Summary
From practically its very first breath,Xbox Game Passhas been heralded as one of the best deals in the entire gaming landscape, and that reputation has stuck with it for the last six years. But whileXbox Game Passhas always been considered great value for money, it has had its fair share of disappointing months, where only a handful of mediocre games join the service. 2023, however, has been largely without any of these lackluster periods.
Kicking the year off strong with a bunch ofPersonagames,Hi-Fi Rush,GoldenEye, andAge of Empires 2,Xbox Game Pass' January 2023 line-upwould only be a sign of things to come for the rest of the year. And while 2023 hasn’t been completely bereft of some slower months, it’s largely kept up quite an impressive momentum, and that momentum has only continued to grow exponentially these last few months.
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Though the beginning of 2023 was a smash hit for Xbox Game Pass, the middle section of the year was a tad slower, withJune and July’s Game Pass offeringsnot standing out all that much, especially when compared to the slew of huge releases that were dropping at the time. But in August, the gears started turning once again, withSea of Stars,Texas Chain Saw Massacre, andAge of Empires 4all dropping for Xbox Game Pass.
This momentum continued to pick up in September, withStarfieldmaking its long-awaited debut, along withLies of P,Party Animals, andPayday 3, all of which hit Xbox Game Pass on day one. And while October doesn’t have any titles that live up to the sheer hype behindStarfield, it’s still carrying that same momentum forward, if not building on it with games likeGotham Knights,Warhammer 40K: Darktide,Forza Motorsport,Cities: Skylines 2, andJusant, along with a handful of exciting Indies likeThe Lamplighters LeagueandHeadbangers Rhythm Royale.
Xbox Game Pass Cannot Let This Momentum Die Down
For years now, -since the seventh console generation started and the PS4 dominated in sales, Xbox fans have been adamant that the company has everything it needs to succeed, but isn’t quite using it properly. For years, a common phrase among the community is that Xbox is “lining up the dominos,” and at any moment it could knock over the first one, beginning a chain reaction that sees it at the top of the gaming industry once more. After years of waiting, Xbox might have finally knocked down that first domino.
The last few months have proven that Xbox Game Pass is still the best deal in gaming, and with more high-quality day-one exclusives than ever before, that deal is better than it ever has been before. If Xbox can continue building, or even just carry this momentum through to December and the beginning of next year, then it already putsXbox Game Pass in an excellent spot for 2024, where the service already has some great additions lined up.
Though they haven’t been given exact release dates just yet, Xbox has a slew of first-party exclusives already set for a 2024 release.Avowed,Fable,Clockwork Revolution,Hellblade 2,Stalker 2,Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and a good few more are all expected to release next year, and all of them will presumably be hitting Xbox Game Pass on day one. On top of that, theXbox-Activision acquisitionis still on the horizon, and could go through any day now. The future ofXbox Game Passis very bright, and if its current momentum can flow into next year, then it could finally achieve the ripple effect that fans have been waiting for.
