Cold Soul
If you're looking for more Darkest Dungeon, Vambrace: Cold Soul could satisfy your craving for more dark, side-scrolling, turn-based dungeon crawling with maybe a dash of visual novel story-telling. We didn't exactly go crazy for it here at TheGamer, but you may have a different opinion.
State Of Mind
Last up, State Of Mind is another game with a heavy focus on the ethics of transhumanism and body modification wrapped up in a dystopian cyberpunk tale. Possibly a nice chaser to go with The Red Strings Club, reviews are a little mixed, but if you're looking for more science fiction to play on your Xbox or PC, Microsoft has you covered.