Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s subscription service for Xbox One owners. It’s designed to be like a “Netflix for games,” where you pay a simple monthly rate and get access to loads of games for download. It’s not to be confused with the Xbox Live Gold membership, which gives users a selection of free games each month.
There has been a huge surge in popularity and profile for Xbox Game Pass since its launch, mainly due to the diverse list of games and first-party exlusives on the service. In fact, Microsoft drops new releases from its own internal studios onto the service on day one! Sea of Thieves was the first example of this, followed by State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3. Since then, the service has seen the day one launch of several other high-profile Xbox exclusives, including Gears 5, The Outer Worlds, and Halo: Reach on the Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Membership to Xbox Game Pass will set you back $9.99 per month. You can now also get an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $1 for the first month and $14.99 every month after that. The subscription includes an Xbox Live Gold membership as well as all of the games offered on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC. Plus, with cloud support, you can play a selection of Xbox Game Pass titles on your Android phone. And now you even get access to titles on EA Play, the third-party publisher’s own on-demand service.
New games are added each month to Xbox Game Pass. Here are the games coming in March and April, plus all of the new Bethesda games available on the service starting on March 12 (with descriptions courtesy of the Xbox team) :
Xbox Game Pass: Games for April 2021
Outriders (Cloud and Console) – April 1
Outriders brings intense action and deep role-playing to Xbox Game Pass! Developed by People Can Fly, veterans of the shooter genre, Outriders presents a journey of survival across a savage planet, which can be tackled in both single player and 1-3 player co-op.
NHL 21 (Console) EA Play – Coming in April
Carve your path to superstardom in an expanded Be A Pro mode and go down as one of the league’s greatest. On the ice, change up your attack with all new moves, dekes, dangles, and evasive maneuvers, inspired by the league’s most groundbreaking innovators.
Xbox Game Pass: Games for March 2021
Madden NFL 21 (Console) EA Play – March 3
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now go all out as Madden NFL 21 joins The Play List with EA Play. Packed with fresh new features and innovative gameplay enhancements, Madden NFL 21 delivers new levels of ingenuity and control developed to inspire creativity on and off the field. Active members can play as much as they want, whenever they want, plus score 3 Gold Team Fantasy MUT Packs every month!
Football Manager 2021 (PC) – March 4
Manage the club you love and compete for the biggest prizes in the game as you cement your legacy as one of the managerial greats. Dropped into a living and breathing footballing world, you’ll sign wonderkids and develop them to their full potential by crafting a tactical strategy designed to play to their strengths. With more than 2,000 clubs waiting for you to lead them to glory, where will you take your first step towards managerial greatness?
Football Manager 2021 Xbox Edition (Console and PC) – March 4
Experience the drama and excitement of the world’s most popular football management simulation as it returns to the biggest stage. Take in the spectacle of matchdays in the 3D match engine or use the “Instant Result” option to skip straight to the full-time whistle and speed up your progress through the season. Alternatively, go head-to-head against your mates for the ultimate bragging rights in one of several online modes.
NBA 2K21 (Cloud and Console) – March 4
NBA 2K21 continues to push the boundaries as the most authentic, realistic basketball video game experience. Enjoy best-in-class gameplay and one-of-a-kind immersion into all facets of NBA basketball and basketball culture. Ascend from high school to college ball on your way to the League in MyCareer, or build your greatest collection of the latest NBA stars and legendary ballers in MyTeam to compete against other ferocious collectors around the world. Jump in now and find out why in NBA 2K21, everything is game.
Undertale (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 16
Fall into the underworld and explore a hilarious and heartwarming world full of dangerous monsters. Date a skeleton, dance with a robot, cook with a fishwoman… or destroy everyone where they stand. The future is yours to determine in this critically acclaimed role-playing game from indie developer Toby Fox.
Empire of Sin (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 18
Empire of Sin is a strategy game based in the 1920s Prohibition-era Chicago underworld. Step into the wing-tipped shoes of real and fictional gangsters like Al Capone or Stephanie St. Clair to build and manage your criminal empire. Schmooze, swindle, and strategize your way to the top.
Nier: Automata (PC) – March 18
Humanity has been driven from the Earth by mechanical beings from another world. In a final effort to take back the planet, the human resistance sends a force of android soldiers to destroy the invaders. Now, a war between machines and androids rages on… a war that could soon unveil a long-forgotten truth of the world.
Star Wars: Squadrons (Console) EA Play – March 18
Master the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience Star Wars: Squadrons. Feel the adrenaline of first-person multiplayer space dogfights alongside your squadron and buckle up in a thrilling Star Wars story.
Torchlight III (PC) – March 18
In Torchlight III, Novastraia is again under threat of invasion and it’s up to you to defend against the Netherim and its allies. Gather your wits and brave the frontier to find fame, glory, and a new adventure!
Genesis Noir (Console and PC) – March 25
A noir adventure spanning time and space. When a love triangle between cosmic beings becomes a bitter confrontation, you’ll witness a gunshot fired by a jealous god—otherwise known as The Big Bang. Jump into the expanding universe and search for a way to destroy creation and save your love.
Octopath Traveler (Console and PC) – March 25
Eight travelers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play. Embark on an epic journey across the vast and wondrous world of Orsterra and discover the captivating stories of each of the eight travelers. Use each character’s distinctive abilities in and out of battle and make decisions to shape your path.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition (PC) – March 25
Bend the world to your will as you explore the depths of infinite possibilities, including detailed character customization, total freedom of exploration, and more meaningful choices at every turn. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition redefines the role-playing game experience for a new generation.
Supraland (PC) – March 25
Save the red-stick figure village in this hit first-person, open-world, action-puzzle platformer. Roam and explore a grand interconnected world, unlock new versatile abilities, and combine them to overcome imaginative puzzles or uncover shrouded secrets.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Cloud, Console and PC) – March 25
Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, returns with the dream of living a quiet life. But soon he discovers Haruka has been in an accident and is now in a coma, leaving her young son, Haruto, without care. To protect this child, Kiryu takes Haruto to the last place Haruka was spotted, Onomichi, Hiroshima. Why are the Tojo Clan and Yomei Alliance both after Haruto? Kiryu will have to navigate through the criminal underworld he left behind and fight for the answers to keep the family he loves safe.
Narita Boy (Cloud, Console and PC) – March 30
Become symphonic in Narita Boy! A radical action-adventure as a legendary pixel hero trapped as a mere echo within the Digital Kingdom. Discover the mysteries behind the Techno-sword, lock swords with the corrupt and tainted Stallions. Save the world!
Xbox Game Pass: Bethesda Games
Dishonored Definitive Edition (Console, PC, Cloud)
This complete compilation includes Dishonored, winner of over 100 Game of Year awards, as well as all of its additional content – Dunwall City Trials, The Knife of Dunwall, The Brigmore Witches and Void Walker’s Arsenal.
Dishonored 2 (Console, PC, Cloud)
Reprise your role as a supernatural assassin in Dishonored 2 – the next chapter in the award-winning saga by Arkane Studios. Play your way in a world where mysticism and industry collide. How will you combine your character’s unique set of powers, weapons and gadgets to eliminate your enemies?
DOOM (1993) (Console, PC, Cloud)
Doom introduced millions of gamers to the fast-paced, white-knuckle, demon-slaying action the franchise is known for. Relive the birth of the first-person shooter and experience the demon-blasting fun that popularized the genre. Doom includes Episode IV: Thy Flesh Consumed, with 9 additional action-packed levels and split-screen 4-player deathmatch and co-op.
DOOM II (Console, PC, Cloud)
Bring your trusty Super Shotgun and an arsenal of classic Doom weapons to bear against deadlier demons and the infamous boss, the Icon of Sin. Doom II includes The Master Levels for Doom II with 20 additional levels, as well as split-screen 4 player co-op and multiplayer.
DOOM 3 (Console, PC, Cloud)
Battle your way through a demon-infested facility before entering the abyss to battle Hell’s mightiest warrior – and put an end to the invasion. Doom 3 includes both campaign expansions – Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission.
DOOM 64 (Console, PC, Cloud)
Battle armies of demons in your crusade to hunt down the Mother Demon and stop Hell’s invasion. As you fight through more than 30 action-packed levels, be on the lookout for enhanced weapons and secrets to help you put an end to the demonic threat.
DOOM Eternal (Console, PC, Cloud)
Hell’s armies have invaded Earth. Become the Slayer in an epic single-player campaign to conquer demons across dimensions and stop the final destruction of humanity. Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power in Doom Eternal – the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat. The only thing they fear… is you.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Console, PC)
An epic, open-ended single-player RPG, Morrowind allows you to play any kind of character imaginable. You can choose to follow the main storyline and find the source of the evil blight that plagues the land, or set off on your own to explore strange locations and develop your character.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Console, PC)
Step inside the most richly detailed and vibrant game-world ever created. With a powerful combination of freeform gameplay and unprecedented graphics, you can unravel the main quest at your own pace or explore the vast world and find your own challenges.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (Console, PC, Cloud)
Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, the Skyrim Special Edition includes the game and add-ons with all-new features like remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, and more. Also bring the power of mods to consoles. New quests, environments, characters, dialogue, armor, weapons and more – with Mods, there are no limits to what you can experience.
The Elder Scrolls Online (Cloud, Console)
Experience the award-winning story in a persistent Elder Scrolls world. Embark on an adventure that lets you play your way, go anywhere at any level. Battle, craft, steal, siege, explore and more.
The Evil Within (Console, PC, Cloud)
Experience a disturbing reality as you try to break free from warped machinations. With limited resources at your disposal, you’ll fight for survival and experience profound fear in this perfect blend of horror and action. Defeat insurmountable terror and experience the ultimate thrill by discovering The Evil Within.
Fallout 4 (Console, PC, Cloud)
As the sole survivor of Vault 111, you enter a world destroyed by nuclear war. Every second is a fight for survival, and every choice is yours. Only you can rebuild and determine the fate of the Wasteland. Welcome home.
Fallout 76 (Console, PC, Cloud)
Steel Dawn is the first chapter in the new Brotherhood of Steel questline, free for Fallout 76 players. Visit settlements populated with new NPCs and unlock powerful weapons and armor from the Brotherhood arsenal. Join in their mission to rebuild society and aid in securing valuable technology.
Fallout: New Vegas (Console)
Welcome to New Vegas. It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head… and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis.
Prey (Console, PC, Cloud)
Good morning, Morgan. Prey joins the Xbox Game Pass library, taking you from the comfort of your home to the treacherous depths of space. As Morgan Yu, you’ll have to use your wits, weapons and strange powers to fight the alien threat that has overtaken the Talos I space station. Explore the station, upgrade your skills and abilities, and uncover the secrets of Talos I and the dangers within.
RAGE 2 (Console, PC, Cloud)
Dive headfirst into a dystopian world devoid of society, law, and order. Rage 2 brings together two studio powerhouses – Avalanche Studios, masters of open world insanity, and id Software, creators of the first-person shooter – to deliver a carnival of carnage where you can go anywhere, shoot anything, and explode everything.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Console, PC, Cloud)
Wolfenstein sends players across Europe on a personal mission to bring down the fascist war machine. With the help of a small group of resistance fighters, infiltrate their most heavily guarded facilities, battle high-tech legions, and take control of super-weapons that have conquered the earth – and beyond.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (Console, PC, Cloud)
The year is 1946 and the Nazis are on the brink of winning World War II. In an effort to turn the tide in the allies’ favor, B.J. Blazkowicz must embark on an epic, two-part mission deep within Bavaria…
Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Console, PC, Cloud)
Set 19 years after the events of Wolfenstein II, BJ Blazkowicz’s twin daughters, Jess and Soph Blazkowicz — after years of training from their battle-hardened father — are forced into action. Team up with a friend to level up, explore, and complete missions to unlock abilities that compliment your playstyle.