Xbox continues the onslaught of brand-new Xbox Game Pass games launching this January and February. We have three brand-new and four day-one Game Pass games headed our way.
A couple of big games available today are Resident Evil 2 Remake and Those Who Remain.
Resident Evil 2 Remake – (17 January, 2024)
We start with Resident Evil 2 Remake. The classic game has been remade, and now a rookie cop and college student must survive a plague-infested Raccoon City. The game was released a few years ago and remade to include gorgeous visuals, modernized controls, and improved gameplay. Resident Evil 2 Remake has intensified the game with improvements, leading to more impact, tension, and new content. This is now available to play today.
Those Who Remain – (17 January, 2024)
Those Who Remain also launches today. This is a psychological horror game where the story unfolds through a series of unsettling events triggered by your actions and choices. You play as Edward Turner, trapped in a small and mysterious town, trying to survive. This arrives on consoles, cloud, and PC.
Turnip Boy Robs A Bank – (January 18, 2024)
Then we have a brand-new day-one Game Pass title, Turnip Boy Robs A Bank. This is a top-down rogue-lite where you take the role of an adorable turnip boy, only you’re not so cute but an absolute menace to society. Apparently, you haven’t paid off your taxes and debt to Mayor Onion, so now you decide to go on an epic adventure to rob banks.
The game is full of action, puzzles, hilarious fights against vegetables and fruits, as well as dangerous animals trying to eat you. The game has puzzles, crime, huge battles, harvesting, and multiple endings. It looks to be a bit of a sleeper hit and arrives on January 18th on consoles, cloud, and PC.
F1 2023 – (January 18, 2024)
Now, I’ve been a huge fan of the F1 series, and Game Pass with EA Play is set to see F1 2023 on Game Pass. This franchise has made me a racing fan with its hardcore realism. Setting up on race day involves in-depth fine-tuning of your car’s every aspect. F1 2023 introduces a new story mode called Breaking Point 2, two-player split-screen, ranked multiplayer mode, and full cross-play across other platforms. Even if you don’t like racing games, I would encourage you to give F1 2023 a shot. It’s exhilarating, fun, hardcore, and challenging, making it one of the best racing games out there. It lands on January 18th on consoles and PC.
Palworld – (January 19, 2024)
A shocking surprise as a day-one Game Pass title is Palworld, a game that mimics Pokemon in some aesthetics but is far from a carbon copy. There are guns in this game, so imagine Pokemon with guns. The creatures are called Pals, and they can fight alongside you, aid you, farm or work in your factories.
You can sell them, but you can also eat them. Palworld is an open-world multiplayer survival game with an insane amount of activities. You can catch Pals, break into wildlife sanctuaries, breed them, explore dungeons, farm, engage in intense gunfights, and much more. The multiplayer aspects are interesting, with PvP coming in a future update. This game is the total package and has a lot of hype. It lands on January 19th.
Go Mecha Ball – (January 25, 2024)
Another new day-one Game Pass game that you might overlook but shouldn’t is Go Mecha Ball, a top-down roguelike twin-stick shooter that looks action-packed. You go on runs, defeat waves of enemies, fight huge boss battles, and upgrade in between. The gameplay combines twin-stick mechanics with pinball-style physics in an arcade style. You’ll need strategy and movement with your weapons, abilities, and upgrades to get through the levels. It lands on Game Pass on January 25th on Cloud, Console, and PC.
Brotato – (January 30, 2024)
Another top-down roguelite comes to Game Pass in a game released last year, Brotato. You play the only remaining potato left alive, crashed on an alien planet surrounded by hordes of enemies. The game features an auto-firing mechanic similar to Vampire Survivors, and with hundreds of items and weapons at your disposal, runs last under 30 minutes. The game has been loved since its release in June of 2023 with over 60 thousand overwhelmingly positive user reviews. Brotato lands on January 30th on cloud, console, and PC.
Persona 3 Reload – (February 2, 2024)
Our next game, Persona 3 Reload, is an upcoming remake of the fan-favorite Persona 3 title from 2006. This game gives both new and old players a revamped experience of this classic JRPG title with enhanced visuals and quality-of-life gameplay improvements. In this game, you play as a high school student who joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.) to combat the army of Shadows and uncover the mysteries of the Dark Hour. Persona 3 Reload sticks to its traditional role-playing and social simulation gameplay with overhauled graphics. It’s coming to Game Pass on February 2.
Anuchard – (February 6, 2024)
Our next game is Anuchard, a top-down action-adventure where you play the bell wielder, the specially chosen one set to revive an ancient and magical town taken down by the very people who used to protect it. You’ll use the power of the bellwielder in combat, puzzles, and dungeon diving to rescue citizens and revive them. Citizens will aid you in your quest by providing resources. Anuchard looks like a fun game with positive user reviews, and it lands on Game Pass on February 6th on cloud, console, and PC.
FrostPunk 2 – (2024)
Now, a completely new day-one Game Pass game announced is Frostpunk 2. The sequel to the beloved 2018 Survival City Builder that saw over 80 thousand overwhelmingly positive user reviews. The sequel in FrostPunk 2 is set to land later this year, taking place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard in the first game.
You play as a leader leading survivors in a resource-hungry town trying to stay alive, avoid internal conflicts, and thrive in this new world. It’s not your typical city builder, and it resonates with a post-apocalyptic environment. Frost Punk 2 should be a good one later this year on Game Pass.
Looking for more awesome games? check out my top 30 picks for the best game pass releases in 2024.
Alright, with that, we have some rumors of potential Game Pass additions down the line. The Gears of War Collection might be in testing, according to gaming industry insiders. This would be a collection of Gears of War games, similar to the Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The rumor is it would include the Ultimate Edition, Gears 2, 3, and 4. We’ll see if it’s true and maybe hear about it soon.
We also got an update on a game we know is coming to Game Pass in Stalker 2 that showed some updated new screenshots. This game is set to hit Game Pass early in 2024, and I personally couldn’t be more excited
