The best Xbox Game Pass games (January 2024) Can't decide what game you want to play on your Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, or PC next? Here's our list of the best Game Pass games to help you out.Ian Stokes & Sean Carey Published 15 Dec 2023 FollowtopicsXbox Game Pass PCXbox Game PassIan Stokes With nearly 500 games in the service at any one time, it can difficult to decide what to play on Game Pass. That's why we've put together this list of what we think are the best Xbox game pass games. We've got a great mix of genres here, with shooters, racers, RPGs, roguelites and more. We've also made sure to highlight the best that both AAA and indie developers have to offer. All of these games are available on Xbox Game Pass Console, and the majority can be played on PC game pass too.We'll be updating this list as games are added and removed from the service, so let us know in the comments below if you think we've missed any hidden gems. And if you want to know what's coming in the future, check out our roundup of all the upcoming game pass games.25. Deep Rock GalacticRelease date: February 28, 2018Developer: Ghost Ship GamesWe’ve got a co-op shooter here, and it’s a nice one! Deep Rock Galactic is a weird sounding game on paper — a mashup on Left 4 Dead and Minecraft — but trust us, it works.Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op first-person shooter about space dwarves fighting off hordes of alien bugs as they try to mine enough precious resources to hit their daily quotas. You and up to three other players choose your class, grab your gear and descend into the hellish planet of Hoxxes. You have to balance completing various missions with battling endless hordes of horrible bugs. Worse yet, when you complete your mission, you still need to make it back to the drop pod before it leaves without you. Corporate life is brutal. Still, at least they give you nice hats to wear. Rock and stone!Deep Rock Galactic is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 24. PowerWash SimulatorRelease date: July 14, 2021Developer: FuturLabSometimes you’re not in the mood to save the world, shoot bad guys, drive fast cars, or explore the galaxy. Sometimes you just need to chill out and achieve something mundane, but satisfying. Enter PowerWash Simulator!It does exactly what it says on the tin. You clean things with a power washer, and it’s somehow one of the most satisfying experiences you’ll find in gaming. There’s something primal about cleaning a dity driveway or shed. Plus you can draw rude shapes in the dirt before you clean them properly. Don’t lie, you’ve all done it.The game has done incredibly well, to the point where it now has crossover DLC with Tomb Raider and SpongeBob. So you can clean Lara’s mansion, or Bikini Bottom, if you need a bit of surreality in your gaming.PowerWash Simulator is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 23. Age of Empires 4Release date: October 28, 2021Developer: Relic Entertainment & World's EdgeAfter what seemed like an eternity (or an age maybe?), the Age of Empires series returned to us in 2021 with Age of Empires 4.Age of Empires 4 is a real-time strategy game that lets you take control of an ancient empire and build it up all the way from the dark ages through to the Renaissance. You gather resources, build cities, and train up an army to defeat all those who would oppose you. Well you’re supposed to anyway, we just build rows of city walls so thick that nothing can ever get through and then slowly turtle our way to victory. It’s a valid strategy, don’t judge us. AoE 4 brings the classic RTS formula of the series into the modern era, with some great quality of life upgrades, along with beautiful modern graphics.We could have just as easily filled this slot with the exceptional Age of Empire II: Definitive Edition too — both are excellent RTS games, but we’re giving the edge to the new kid because it’s the same formula, but with a stunning visual upgrade.Age of Empires 4 is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 22. TunicRelease date: March 16, 2022Developer: TUNIC TeamAction-adventure game Tunic was a breath of fresh air when it launched into Xbox Game Pass. We play as a small fox in a big land full of secrets and mystery. Tunic doesn’t bother with a more traditional type of tutorial, but simply unleashes you into that world that leaves you to figure out and discover its gameplay systems.Tunic is absolutely packed with hidden pathways, mysterious items, and secret shortcuts — as well as more than its own fair share of challenging bosses. We love the gorgeous visuals, and the use of a mysterious language, coupled with the fact that you unlock Tunic’s mysteries by finding scattered pages of the game’s instruction manual within the game world. Tunic creator Andrew Shouldice told us how important that mystery is to the game, likening it to sneaking into an older sibling’s room and loading into somebody else’s saved game. Tunic brings back all that sense of a childhood adventure, while also pelting you with challenges that’ll test you whatever your age. It’s a real Xbox Game Pass gem, and more than deserves its spot on this list.Tunic is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 21. CelesteRelease date: January 1, 2018Developer: Matt Makes Games Inc.From the creators of Towerfall, Celeste is a narrative-driven platformer that sees us helping a young girl called Madeline make her way to the top of a mountain as she battles with her inner demons. It's a platforming game at heart, with well over 700 levels to navigate, all played out to a soundtrack of chilled piano pieces and synth beats — plus B-slide chapters for even more challenging puzzles. And make no mistake, you’re in for some big challenges as Celeste is infamously difficult, both in terms of platforming and puzzling.As you help Madaline on her adventure, you'll meet a host of charming characters, offering you brief respites from the simple, yet rigorous platforming gameplay found when going for the Celeste achievements. It’s one of those rare games that nails both a beautiful narrative and encapsulating gameplay.Celeste is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 20. Assassin's Creed OdysseyRelease date: October 5, 2018Developer: Ubisoft QuebecAfter Ancient Egypt with Bayek in Origins, we headed to Ancient Greece with Kassandra and Alexios for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which came out the next year. Origins was a great game but Odyssey dove further with the freedoms and RPG elements Origins had introduced.It boasts an epic story where you can actually help decide the landscape of the war around you by taking part in its endless battles, as well as taking to the seas to defeat enemies in your own ship. That was in addition to fighting mythological foes, meeting legendary historical figures, and generally causing chaos across Ancient Greece with the outcomes of the many, many choices that it offers. Odyssey’s beautiful world and irresistible backdrop of Greek mythology kept us coming back time and again. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. 19. Slay the SpireRelease date: August 14, 2019Developer: MegaCritOn paper, Slay the Spire looks like someone tried to jam every indie trend from the past decade into one game, but we’ll be damned if it didn’t work out for them. It’s a deckbuilding, roguelike dungeon crawler where you battle your way through the titular spire, discovering new cards to add to your deck that will help you defeat your foes and ascend even higher. You’ll end up dying and restarting a lot, but the roguelike nature of the game means that each run will be different, with new challenges for you to face, a new layout for the spire, and a new deck for you to assemble. It’s an enthralling game and one that you can easily find yourself accidentally playing into the early hours of the morning.Slay the Spire is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. 18. Yakuza: Like a DragonRelease date: November 10, 2020Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku StudioIt’s amazing how quickly we went from no Yakuza on Xbox, to all the Yakuza on Xbox. Yakuza Like A Dragon was the first new game in the series to launch on Xbox though, and it’s got a special place in our hearts for that, and many other reasons.Like A Dragon is actually a spin-off from the mainline series, switching out the beat-em-up style combat for a turn-based JRPG style. But instead of fighting dragons and monsters, you’re beating up Japanese dudes in suits. It takes all the usual JRPG trappings and gives them a bizarre, modern-day makeover. The result is an engrossing and deeply weird experience that we simply couldn’t put down. It helps a lot that the cast of characters are so loveable, especially our protagonist Ichiban, who is just a good dude trying to get by in a rough world.Yakuza: Like a Dragon is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 17. Sea of StarsRelease date: August 29, 2023Developer: Sabotage StudioLooking for something a little more nostalgic and retro in your RPGs? Then Sea of Stars is definitely the game for you.Sea of Stars is a retro-styled pixel art RPG that aims to “modernize the classic RPG in terms of turn-based combat, storytelling, exploration, and interactions with the environment," and it absolutely nails that goal.Chronicling the adventure of two Children of Solstice, Sea of Stars sees you wielding the power of the sun and moon to take down an evil alchemist, The Fleshmancer. You explore beautiful landscapes, battle fearsome beasts and assemble a roster of unique and endearing heroes.Sea of Stars is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC. 16. Rainbow Six: SiegeRelease date: December 1, 2015Developer: Ubisoft MontrealIt’s been eight years since Rainbow Six Siege launched back on the Xbox One, and it’s still going strong — in fact, it’s arguably doing better than ever with a permanent seat reserved in our most played Xbox games chart. It’s easy to see why too — Siege is the ultimate tactical multiplayer shooter, where your ability to shoot someone quickly is secondary to your ability to be in the right place at the right time.Quick headshot skills will still serve you well, but Siege excels because it rewards teamwork and planning. There are over 60 operators to choose from, all with unique loadouts and special abilities that change how a round will play out, and choosing the right team of operators is just as vital to your success as how you play them. I’ll give you a freebie, lay Frost traps half way up winding staircases, no one ever looks down. Damn, Siege is good.Rainbow Six: Siege is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One. 15. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special EditionRelease date: October 28, 2016Developer: Bethesda Game StudiosSkyrim has been ported to just about every games console ever released at this point, and thankfully that includes the Xbox Series X/S, because it’s bloody brilliant.It might be over a decade old at this point, but The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still one of the best RPGs ever made. You take on the role of the Dragonborn, a mythical hero of legend who can absorb the power from dragons and wield it as powerful shouts. You can quest out and save the world, or just steal wheels of cheese from all the stores, whatever you fancy. It’s the quintessential Bethesda RPG with hundreds of hours of adventuring on offer, and the special Edition also comes with the DLC too.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One. 14. CocoonRelease date: September 29, 2023Developer: Geometric InteractiveThe best puzzle games make you feel like a genius when you solve their trials, and Cocoon has mastered that “yes, I got it” feeling like few others. That makes sense when you consider that it was brought to us by Jeppe Carlsen, lead gameplay designer on Limbo and Inside.Cocoon is an isometric puzzle adventure game where you travel between different worlds. The twist is that each of these worlds is contained within an orb that you can carry around with you, or even take into another world. Each orb also has a unique effect when you’re carrying it that you’ll need to solve puzzles and progress through each world. What results is an Inception-esque adventure as you need to leap between worlds to find new orbs, unlock new abilities, and access new areas.Along the way there are also some epic boss battles with giant guardians, each filled with its own unique mechanics and hazards to overcome. Don’t sleep on this, it’s one of the best Xbox games of 2023.Cocoon is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 13. Vampire SurvivorsRelease date: October 20, 2022Developer: PoncleThe ultimate proof that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Vampire Survivors might look like a 2-bit relic from the 80s, but oh boy does it have it where it counts.Vampire Survivors is a minimalistic rogue-lite where you have one goal — survive a horde of monsters until the timer runs out. The twist is that you don’t control your character's attacks. All you do is move around, the attacks happen on their own. Your job is to keep moving, avoiding damage and picking up gems so you can level up, gain more weapons and upgrade your skills. Things start out simple, but as you progress in a run it transforms into a reverse bullet hell shooter, as your character unleashes an onslaught and the enemy numbers get frankly absurd.There are tons of unlockable characters and items, along with nearly 200 Vampire Survivors achievements to earn. You'll probably be playing through this one for a while, but you’ll love every minute of it.Vampire Survivors is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 12. Stardew ValleyRelease date: December 14, 2016Developer: ConcernedApeIf you’re a fan of chill life simulators, then Stardew Valley will be right up your alley. It’s heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon series — Nintendo abandoned it for years and so a solo indie developer decided “well if they won’t make another one, I will”. And what an excellent decision that was, because Stardew Valley has now long since surpassed it’s inspiration.It’s a beautiful game, in which you take over a rundown farm and build it up from nothing, getting to know the valley and its people as you do. The day is yours in Stardew Valley — you can farm, fish, mine, explore, build relationships, decorate your house, and generally do whatever takes your fancy. It’s also got multiplayer so up to three of your buddies can join you in your rustic adventures.Stardew Valley is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 11. StarfieldRelease date: September 6, 2023Developer: Bethesda Game StudiosBethesda’s first new universe in over 25 years, and thankfully it was worth the wait. Starfield is a stunning sci-fi RPG that lets you explore a vast section of our galaxy, to seek out new life and answer the mysteries of the cosmos.Much like Bethesda’s other famous games like Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Starfield offers you a sandbox to practically become anything you want. Fancy terrorizing other space travellers? Become a space pirate. Want to see each one of the more than 1,000 explorable planets? Dedicate your time to exploration. It's up to you, and with the option of NG+, even finishing the main story isn't the end of your adventure. It's fantastic in almost every way — just check out our Starfield review —and should definitely be played by anyone and everyone!Starfield is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S & PC. 10. InsideRelease date: June 29, 2016Developer: PlaydeadFrom the developer’s of Xbox 360 indie-hit Limbo, Inside instantly cemented itself as a classic when it dropped back in 2016.Much like Limbo, Inside is a dark puzzle platformer filled with hauntingly beautiful visuals, challenging puzzles, and heart-pounding tension. It received near universal acclaim when it launched, with a metacritic score of 93 on Xbox, and for good reason. You play as a small boy on the run from a seemingly totalitarian regime who finds himself inexorably drawn towards the center of a dark project. It’s enthralling to play, with eerie visuals and puzzles that test your brainpower, without ever ruining the excellent pacing. At around four hours long, it never outstays its welcome. Also that final sequence is just something else. No spoilers, but damn.Inside is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 9. Hellblade: Senua's SacrificeRelease date: April 11, 2018Developer: Ninja TheoryIt’s hard to call Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice a fun game, but it’s definitely a powerful and moving experience that everyone should try. You play as Senua, a Celtic warrior who lost her husband to Viking raiders, as she embarks on a brutal journey through the Viking underworld to save his soul. The game was developed “in collaboration with neuroscientists and people who experience psychosis” to help portray Senua’s descent into madness as her grief overcomes her.Senua is fierce and imperfect in a way that will have you rooting for her with an urgency that few characters ever garner. Her journey is pretty much unceasingly filthy, violent, tragic, and horrific, yet it's not a story of suffering, but rather one of perseverance. There is a bit of light puzzling and combat to keep the pacing going, but this one is all about the story and character work.Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 8. DoomRelease date: May 13, 2016Developer: id SoftwareWe had a tough time deciding between Doom and its sequel, Doom Eternal. The slightly more methodical gameplay loop of sequel Doom Eternal might be more to some people’s tastes, but the purity and chaos of 2016’s Doom reboot still takes some beating in our minds.The breakneck pace of the game, the heavyweight punch of the varied arsenal, the visceral close-quarters finishers that allow you to replenish on the fly… everything about Doom just feels right. It may have come a long way from its humble sprite-based beginnings, but this reboot perfectly captures and expands on the tone and feel of the 1993 original. Mick Gordon’s metal soundtrack is brilliantly brutal, and for anyone familiar with the older games, grabbing the shotgun as the familiar chugging of At Doom’s Gate kicks in will have you punching the air in delight. Doom can be extremely challenging — especially if you’re brave/stupid enough to crank up the difficulty — but it’s oh-so-rewarding when you manage to carve a path through a horde of Hell’s finest to unlock the Doom achievements while barely taking a scratch. How much more metal could it be? None. None more metal.Doom is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One. 7. Sea of ThievesRelease date: March 20, 2018Developer: RareAvast me hearties! Batten down the hatches and all that pirate stuff. Rare’s multiplayer plunder-em-up may have launched in barebone state, but these days it’s one of the finest treasures in Xbox’s first-party line up.Sea of Thieves offers the ultimate pirate experience. You can sail the high seas and find buried treasure, either alone or with up to three other mateys in the game’s online open-world. Beware though, because there are rival players out there with their eyes on your booty, as it were. There are also story-driven missions called Tale Tales for you to follow, including some funky crossover events with other pirate franchises including Pirates of the Caribbean and The Legend of Monkey Island.It’s amazing how quickly a session of Sea of Thieves can ramp up from wandering around a desert island or doing a spot of fishing, to full-scale panic as you spot another pirate galleon sailing straight towards you. And if you’re too lily-livered for competitive multiplayer, Rare recently added PvE only servers too.Sea of Thieves is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 6. Psychonauts 2Release date: August 25, 2021Developer: Double Fine ProductionsAfter a nearly 16 year hiatus, we finally got to jump back into the acrobatic shoes of Razputin Aquato with Double Fine’s outstanding follow-up, Psychonauts 2.It was worth the wait though, because Psychonauts 2 is an absolute delight. At its core, Psychonauts 2 is a platform-adventure game, but it comes wrapped up in such a wonderfully trippy and psychedelic package. There’s an excellent story, larger-than-life characters and some mind-melting levels to navigate. There are also a load of collectables, puzzles to solve and mysteries to unlock.Don’t worry if you haven’t played the first one either - Psychonauts 2 stands up perfectly fine as its own adventure, and there is a story recap that will get you up to speed on the events of the first one too.Psychonauts 2 is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 5. Hitman World of AssassinationRelease date: January 20, 2022Developer: IO InteractiveSuit up and prepare to enter the world of assassination with the latest trilogy of Hitman games, all in one complete package. If you’re looking for the definitive Hitman experience, this is it.Play as Agent 47, the genetically-engineered super assassin, as he navigates his way through a global conspiracy the only way he knows how — by killing people in needlessly elaborate ways. It started out as Hitman 3, but after years of continuous support from IO Interactive, the developer rebranded it as a hub for recent games. World of Assassination offers up all of the games' campaigns, contracts, elusive targets, and more.Even better, the developers recently added a roguelite mode called Freelancer, which strings together missions with unique targets and challenges to complete, offering near unlimited replay value if the gameplay loop really gets its hooks into you. Hitman World of Assassination is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. 4. It Takes TwoRelease date: March 25, 2021Developer: Hazelight StudiosIt Takes Two is a multiplayer action adventure game from Hazelight Studios, the team behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. And we do mean multiplayer — it can literally only be played with two players, so you’ll need to find a buddy to play with.You play as Cody and May, a squabbling couple who end up getting turned into dolls by a spell after their daughter accidentally invokes the help of a magic (and very talkative) book. What follows is the ultimate co-op game, as you’re forced to work together to overcome the challenges of their new tiny existence. Each level switches up the gameplay and genre entirely - you’ll bounce between platforming, shooting, racing, flying, puzzling, and more. The most impressive thing is that the mechanics of each of these levels feel solid enough to have been their own game.Oh, and you don’t need two copies of the game either, as you can invite a friend to play with you via the Friend Pass.It Takes Two is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. 3. Forza Horizon 5Release date: November 1, 2021Developer: Playground GamesIf you’re looking for the ultimate arcade racing experience on Xbox, then you really need to check out the Forza Horizon series. They’re all amazing, but we’ve chosen the latest one, Forza Horizon 5, as our favourite.This time around, the Horizon Festival takes us to the diverse land of Mexico, where we have deserts, canyons, swamps, farmlands, towns, jungles, and a volcano to thrash some of the world’s most expensive cars around. Visually, you can’t fault Forza Horizon 5 — it truly is a stunning game, and Playground Games has really put a lot of love and effort into putting together a game world as detailed and varied as Forza Horizon 5’s Mexico. How Playground managed to get the game to look this good without tanking performance, we’ll never know.It doesn’t just look great though — it plays great. The huge roster of cars feel great to drive as you thrash them around the massive open-world, completing races, time trials, stunt jumps, and more.Forza Horizon 5 is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 2. MinecraftRelease date: November 18, 2011Developer: Mojang StudiosNext up is Minecraft, a cute little indie game that you’ve probably not heard of. Only about 238 million copies of the game have been sold since it launched way back in November 2011 (and it was in beta for two years before that).Terrible jokes aside, Minecraft is one of the most popular games of all time, and with good reason. It’s equal parts block-based creative sandbox and enthralling adventure game, letting players decide how to make their own fun. You could build up resources to conquer the Nether or battle the Ender Dragon, or you could just spend three weeks building a Skull Fortress with a lava moat. You can play solo, or join a server with friends and work together to build truly epic projects.Over the years it has received a ton of content updates, adding new enemies, block types, resources, and mechanics to help keep the experience fresh too.Minecraft is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. 1. Halo: The Master Chief CollectionRelease date: November 11, 2014Developer: 343 IndustriesThere is no other game series more synonymous with Xbox than Halo, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection is the ultimate celebration of the series. You can play through Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4 all in one complete package (and ODST and Reach available as DLC too). Halo 1 & 2 are also the anniversary editions, so you can play them with beautifully updated graphics (or switch back to classic at the touch of a button).Aside from the collection’s six stellar campaigns that will keep you busy for hours, Halo really comes into its own when playing with others — whether that’s taking the fight to the Flood and the Covenant in a co-op campaign or battling it out in one of the many different PvP modes in multiplayer. Now you can relive the memories of getting splattered by your own teammates’ careening Warthog on Valhalla. Good times.Just be prepared for an ungodly challenge if you want to 100% this bad boy, it has a staggering 7000G on offer, and some very tough achievements in there (looking at you Monopolised).Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. Xbox Game PassPC Game PassXbox One Written by Ian StokesAfter a decade of using TA for achievement guides, Ian has ascended the mountaintop and now runs the place (under Rich, our benevolent leader). He plays almost every genre, but especially loves RPGs & shooters. He’s also a bit of a fiend for indie titles.With 10 years experience as a games journalist, he's worked on sites like GamesRadar, VICE, IGN, Space.com, and more. Ian graduated from Keele University with a BA in Biology and a PhD in Chemistry.