The Best Games On Xbox Game Pass (February 2024)

The selections listed here will include games available on EA Play, which is included with a subscription to Game Pass Ultimate.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

The adventures of the Master Chief have never been as accessible as they are in the Master Chief Collection. This gathering of Halo games is the definitive collection of 343 Industries’ endeavors to immortalize the series. Not only is every mainline Halo game (not counting Halo 5: Guardians) included, but the fantastic Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach were added as well.

From beloved campaign co-op to thrilling Firefight matches to iconic multiplayer modes, the Master Chief Collection has it all. Anyone who thinks of themselves as a Halo fan should consider it a must-play from Xbox Game Pass. And for those who have never completed the Master Chief’s saga, there is no better way to finish the fight.

Dead Island 2

2023 is a year that will go down in history as one of the greatest in terms of how many fantastic games launched. This was the year of Tears of the Kingdom, Starfield, Alan Wake 2, and, let’s not forget, the gargantuan Baldur’s Gate 3. With this rush of jaw-dropping, triple-A titles that came out, it’s understandably easy to have missed many of the other games that came out. Dead Island 2 is just such a game that was solidly superb, but, given what its yearly compatriots were, you’d be forgiven for forgetting it.

Luckily, Xbox Game Pass is here to remedy that by including it in its library. If you want an affable-good-time sort of game, Dead Island 2 was made for you. Like its predecessor, its zombie apocalypse-driven storyline is constructed all so you can have some ghoul-slaying fun. You’ll be skipping around the streets of Los Angeles bashing in the heads of errant zombos left and right, and it will feel oh so satisfying. Killing zombies in a video game is an activity that will never go out of style, and it takes a game like Dead Island 2 to show you why.

Resident Evil 3

Another Resident Evil remake has graced our Xbox Game Pass library, and though RE3 is not as lauded as the RE2 remake, it’s still a nicely polished affair for fans of the series to enjoy. This time around, we play as Jill Valentine right about when Raccoon City falls into a zombie-filled shambles.

And just like Mr. X hounded Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, Jill’s got her own T-Virus monstrosity following her every move. Nemesis is a gargantuan threat that dogs Jill’s footsteps, and whenever he’s on the screen, you have to give him every ounce of your attention or Jill’s demise is a foregone conclusion.

Resident Evil 3 is often criticized for being a very short experience, but that can work to its advantage. Sometimes we don’t need a game that lasts dozens of hours; sometimes, we just want a game that’s refined and intense but doesn’t overstay its welcome. That game is Resident Evil 3. And best of all, you don’t have to worry if the cost is worth the time investment as it’s all part of the Game Pass package!

Wartales

Wartales quietly entered and exited early access between 2021 and 2023 respectively, but has steadily amassed acclaim since — and with good reason. The core gameplay is that of a tactical RPG with heavy survival emphasis, but where it shines is putting the “open” into open-world RPG. The essential abstract here is the player taking control of a small group of down-on-their-luck mercenaries trying to make their way in an extraordinarily gritty medieval world, with particular emphasis on trying and gritty.

Battle is a frequent, brutal, and deadly affair, but only as much as managing your party’s economy, happiness, and day-to-day health. Journeying out to complete a contract and score some loot for a life-giving pile of coins may net a loss in terms of managing injury and disease sustained along the way, but it’s the nature of these unpredictable, emergent sojourns that lends Wartales such an extraordinary capacity for truly unique experiences between players, individual runs, and the like.

The sheer amount of variety in encounters, obstacles, recruitable party members, and how you choose to advance, progress, or abandon them to their grisly fates makes Wartales a particularly worthwhile endeavor if you’re between RPGs and looking for a fantastically deep experience to fill the void.

Palworld

Palworld is still in early access on Xbox Game Pass, and it’s currently a tad mired in some controversy regarding instances of “plagiarism” and “copycat designs.” However, that aside, Palworld gives us a glimpse of what it would be like if the formula we’ve seen used in Pokémon games over and over and over again was turned on its head. It’s a survival game that lets you craft resources and build bases while also taming and using Pals. But the joy of Palworld goes deeper than that.

Palworld’s sense of humor and direct addressing of some of the oddest conventions of the Pokémon games makes it a hilarious title to dip your toes into. You’ll find yourself not only getting immersed in the game’s deep resource-gathering, Pal-collecting, and boss-fighting mechanics, you’ll also find yourself laughing at Pal descriptions, outrageous NPC encounters, and wonky but charming design choices. Palworld isn’t the most polished game in the Game Pass collection, but it’s currently one of the most delightful. In a very unhinged sort of way.

Remnant II

We’ve already included the original Remnant: From the Ashes on our now gigantic list of best games on Xbox Game Pass, but not including its sequel would be a grievous disservice to what Gunfire Games manages to accomplish in this second outing. Remnant II takes us even deeper into the lore presented in the first game, and if the mysteries of the Root weren’t enough for you, just wait until you deep-dive read up on the identity of the Keeper, what the Labyrinth really is, and why the ending is the way it is.

But even if you’re not really into the story, Remnant II gives you a reason to return thanks to the fantastic way it has set up its class system. Called Archetypes, you get to combine two to create your own playstyle as you tackle the challenging bosses the game throws at you this time around. And once again, you can play it with a friend. What’s not to love?

Resident Evil 2

While there are plenty of great game remakes in the world, none of them showcase the same degree of polish, innovation, and care that Resident Evil 2 did. This remake overhauled the original game from the ground up. Where the original was this fixed-camera-angle campy horror fest, RE2 remake is a behind-the-shoulder tense collect-a-thon that’s equal parts nerve-wracking and equal parts satisfying.

You can play as either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, roaming the halls of the iconic Raccoon City police station in search of safety and answers. Shambling zombies patrol the hallways, so while it behooves you to be thorough in your exploration, so you can collect items to make you stronger and more capable, every new room could contain your next death screen. And that’s before Mr. X and his pounding footsteps from hell show up.

If you love Resident Evil as a franchise, RE2 remake is a must-play. If you love a tight zombie survival experience, RE2 remake is a must-play. If you love fantastic games in general, RE2 remake is a must-play.

Hell Let Loose

On the tin, Hell Let Loose is a World War 2-era FPS in the vein of Battlefield. Most of the core elements are familiar to fans of the aforementioned franchise and genre — big maps, high player counts, and a selection of different combat roles with varying loadouts and job descriptions vie over strategic objectives and locations until one side of conflict secures total map control. That’s all pretty standard stuff.

Where Hell Let Loose diverges from the pack is in layered communication and strategy facilitated by the “Commander” role. Each team has one available slot for this role, and having it filled is critical for team success. The Commander has a smorgasbord of abilities — ranging from calling in air support to spawning powerful tanks and vehicles for players to operate — that can turn the tide of a battle.

They can even flatly increase the rate at which an objective gets captured, but all of these abilities are dependent on the generation of resources, which is in turn impacted by players building and maintaining resource nodes in the field.

But in order to make the whole machine turn, organized communication is pivotal. To this end, Hell Let Loose has three layers of VOIP set up: the proximity channel allows communication between different squads that are near one another, the squad channel allows communication within six-man squads, and the leadership channel allows effective, interference-free communication between squad leaders and the commander. For a WW2 FPS, it’s a fascinatingly nuanced experience that’s well-worth checking out for both strategy and FPS fans.

Rollerdrome

If you’ve ever wanted a mix of Doom Eternal’s frenetic gunplay with the combo-stacking tricks of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Rollerdrome was made for you. It’s a concept only geniuses could come up with, and that’s exactly what Roll7 are. The developers behind Rollerdrome knew what alchemical awesomeness they were brewing when they elected to combine the smooth flow of pulling skate tricks in a wide arena with the cerebral ballet of fighting off enemies with specific guns and tactics.

The game isn’t that long, numbering only a few missions before you “complete” it. But taking the time to master the skills that Rollerdrome requires of you is where the whole experience shines. Sure, if you’re looking for a fun, quick arcade-y time, Rollerdrome can be that for you. But it’s an homage to replayability, encouraging and daring you to return to arenas for another go. It’s hard to describe how satisfyingly challenging Rollerdrome is. We just hope you trust us when we say it’s totally rad.

Goat Simulator 3

Like its predecessor before it (Goat Simulator; there is no Goat Simulator 2), Goat Simulator 3 is an unsung hero of the simulation genre. There are sims that let you farm, fish, hunt, mow the lawn, and pressure wash, but none of these titles let you goat. Many come to Goat Simulator 3 for the obvious hilarity of being a goat that wreaks havoc on an island’s populace. But you stay for the surprising breadth of gameplay opportunities it gives you.

Coffee Stain Studios spared no expense when it came to making Goat Simulator 3. They could have just dumped you on a sparsely filled map with a few citizens to baa at, but instead, they gave us one hell of a game.

You can collect goat statues from hidden areas, unlock events that pay homage to iconic games and memes, adorn your goat with a plethora of apparel, upgrade your secret goat palace with spacious rooms and glorious trophies, participate in cooperative minigames sprinkled throughout the island, complete the goatiest of goat challenges, and that is still just scratching the surface. Goat Simulator 3 could have just been a silly game that appeals to your love of chaos. Instead, it’s the greatest silly game that appeals to your love of chaos.

Dune: Spice Wars

At its core, Dune: Spice Wars brings a digestible, bite-sized 4X strategy experience to Xbox Game Pass in fine fashion. It packs enough depth to keep strategy fanatics’ gears turning, but doesn’t sacrifice accessibility and pacing — a perfect intersection for both veteran strategy fans and genre newcomers.

You choose to play as one of several factions vying for control of the famed desert planet — and perhaps more importantly, its vital, naturally occurring resource known as spice melange. The Harkonnen, noble Atreides, wily smugglers, native Fremen, and more are playable depending on the specific game mode one decides to pursue, with each offering their own lore-appropriate perks and drawbacks.

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Dune: Spice Wars – Best Buildings To Construct First

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Speaking of which, Spice Wars is quite amenable to the desired time investment. From action-packed, one-on-one multiplayer duels to lengthy solo campaigns rife with devious politicking, the game offers rule sets and match settings that scale appropriately to your free time.

Rise Of The Tomb Raider

The “Survivor” trilogy, as the newest Tomb Raider games are colloquially known as, is one of the best ways to experience Lara Croft’s story and character. And if we were to pick out the jewel of this trilogy, it would have to be Rise of the Tomb Raider. This middle entry improves upon the foundation the original laid down and avoids the mistakes its eventual successor makes.

Narrative-wise, it focuses on Lara’s drive to uncover the secrets her father first delved into and her need to overcome the guilt she feels at both disregarding her dad’s theories as well as dragging her friends into these dangerous endeavors. What follows is an awe-inspiring, and often harrowing, adventure into the secret of immortality. You’ll solve puzzle rooms a la Indiana Jones-style treasure caves and shoot your way past Trinity goons who are trying to reach that eternal-life-giving secret before Lara.

Rise of the Tomb Raider combines the adventure you’re used to seeing in this series with a more emotionally impactful story, and it succeeds in giving us the kind of journey you can only experience in a Tomb Raider game.

Remnant: From the Ashes

The facets of Remnant: From the Ashes that separate it from Dark Souls are also the ones that make it a fantastic Soulslike title. This cooperative action game features aspects of a looter-shooter title, but its challenging boss fights and gritty undertones are reminiscent of FromSoftware’s classic Dark Souls. To many fans of the genre, it is essentially Dark Souls with an emphasis on gunplay versus swordplay.

In addition to this, the game encourages co-op engagement to a much higher degree, which places a whole new spin on every boss encounter. As players and their friends level up their characters, new strategies can be built upon that all hinge on playing as a team. This is something that is largely missing from Dark Souls, but it makes Remnant: From the Ashes a very unique title, and a true gem for the Game Pass library.

Thirsty Suitors

Thirsty Suitors wears its bombastic nature on its sleeve. As soon as you hop into the game, it takes you for a ride through its protagonist’s mind as she reminisces on past mistakes and her own flaws. It does this not through some monotonous inner dialogue, but through a bright yellow, rail-grind of a journey from romance quiz question to romance quiz question. Jala (our main character) skateboards past former entanglements, regrets, and anxieties with all the style and frankness you come to love her for.

Gameplay is turn-based with a flair, as you navigate through arguments and battles with Jala’s family members and ex-lovers by using taunts specifically designed to undermine these various “opponents.” But the heart of Thirsty Suitors is how it grapples with the idea of accepting responsibility for mistakes and moving forward. Jala’s story, despite its singular approach to style, is one we can all relate to.

Jusant

Many know Don’t Nod Entertainment as the developers behind the Life Is Strange series. While those games are clearly centered around a dialogue-heavy narrative that lets players massively affect the outcome of the story, Jusant feels like a step in a new direction. You control your protagonist as they begin an upward climb of this massive tower. All you really know as you start off is that you must get to the top.

Your character says not a word as they start the slow process of stretching from handhold to handhold, foothold to foothold, with only their climbing gear and a small blob-shaped companion. But despite this wordlessness, the story of Jusant is conveyed in every melancholy melody that plays as you reach abandoned villages that used to thrive on the outcroppings of this tower. It’s illuminated in the gorgeous environments of the tower’s cavernous interior. And it’s felt with every step you take to ascend.

Jusant is by no means a mind-bending puzzle game or an incredibly impressive narrative game, but it’s a quietly thoughtful experience that stands out from the crowd by the literal and figurative way it says so much by saying so little.

Like A Dragon: Ishin!

The Like a Dragon series, previously known by the Yakuza moniker, is well-loved for its balance of off-the-wall humor and actual emotionally striking moments. Nearly every entry in the series walks this balance beam to perfection, and Ishin, though it wraps itself in the environments of historical Japan, is no exception. Your favorite Yakuza characters are back, but this time they’re stepping into the shoes of iconic figures from the Bakamatsu period.

Despite this new setting, fans of the series will have no problems finding something to love. These zany characters, though attired in patterned robes, are just as endearing and captivating as before, and the story, though grounded in history, is as engrossing as the ones that we’ve seen in other entries. So if you’re waiting to play Infinite Wealth, Xbox Game Pass has got you covered with Like a Dragon: Ishin!

Dead Space (2023)

You’ll see the original Dead Space further along on this list, but the remake (also made available on EA Play through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate) garners a place on this list due to a mountain of its own merits. 2023’s Dead Space is a chilling horror game that builds upon the foundations of the first in a myriad of ways. Atmospheres are enhanced through new graphics, necromorphs are blown to bodily bits with every blast from the plasma cutter, and the entirety of the USG Ishimura is available to explore without any segmenting chapter loading screens.

Isaac Clarke is now also completely voiced, and certain elements of the story have been further clarified with due diligence given to later game lore. This Dead Space is a must-play for fans of the original or for anyone who missed out on it and are looking for a good starting point. It’s the kind of horror game that can make you whole once again.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is exactly the sort of title that belongs on Xbox Game Pass. The rush and chaos (Chaos, get it, because it’s Warhammer 40K) of diving into a run with a group of up to four players is just inherently fun on its own. It’s got exactly the sort of engagement factor that you’d see with Left 4 Dead. However, this offering from Fatshark is wrapped in the rich lore of the Warhammer 40K universe, and as a result, the environments ooze the exact sort of grim-dark stylings you’d get from reading one of the series’ novels.

The quips your character tosses around range from boisterous shouts of their skills with a chainsword to condemnations of all Heretics who oppose the Emperor’s will. And even if you’re not a die-hard fan of the Warhammer 40K universe, Darktide’s gameplay loop keeps you coming back for more as no run is ever alike thanks to the Specialist enemy types that randomly spring up during a mission.

Cocoon

Jaw-dropping puzzle games can be hard to find. We’re talking about titles that create innovative mechanics which task players with thinking in the terms the game presents. Puzzle game greats like Portal and Superliminal do this to perfection. If you didn’t “think with Portals” while playing Valve’s classic, you were going to get interminably stuck, but once you did, clever thinking and problem solving were open to you.

Cocoon, a puzzle game made by one of the developers behind Limbo and Inside, deserves a spot alongside these phenomenal games. With a minimalist yet alien level design, you control a little character that transports orbs to various devices. These orbs contain entire worlds, and you can seamlessly move in between these worlds. As you travel further and further along, you must dive into these orbs while carrying other orbs, thereby placing a world within a world.

It sounds confusing when described, but Cocoon does a fantastic job introducing this recursive world concept to you. And we can’t understate how amazingly seamless going in between orbs is. Cocoon is a game you have to play to understand how awesome it is, and it is currently one of the major highlights of the Xbox Game Pass library.

Spiritfarer

Spiritfarer casts you as a ferry master shepherding souls to their final resting grounds. It sounds grim, but behind its premise is an incredibly hopeful game about love, loss, and growth. The game’s art design allows it to walk the line between tackling a depressing subject and remaining the soothing experience players expect from a management sim.

Spiritfarer wears a lot of hats. Premise aside, at its core, it’s a light farming and relationship sim. It mixes and matches a lot of elements fans of the genre will be familiar with, including crop planning, gift-giving, and plenty of crafting. It has a lovely world to explore, and even some light platforming thrown in for good measure.