Xbox Game Pass has just about 900 titles available to play at its top-most tier, including the recently added Cyberpunk 2077 and Planet of Lana 2. Just like how endless choices on Netflix, Hulu, XBO Max and more can induce a bit of choice paralysis when deciding what to watch next, so can the catalog of must-play games on Xbox Game Pass. Don’t worry — we got your back.
This week’s recommendations include an indie fave, a fun-as-hell action game, and a bullet hell you’ll have a hard time putting down.
1
Spiritfarer
By all accounts, At Fate’s End was the talk of the town at GDC this year. As I’m still painstakingly waiting my chance to play Thunder Lotus’s next game, I figured now is as good a time as any to revisit an old fave. Spiritfarer wasn’t Thunder Lotus’s first game, but it was the one that put the studio on the map. You play as Stella, who’s taking over from Charon as the ferrymaster who ushers the souls of the dead to the afterlife. It’s a heavy, grief-laden game as you’ll learn about the heart-breaking backstories of each soul while helping them come to terms with their past. In between those stories you’ll manage Stella’s ship in management simulation gameplay reminiscent of Animal Crossing or the recently released Pokémon Pokopia. —Austin Manchester
2
Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand
If Spiritfarer sounds too sad (and, ya know what, it might be), maybe just beatin’ up some monsters is your preferred way of spending your weekend. Give Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand a shot. It’s the epitome of a AA 7/10 game that excels in one area, and that’s its combat. You’ll kinetically traverse a desert with speed and style, and battle giant monsters with your weapons made of sand. Atlas Fallen encourages aggression as attacking will increase your momentum, upping your damage. It’ll also make you more vulnerable, adding a nice balance to combat and the need to strategize. There are a variety of modifiers available, called essence stones, meaning you can experiment with your moveset from encounter to encounter, ensuring no two are the same. —Austin Manchester
3
Minishoot Adventures
If you want to unlock a level of exhaustion you didn’t know existed, play Minishoot Adventures. At any time of day — morning, afternoon, evening — if you start this Zelda-like bullet hell, prepare to be up way too late. It mimics the structure and vibe of top-down Zelda games, pairing it with the intense combat of a game like Resogun. You play as a lost ship, trying to free fellow lost ship friends who’ve been trapped around the world. Upgrades and stat boosts come at a rapid clip, allowing you to better navigate through rooms full of so many projectiles, you can’t always see the floor. Progress also means unlocking pathways back to your respawn point, giving Minishoot Adventures a Metroidvania quality as well. The constant sense of forward progress makes it one hard game to put down. —Ari Notis
