25 Best Games on Xbox Game Pass—Both New and Old

Get Game Pass

If you’re still playing video games on Xbox, chances are it’s because you still want to play your favorite Halo game. Whether that’s Halo 2 or (the correct answer) Halo 3, these are the games that built the Xbox house. It’s as fun as ever to get with friends for some Red v. Blue and relive the glorious Halo 2 days.

If you sign up for Game Pass to get the Halo bug out of your system, an Ultimate subscription also includes access to Halo: Infinite. It’s not a perfect game (the multiplayer progression is lacking) but the campaign is a helluva good time.

Get Game Pass

Blast into space and discover thousands of procedurally generated planets in Starfield, the newest galactic adventure from the makers of Skyrim and Fallout. It might have been dismissed at first by fans of those franchises, but the truth is Starfield is doing things no other games are. Once you find yourself invested in the storytelling and New Game+ modes, you’ll see Bethesda saved its best content for last this time around.

“We couldn’t have conceived or made a game like Starfield before,” Bethesda’s Todd Howard told Esquire. “We needed to grow. Even then, it took far longer than we thought it would. The longer the journey you go on, the harder it is to maintain.”

Get Game Pass

Forza Motorsport raced onto the Xbox as a direct competitor to Sony’s Gran Turismo franchise, with Microsoft proving that their console had what it took to get to the finish line with the best of them. The latest entry in the franchise goes back to the roots by simply calling itself Forza Motorsport. Simply put, it’s one of the best looking games of all time. A real showpiece for the Series X hardware. Yeah, it’s a pretty hardcore driving sim, but if you are looking for something in this vein that is also gorgeous but a bit more arcade-y, Forza Horizon 5 is also on Game Pass.

Get Game Pass

Double Fine’s Psychonauts was a cult classic on the original Xbox. Fans waited sixteen years for a sequel, but even they couldn’t have predicted how good it would turn out. Sony fans can rave about Astro Bot all they want, but I think we really know what the best 3D platformer of the decade is. With hilarious gags, an emotional storyline, and levels that are bursting with creativity, Psychonauts 2 is pure platforming bliss.

This game is so good, you can skip the first one and move right onto the new and improved sequel. If you want to try the original first, it’s also on Xbox Game Pass.

Get Game Pass

You played Alan Wake 2, right? Because you know we gave it Esquire’s Game of the Year in 2023. In that case, you get why Remedy is one of the most creative (and technically impressive) game studios around. Before Alan Wake 2, they made Control. It’s a rip-roaring good time that plays out like Gears of War meets an episode of The X-Files. Plus, it features characters and lore that show up in Alan Wake 2. Give it a go and give yourself a crash course on the Remedy-verse.

Get Game Pass

Hollow Knight is one of the best Metroid-vaniagames you will ever play. The indie title perfectly balances exploration and challenging combat and platforming. It’s got a gorgeous, evocative art style that proves you don’t need a budget of tens of millions to craft a game world that inspires fan art.

The upcoming sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong has memed it’s way into becoming the new Half-Life 3. Hopefully this one will come out one day.

Get Game Pass

One of the major beauties of Xbox Game Pass is that all the mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon titles are available to play under just one subscription. These are some of the funniest games around. When they want to be serious, they can turn on the gas and tell some of the most cinematic mob stories in any medium, not just in games.

For those looking to dive into the dramatic yet wacky tale, I’d suggest starting with the prequel, Yakuza 0. It’s not the first entry in the series, but it’s arguably the best place to start for new audiences looking for a modern-day jumping-on point. It’s where I started and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Get Game Pass

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like Sherlock Holmes, you’ll love The Case of the Golden Idol. This 18th-century detective game is all about using your observational and deduction skills to solve murders—each one of them linked by the presence of the mysterious and magical idol.

Word puzzles are abound and deductive reasoning is paramount to seeing the case through. Luckily, the game also has the best hint system I’ve ever seen in a game—so even if you don’t quite click with the puzzles, you can still enjoy the period-appropriate music and secret cult vibes.

Get Game Pass

When we say that the entire Bethesda catalogue is on Game Pass, you probably think about Starfield and Fallout. The truth is much more exciting than that. In addition to favorites from Arkane Studios like Dishonored and Prey, Microsoft also owns the entire Doom franchise. For our money, the 2016 reboot is the high point in the long-running shooter’s history.

Rip and tear your way through demons on Mars in a campaign whose velocity never lets up. If you miss the days of great single-player FPS games, Doom (2016) will bring you right back.

Get Game Pass

Take to the skies and just relax with Microsoft Flight Simulator. It’s easily one of the best vehicle sims of all time. Trust me, nothing feels better than being up in the clouds—even virtually. It’s Google Earth on steroids.

And if you’re looking for something a little weirder… and a little nerdier? Don’t worry, Microsoft Flight Simulator even has a Dune expansion—so you can cosplay as Timothée Chalamet as much as you’d like.

Get Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate comes with the full EA Play catalog, meaning that titles such as Madden NFL 24, FIFA 23, and NHL 23 are all available for sports gamers to enjoy. For all the latest releases like Madden 25, or our latest obsession College Football 25, you get discounts and free trials on launch day.

Get Game Pass

Speaking of EA Play, you also get access to the entire Bioware catalogue. With Dragon Age: The Veilguard around the corner but not out quite yet, it’s the perfect time to catch up on Bioware’s legendary fantasy RPG. The Veilguard picks up right where Inquisition left off, so if you want to get the most out of the rich narrative and world-building of the new game, you should probably play this first. It’s a compelling story in its own right, as long as you don’t get bogged down in the Hinterlands.

Get Game Pass

Mortal Kombat has always been a top-tier fighting game. 11 is the latest entry on Game Pass, until the revamped Mortal Kombat 1 joins it on the service. But here’s the deal. It’s a much better game. In fact, MK11 is the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate of Mortal Kombat games. It’s got everyone you want and more in its jam-packed roster. And the story mode is the most fun I’ve ever had with a fighting game solo.

The eleventh entry serves up just enough violence and intricate button controls as any well-made modern brawler. The Fatalities are as brutal as they’ve ever been, with more options for comedically senseless gore than ever before.

Get Game Pass

Itching for a good horror title after Alan Wake II? The 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 brings the horror classic to modern consoles with new perspectives, updated controls and stunning 4K graphics.

This is the epitome of everything that is working about modern Resident Evil. In terms of tech, it’s on the cutting-edge but the design is based in a tried and true survival horror ethos.

Get Game Pass

Can’t get enough of excellent survival horror remakes? Neither can we, and the Dead Space remake proves it. While it’s far more faithful to its origins than Resident Evil 2, there’s no questioning its quality. Turning the infested USG Ishimura into a fully explorable ship with new side missions and secrets to find went a long way to making this feel like the ultimate version of a classic.

Get Game Pass

Do you like old video games? Did you grow up with the N64 and PS2? Answer yes to either of those questions and I got the medicine you need. Rare Replay is a collection of older titles from one of the most prolific studios of the early 3D era.

From GoldenEye and Banjo-Kaazoie to Viva Piñata, Game Pass subscribers have access to this comprehensive collection of ’90s and early 2000s hits. It’s worth tooling around with some of the more obscure titles too. Never know when you’ll stumble upon a Blast Corps and make the obscure N64 game your entire personality. NOT that I’m speaking from experience or anything.

Get Game Pass

If you want a throwback that you can really sink your teeth into, Octopath Traveler II is perfect. This Square Enix RPG harkens back to the era before the companies merged, each making excellent 16-bit games for the SNES and its contemporaries. It’s one of the best games Square has put out since that era. It’s also 80 hours long and dense at that. Full of inventive turn-based combat and with a world-spanning story that doesn’t concede to the tropes of the genre but bends them, Octopath Traveler II is a modern epic.

Get Game Pass

You inherit a farm from your recently deceased grandfather, and save a small town from corporate greed. Sounds intense, but there’s no game as peacefully enjoyable as Stardew Valley. The pixelated, approachable take on the genre invented by Harvest Moon is pure delight. Whether it’s the farming or the fantasy of living (and loving) in a rural town, something in Stardew is bound to get its hooks into most gamers who give it a shot.

Get Game Pass

The most frantic game on this list is also one of the most simplistic. This one is a friendship ruiner.

The premise of Overcooked goes like this: You and your colleagues (friends, partners, roommates) are in a short order kitchen, and you gotta crank out orders. Sounds easy? It starts out that way but gets increasingly bonkers as you go on. Soon you will understand just how Carmy feels on The Bear.

Get Game Pass

If you’re into rhythm games, Bethesda’s Hi-Fi Rush is a great, wonderfully colorful play. It is the optimal blend of Guitar Hero and Devil May Cry.

Play as Chai, a goofy, “future rockstar,” with a music player embedded in his chest. Feel the rhythm and fight against the corporation that’s trying to take it away. A lively cast of friends and foes will keep you entertained from start to finish.