The Top Games Coming to Game Pass in 2022
Game Pass has a lot of games, and that list is about to get much, much longer. Last month, Xbox blessed us with a conference almost entirely dedicated to gaming’s best value package. Nearly every game shown was said to be coming to game pass, with only a few understandable exceptions (such as EA’s Dead Space Reboot and the highly anticipated Diablo IV). This subscription service has evolved far from what most expected, and the next 12 months will contain the most significant update yet. Now that’s all well and good, but what games are actually coming to the service? Well, I’ve put together my five most anticipated games coming within the year that show just how much is in the works.
Persona 5 Royal
Starting off with a big one, Persona 5 Royal is one of the most requested games for the Microsoft series of consoles (and the Switch of course, but that has finally been rectified). Xbox has never really been associated with JRPGs, but it seems Phil Spencer is trying to change that. As a genre that has been pinned down by Sony for what seems like forever, seeing some competition is very welcome. Bringing Atlus’ flagship franchise over to a whole new group of gamers is a great deal for everyone involved. Not only that but the game being ported over is the ‘Royal’ version, which is essentially 1.5x the original game, with around 30 hours on top of the already beefy 100-hour playthrough provided by the original game. This exciting romp through the minds of evil-doers is one of the most uniquely stylized games in years- in every part from its music, level design, and even its UI. Even if you aren’t a fan of turn-based RPGs, there is still so much to love with the intertwined visual novel dynamics that make up the other half of the experience. On top of this insanity, Persona 3: Portable and Persona 4: Golden make their way to the console next year. This certainly is a good time to be a JRPG fan on Xbox
Lightyear Frontier
Now, from a highly anticipated title to one much more niche. Lightyear Frontier looks to be a charming farming simulation game where you explore and plant crops on an unidentified planet and attempt to expand and survive. A nice little twist on the basic Stardew Valley formula of farming, this game seeks to blend base building, open world elements, crafting, gathering materials, and who knows what else. The ambitious nature of this game may seem a little daunting (especially after problematic launches with similar titles such as No Mans Sky) but as long as it makes good on its promises to some extent, we’re in for an expansive experience. Unlike the majority of its peers, this game takes place in three dimensions, which certainly allows for more options- especially when it comes to the base building elements. How this little indie game manages to handle its scope is yet to be seen, but I for one am excited to try it when it comes to game pass later this year (and frankly, I’m just trying to fill the void that Stardew Valley left inside of me).
A Plague Tale: Requiem
The next game I’m going to be recommending you keep your eyes on is actually one that may seem a little strange. That’s because I have only (so far) played the original cult classic A Plague Tale: Innocence for a couple of hours- but I can already tell it’s masterfully made. The best way to describe it would be like the Last of Us but you can’t fight back. You play as a teenage girl who essentially is tasked with escorting her sick little brother around a hostile and diseased France in the Middle Ages. You wouldn’t think it, but a game solely based around an escort quest can be done very, very right. There is an air of mystery and suspense with each short chapter you experience, and this game is incredible in how it creates fear in the player without explicitly being a horror game. With that, the sequel Requiem is right around the corner- launching day one on game pass in October. If the first game is anything to go by, this follow-up will provide yet another critically acclaimed entry into the ever-growing Plague franchise. Its inclusion on game pass might be just what it needs to break into the mainstream. If this sequel is even slightly as good as the first game, I’m sure it’ll get the recognition it deserves.
Pentiment
Definitely the most unique game on this list, Pentiment came as a real shock upon its announcement last month. Created by RPG juggernauts Obsidian, this project looks like a complete u-turn from what fans of the studio are used to. Instead of focusing an open world with hundreds of NPCs and quests, this is a linear narrative following a Journeyman during the 16th century. This artstyle is fantastic and uses wood cut prints to portray an artsyle on the same level of uniqueness as Cuphead. From the trailer, the game looks like a mystery type game, but it seems the developers are keeping things under wraps for the time being. Despite this, I’m certain that it will make waves from its artstyle alone. Pentiment is scheduled for November of this year, and I look forward to see the return of Obsidian’s narrative chops later this year.
Grounded
Grounded has been in early access (and has even been on game pass for a while now), but the biggest update in the 1.0 release of the game is coming in the next couple of months. The premise of this game puts you as a tiny person who has to survive in a back garden against ants, wasps, and other critters. This is a co-op adventure that has a lot of potential that is looking to be fulfilled in its 1.0 update. While there has been a tonne of indie survival games, this one has its charm that has already impressed a lot of players. With what the developers are calling the ‘full story’ of the game finally releasing, this is definitely the best time to check out this game if you’re interested- even if not in the gameplay, then certainly the concept.
Game Pass has a lot coming in the next few months- from linear narrative journeys to expansive ambitious indie projects, and even the biggest Xbox JRPG push we’ve seen in years. The number of diverse experiences on the horizon set Game Pass to even more value for money than it already is- and that’s not even considering the huge 2023 promises with Starfield, a new Forza, and an incredible amount of indie experiences coming on the horizon. As the game pass brand grows, Xbox is given a greater foothold in the industry- one which we can only hope will provide us with many more (mostly) free games in the future.
