The 5 Best Games on Xbox Game Pass that you need to play

Xbox Game Pass has long been considered one of the best deals in gaming. For the subscription, you get access to dozens of games on Xbox and PC, and with Xbox Game Pass you can play the best games both systems have to offer. Game Pass Ultimate even gives you access to EA Play and a host of top EA titles too.

Game Pass is renowned as well for having titles appear on or just after launch day, and there are several titles on this list that meet that criteria. So without further ado, here are the 5 best games on Game Pass. 

1. Hi-Fi Rush 

A brilliantly original title that launched on Game Pass, Hi-Fi Rush takes 3D platforming and spectacle fighting and sets it to music. Not only does music match your actions on screen, you actually perform better in combat by attacking or dodging to the beat. 

Needless to say, the soundtrack is absolutely pumping, and you need to play this game with the sound cranked up. It even features some licensed music from big artists like The Black Keys.

You honestly won't have played anything like this game before, and you won't find it on PlayStation either. It's a real feather in the Game Pass cap. 

2. Starfield

Another Xbox/PC exclusive, Starfield is Bethesda's latest and biggest game yet. If you're a fan of the likes of Skyrim and Fallout, imagine taking that to space!

Explore galaxies full of unique planets and other celestial bodies on a quest to discover the secrets of the stars. Starfield isn't for everyone but like I said if you love Bethesda games, it's probably the most Bethesda of them all.  

Whether you want to save the galaxy, become a space cowboy, or a swashbuckling galactic pirate, Starfield will accommodate you. So what are you waiting for captain? 

3. Dishonored 2 

I genuinely think that the Dishonored series has produced two of the best single-player games of the 21st century, and both are on Game Pass. This game is everything the Assasin's Creed franchise wanted to be, offering genuinely brilliant stealth gameplay.

In the second instalment of the series, you can choose to play as the first game's protagonist, Corvo, or his daughter (and empress) Emily. Both have their own set of unique powers to help you save the kingdom from the evil witch Delilah. You can teleport, possess rats and even stop time itself. 

Levels in Dishonored 2 feel like beautifully crafted playgrounds for you to experiment with your powers and any unsuspecting foes. While rushing in head-first won't take you very long, it's not a fraction as satisfying as being a true master assassin, never once being spotted as you take out your target. 

4. Phoenix Point

If you're a fan of tactical combat found in the likes of Xcom (or the Mario+ Rabbids series), then I've got your new favourite game. Phoenix Point. And it comes from one of the creators of Xcom Julian Gollop. 

As you might you might expect the premise is very similar. You lead a team of ragtag resistance forces against a mighty alien force, except now there are also three human factions that you have to deal with too. This becomes a balance of diplomacy and ideology as it becomes harder and harder to stay on good terms with all three. 

In terms of mechanics in battle, Phoenix Point has a few tricks up its sleeve too. Soldiers can specialise in two different classes at once, so you could have a sniper/medic or an engineer/heavy for example. There's a lot of depth to the game's systems and with permadeath for your troops, its difficult not to get invested in your actions.

5. Deathloop

It's hard for me not to fill this list with Arkane games (well not Redfall) so I'll just go for Dishonored and Deathloop. Originally a high-profile PS5 exclusive, Deathloop is a combination of FPS and Groundhog Day. Playing as Colt, you find yourself stuck in a timeloop, with the only chance of escape being a perfect day. Instead of confessing your love to Andi McDowell however, Colt's perfect day consists of killing eight 'Visionaries' who designed the isle of Blackreef. 

This is a superb stealth shooter with a unique story and I would argue the most gorgeous aesthetic in gaming. The multiplayer mode, in which one player invades another's world mid-mission is great fun too.