3 Xbox Game Pass Games That Can Validate Your Subscription This Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. While it might not be considered the top deal in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several high-profile launch day releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend gaming binges.

This week's picks include a therapeutic shooter, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, we all require a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players intensely graphic mayhem targeting enemy targets. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi targets. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as always, with the game's signature killcam displaying every bullet's effect in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to unwind in the security of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a sci-fi lens; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that horrific disease, along with experiences of her education and home life, both of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from that point. Should all that mystery fails to hook you, the game indeed start with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if any game deserving trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). However, due to a break in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, each embodying a distinct story style. You'll find a investigative story about a priest investigating the death of his church's head priest. A trader striving to solve poverty through the force of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (since every good RPGs require a hero with an unknown past, naturally). A few of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed setting. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.