Summary
Though there were some hurdles along the way, on the whole, 2023 was a pretty great year forXbox Game Pass, with plenty of exciting Indies, major first-party games, and more day-one drops than anyone could shake a stick at. Going into 2024, there was a lot of pressure forXbox Game Passto knock it out of the park right out of the gate, and somehow, that’s exactly what it’s doing.
January is always a bit of a slower month in the video game landscape. With mostmajor 2024 releasesholding out until the Summer or taking the opportunity to release right before the Holiday rush at the end of the year, this often means that the first few months of the year are a little barren in terms of big video game releases. Thankfully, 2024 seems to be breaking that trend a little, and Xbox Game Pass has played a vital part in ensuring that gamers have plenty to enjoy this January, just like it did in 2023.
Xbox Game Pass' January 2024 Line-Up Is Repeating 2023 In the Best Way
January Has Been a Great Month for Xbox Game Pass Two Years Running
Last January, Xbox Game Pass had one of its strongest months ever. Though it started out slow withStrandedDeepandMortal Shell, Xbox Game Pass quickly picked up the pace, delivering bothPersona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Golden, two of themost critically acclaimed JRPGs of all time. This was soon followed by the immensely successfulMonster Hunter Rise, the long-awaitedGoldenEye 007remaster, andAge of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. To top things off, January 2023 also sawHi-Fi Rushsurprise drop onto Xbox Game Pass, setting the tone for the rest of Xbox’s year.
This year, Xbox Game Pass seems to be on a similar mission. Hitting the service on January 4,Hell Let Loosehas received major attention on Xbox Game Pass. This month has also brought with it two huge third-party releases withAssassin’s Creed ValhallaandResident Evil 2 Remake, two games that fans have wanted on Game Pass for years now. And just a few days ago, Xbox Game Pass receivedthe “Pokemonwith guns” gamePalworld, which is quickly becoming one of the biggest titles of 2024 already.
To make matters even better, Xbox released its second annual Developer Direct showcase, and this year it truly felt like Xbox knew what it was doing. While last year’s Developer Direct felt a bit meandering and some of the games shown weren’t too impressive,2024’s Xbox Developer Directwas concise and engaging throughout, giving fans a great look at hugely anticipated upcoming games likeSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2,Avowed,Ara: History Untold, and the big highlight of the show,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. And while there was no shadow-drop this year, a surprise appearance fromVisions of Mana’s developer was very welcome.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
