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Today on the Xbox Games Showcase stream, Halo Infinite had to share the spotlight with the Game Pass subscription. Not only they finally reveal a tease for Infinite campaign but make a point that all Game Pass members will be able to “play every game you see” in the stream. Microsoft is definitely going full steam ahead with its subscription system nearing the end of 2020 — and what could be the date when Xbox Series X launch.
While there are tons of big-budgeted and indie games shown on Xbox Games Showcase, these are 15 biggest titles that might finally entice you to subscribe to Game Pass. If you still haven’t in the first place, of course.
1. Halo Infinite
The long-awaited preview of Master Chief’s latest adventure is finally here. The Xbox Games Showcase trailer didn’t just confirm the addition of grappling hook, the return of the Banished as the main antagonist of Halo Infinite and open world, but also the fact that Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play it instantly when the game launches on holiday 2020. While it’s still not clear whether Infinite is going to be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC, PC release has already confirmed for Windows 10 and Steam.
2. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
Originally released on July 29, 2017, Dragon Quest is not just coming to the Xbox for the first time, but Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition adds more features to the already deep, full of contents, JRPG. Those features are:
- New side stories for companions.
- 2D mode.
- An optional activity called 16-bit World of Tickington.
- Japanese audio.
- and Photo mode.
Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition launches on December 4 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
3. Psychonauts 2
Raz is back. And this time he’s accompanied by Jack Black! The game will pick up after the conclusion of Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and Raz has officially joined the Psychonauts. But it seems the group has been infiltrated by a mole that could lead to the release of a dangerous psychic monster. Now Raz has to work together with a brain belonging to a mysterious ball of light (voiced by Jack Black) to reawaken his friends’ lost senses.
Psychonauts 2 is ready to release in 2021 on Xbox Game Pass, PC, Mac, Linux, and PS4 and will be optimized for Xbox Series X.
4. Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport is going to be one of the titles that push Xbox’s hardware with ray tracing and a dynamic world in 4K resolution and 60 FPS. Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games haven’t said much about Motorsport aside from the beautifully rendered in-engine graphics but as a bonus, Microsoft also added that all Forza Horizon 4 owners and Game Pass subscribers will be getting the Xbox Series X update free of charge.
5. Fable
Similar to Motorsport, while Microsoft confirmed that they are indeed working on a next-gen Fable title for Xbox Series X and PC, there’s not much to look into it. After the blunder of making Fable Journey a Kinect-exclusive title and the game’s gone ever since let’s hope Microsoft can deliver a satisfying action RPG this time around.
6. Tell Me Why
The latest narrative adventure from DONTNOD Entertainment, creator of Life is Strange, is joining Xbox Game Pass. As an episodic game, DONTNOD is releasing the chapters in three periods:
- the first chapter on August 27.
- the second chapter on September 3.
- and the final chapter on September 10.
Tell Me Why is telling the story of Alyson and Tyler Ronan, two twins, who reunite for the first time in ten years after their mother’s death. But upon returning to their childhood home Alaska, they realize that their past may be different than what they remember. You will then have to use the twins’ supernatural Bond to find out the truth surrounding their mother’s death.
7. Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is not just coming to Game Pass, it will also be re-released on Xbox Series X. Best of all, if you are subscribed to Game Pass all current Destiny 2 expansions and the standard edition of Beyond Light will be instantly available to you as soon as they are released on the platform. Plus thanks to Project xCloud, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to play Destiny 2 whenever and wherever they want. On your consoles, phone, or even tablet.
8. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
At last, the sequel to the cult-classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series on PC has been confirmed. This game tells the aftermath of a fictional second explosion that hit the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor in 2006, creating The Zone — a place filled with mutants, deadly radiations, and strange, anomalous energy. However, driven by its treasures and mysteries bounty hunters chose to gamble their life away in the Zone. If you like a post-apocalyptic, Eastern Europe horror-action setting of Metro series, you will want to keep an eye on this one.
9. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
After the critically acclaimed Warhammer: Vermintide, Fatshark is preparing a new four-player co-op first-person action game set in the Warhammer 40k universe. No longer tasked on exterminating humanoid rats, it seems as Imperial Guard you’ll have to exterminate cosmic horrors the likes of Necron mutants instead. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is set to release on Xbox Series X in 2021.
10. Avowed
In addition to announcing that Grounded is ready to release on Xbox Game Preview, Xbox Game Pass, and Steam Early Access on July 28 for $29.99 and Peril on Gorgon DLC for The Outer Wilds on September 9, 2020, for $14.99, Obsidian Entertainment also announced brand new RPG called Avowed. In total, Obsidian showed off three different titles for Xbox Games Showcase. That’s quite an impressive feat if I said so myself.
11. Balan Wonderworld
For the past months, Phil Spencer himself has said that he’s trying to gain more support from Japanese developers. Apparently aside from Sega and their Phantasy Star Online, Xbox managed to partner up with Square Enix, revealing their latest project first-hand on Xbox Games Showcase. Balan Wonderworld is a theatrical-themed 3D action platformer coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Switch, and PC through Steam. Releasing in Spring 2021, this game is made by Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima, the minds behind Sonic the Hedgehog. Let’s see if they can conjure up some other interesting magic this time around.
12. Watch Dogs: Legion
The latest title in Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series has also been confirmed to getting into Game Pass. Watch Dogs: Legion lets you take control of ordinary NPCs and upgrade their diverse abilities with a bunch of high-tech gadgets such as Stealth Cloak, Spiderbot, Micro-Missile Launcher, and Electro Fist. You can also join forces with three friends and explore London, take on special missions, or unique game modes together. It will launch on October 29, 2020.
13. State of Decay 3
Joining Game Pass, “the next evolution” in this particular zombie series is promising to bring in the “new ultimate” in zombie survival simulation. Other than that (and the trailer), Undead Labs still keep their lips sealed. Let’s see if they can deliver on that promise.
14. The Medium
In this game, you play as Marianne, who is haunted by visions that lead her to an abandoned hotel in Krakow, where a tragedy once happened. As a medium, you will be able to interact with both the “real world” and the “spirit world” to solve mysteries. Interestingly, you can switch between both anytime you like. This is definitely going to be one of the titles that will make full use of Xbox Series X tech.
With your power, you can move from the real world to the spirit world and find a new path or solve puzzles. One of the powers you can utilize is Out of Body ability. Marianne can leave her physical body and explore inaccessible locations as a spirit. But if you remain out of her body too long, Marianne’s body will feel the potentially fatal ramifications. Death or other side effects, we still don’t know yet. But from these teasers, The Medium is shaping up to be quite a unique title.
https://youtu.be/CXzxEBfBrcQ
15. As Dusk Falls
Last but not least, an “interactive storytelling” that’s set in a highly grounded and relatable world. As Dusk Falls will tell a story about the life of two different families that collide in the desert of Arizona in 1999. The developer, INTERIOR/NIGHT, still doesn’t show much of their work but they said it’s going to “encompass multiple points of view over thirty years“. Exploring the past, present, and future of one single dramatic night that changes their lives forever.
How do you think about this Game Pass line-up? Any titles that starting to convert you to the Game Pass subscription way of life? Tell us about them in the comments below!