Five Xbox Game Pass games for 2024 that we can't wait for

2024 is almost upon us, and there's a lot coming to Game Pass next year. Here's a round-up of the Game Pass games we're most looking forward to in 2024!

Heidi Nicholas

Published 03 Dec 2023

December is upon us, and before we know it, 2024 will be here. Next year has a lot to offer by the looks of things — major releases, indie titles, games with actual release dates, and those hovering mysteriously around the general "2024" release window.

We're constantly updating our big list of all the upcoming Game Pass games, and it's finally time to start getting excited about what's to come next year. So we've put together a list of five of the Xbox Game Pass games for 2024 we're most excited for. We've included a nice mix of bigger titles and smaller games to suit all tastes, all of which currently have a 2024 release window.

1. Lightyear Frontier

First revealed two years ago, Lightyear Frontier was described as a mashup of farming, crafting, exploration, resource management, and base building, all set on an alien planet. It’ll see you take care of alien plants and wildlife while bustling about in your mech suit and building yourself a new home. It’s an interesting twist for a farming game, and the trailers so far look pretty darn gorgeous.

Lightyear Frontier will be an Early Access when it first launches in 2024, so it might not be the full game experience, but it’s one we’ve been looking forward to for some time. It's set to arrive for Game Pass in “early 2024.” Now we're in December, early 2024 doesn't feel too far off — in the meantime, you can check out our Lightyear Frontier interview for more info on what to expect.

2. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

This one’s been on the way for a long time now but only got its 2024 release window earlier this year, so we’re hopeful (maybe slightly desperate) that it will make it to launch next year after all. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is one of the biggest upcoming Xbox exclusives on the radar. All we know on this one is a suitably vague description from its Xbox page: “Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without.”

We’ve seen are a few trailers and screenshots, but they show the vibes more than the details. But that’s enough: the impact of the first game had us eager for the sequel, and even from those few trailers it looks as though Hellblade 2 will aim to match that same unbelievable level of atmosphere and intensity.

3. Little Kitty, Big City

Ah yes, the game that goes hand-in-hand with talking about Hellblade 2, Little Kitty, Big City. The sheer charm of this one caught us completely off-guard when it was announced for Game Pass. It appeared in a brief reel announcing ten ID@Xbox games that would be day-one Game Pass additions, but that quick glimpse was effective enough. It showed a mischievous animal making its way through the human world and getting entirely distracted, which looks right up our alley.

Granted, the little cat in question looks much more friendly than a certain malicious bird belonging to Untitled Goose Game, but the Steam page gives us hope that you’ll still be able to “leave more than a little chaos in your wake.” That little cat is meant to be finding its way home but soon becomes sidetracked with things like wearing hats and making friends. If you do prefer to be a hindrance rather than a help, though, you’ll apparently still have the option to “cause a total ruckus." No specific date for this one yet, but it’ll come to Game Pass in 2024.

4. Avowed

When this one was announced, it looked like it ticked all the boxes our fantasy-loving hearts could wish for: an epic backdrop, legendary battles, and straight in with a shot of someone wielding a sword in one hand and some magical business in the other. Lovely. That was several years ago, and we were getting a little anxious until Obsidian announced a 2024 release window earlier this year. The new trailer, showing off some gameplay and a look at the Living Lands, saw Avowed looking a little more ominous with plagues, pistols, and a lot of angry-looking people who didn’t seem too happy to see our character.

Not everyone was too pleased with how the game looked there, prompting a response from the devs about how the game was still in a pre-alpha state. The first-person RPG doesn’t yet have a specific date, but it’s still set for 2024, and hopefully there'll be plenty of time to polish it still further before it lands on Game Pass next year.

5. Magical Delicacy

Magical Delicacy was actually the first confirmed Game Pass addition we had for 2024. It was announced earlier this year as a platforming game with cooking elements, a Metroidvania inspiration, and plenty of potions. We’re always happy to see more magical games, and it’s an interesting twist for this one to focus on cooking and platforming. Its beautiful pixel art style was eye-catching from the first, but we’re most keen to see how it manages to combine all its disparate parts, and how successful this combination is.

Story-wise, it’s all about a girl called Flora, who moves to a new town to become a fully-fledged witch. She’ll be busy meeting new merchants and gathering and growing new recipes, along with shopping and upgrading various things, but there’s also a tension as Flora gets caught between two different covens. It sounds all kinds of cosy and intriguing, and is set for Game Pass in 2024.

Written by Heidi Nicholas

Heidi tends to lean towards indie games, RPGs, and open-world games on Xbox, and when not playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, happily installs every new wholesome game that appears on Xbox Game Pass, before diving back into favorites like The Witcher 3. She's looking forward to Age of Mythology Retold, Everwild, Fable, and Avowed on the Xbox horizon. Heidi graduated with an MA in English Literature before joining the TrueAchievements team.