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What games should you play on Xbox Game Pass?
With so many options to choose from, narrowing down the best Xbox Game Pass games currently available can be a challenge. The subscription service has grown in size, offering a massive library of big AAA games, new day-one releases, and even overlooked gems–early 2025 Game of the Year contender Blue Prince is now on the service, having launched on day one. The library is so expansive that you’re almost guaranteed to find at least a few games you’ll love and classics from yesteryear, thanks to the recent addition of Retro Classics.
To help you navigate the ever-shifting landscape, we’ve rounded up the very best Game Pass games available now. There are plenty more excellent games on Xbox Game Pass than the ones we’ve listed below–the service is loaded with worthy games. These are just the games we think every Xbox owner should play, and we regularly review this list to make sure we stand by our choices and rotate in newer releases. We’ll continue to update this list as the Game Pass library adds new selections. Every month brings new games as well, and in case you missed it, here’s what you can download and play in May.
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Keep in mind that Xbox Game Pass comes in various tiers at different pricing levels, and the tiers can be somewhat tricky to navigate. Xbox Game Pass Core offers a smaller selection of games along with the online play functionality that used to be Xbox Live Gold for $10 per month. Xbox Game Pass for just the Xbox library is $15 per month, while Xbox Game Pass for PC is $12 per month. The best value by far is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes both the Xbox and PC libraries, along with cloud gaming functionality to play the Game Pass selections on your mobile device, for $20 per month.
For the purposes of this list, we looked at the whole Xbox Game Pass library available in the Ultimate tier, so if you’re subscribed to one of the other tiers–especially Core–not every recommendation may be available. And while this list is a good place to get started, the library of games is even more expansive, and more games will be added throughout the year. Be sure to check back for updated recommendations.
