Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Xbox Game Pass: What is it, and what games are included?

xbox game pass compatible games halo 5 thumb
Microsoft Studios
On June 1, Microsoft launched the Xbox Game Pass program, which provides gamers with access to a catalog of Xbox 360 games for a flat monthly fee, as well as discounts on a number of Xbox One games. Fans have long been clamoring for such a program, especially given the existence of Sony’s PlayStation Now, which offers a similar service to PlayStation 4 devotees. Microsoft has promised to add new games to the catalog every month, and subscribers won’t need Xbox Live Gold to take advantage of the program (except to play online).

A subscription to Game Pass will run you $10/month, and you’ll need to download games to your hard drive. Before you commit, you probably want to know which games are included. We’ve got a handy, dandy list of free and discounted games available through the program. Happy gaming.

Recommended Videos

Xbox One games

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Title

Price

#IDARB $12
Blood Bowl 2 $32
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 $16
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons $16
Defense Grid 2 $12
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die $12
DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition $24
Electronic Super Joy $8
Farming Simulator 15 $13
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Not priced
Halo 5: Guardians $32
Halo: Spartan Assault $4
JumpJet Rex $8
Knight Squad $12
KYUB $8
Layers of Fear $16
Lumo $16
Mad Max $16
Massive Chalice $16
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood $12
Mega Coin Squad $12
Mega Man Legacy Collection $12
NBA 2K16 $32
OlliOlli $8
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition $16
Pumped BMX+ $8
Resident Evil 0 $16
Roundabout $8
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected $16
ScreamRide  $24
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse $16
Steredenn $10
Strider  $12
Sunset Overdrive $24
Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings $16
Super Time Force $12
Terraria $16
The Golf Club $24
The Swapper $12
WWE 2K16 $32

Xbox 360 games

Borderlands 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Title

 A Kingdom for Keflings
A World of Keflings
 Age of Booty
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Banjo-Tooie
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
BioShock
BioShock 2
BioShock Infinite
Borderlands
Bound by Flame
Braid
Capcom Arcade Cabinet
CastleStorm
Comic Jumper
Comix Zone
Dark Void
de Blob 2
Defense Grid
Dig Dug
 Double Dragon Neon
 Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mysteria
Fable III
Final Fight: Double Impact
Flock!
Galaga Legions DX
Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 3
Gears of War: Judgment
GRID 2
Hexic 2
Iron Brigade
Jetpac Refuelled
Joe Danger Special Edition
Joe Danger 2: The Movie
Joy Ride Turbo
Kameo
LEGO Batman
Metal Slug 3
Monday Night Combat
 Ms. Splosion Man
MX vs. ATV Reflex
N+
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+
Pac-Man Museum
Perfect Dark Zero
Sacred 3
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space
Sam & Max Save the World
Samurai Shodown II
Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
 Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe
Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World
Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
Soul Calibur
Soul Calibur II HD
Spelunky
Splosion Man
Stacking
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match
The Maw
Toy Soldiers
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
XCOM: Enemy Within
Nick Hastings
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick is a Portland native and a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California with a Bachelor's of Communication. Nick's…
Best PS5 deals: Console bundles, top games, and accessories
A person plays Crash Bandicoot using a PS5 DualSense controller.

If you've been following the journey of the PlayStation 5, then you know there have been some ups and downs along the way, such as stock issues or not having access to compatible SSDs to expand internal storage. Things have gone a long way since then, and if you're thinking of picking up the new PS5 Slim, now is a good time. While there aren't a lot of great deals on the consoles themselves, there are some good deals on games, including some of the best games in the PS5 library. We've also collected some of the best PS5 game deals, as well as some great accessories, including some great gaming headset deals.
Best PS5 deals

The PlayStation 5 has recently seen a great revision with it now slightly slimmer than before and also offering more storage space with 1TB of internal space resulting in 842GB of it being usable. You still get the impressive DualSense controller along with all the benefits that the PS5 offers. With the arrival of the new revision, there are some great bundles around, including a free digital copy of Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Read more
Black Ops 6 isn’t the only Activision Blizzard game coming to Xbox Game Pass this month
A soldier stands outside in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

It's October, which means it's Call of Duty season for Xbox and Activision. So expectedly, Xbox Game Pass' offerings for the second half of the month into November are all about Activision Blizzard.

October 25 is the big day for Call of Duty fans. The next entry in the shooter series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, is hitting cloud, console, and PC for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Modern Warfare 3, which was the first Call of Duty game added to the service in July, is also specifically coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming on October 25, along with Call of Duty Warzone.

Read more
Best Xbox Game Pass deals: Upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate for cheap
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate logo.

Microsoft has really been focusing a lot lately on it's gaming division when it comes to things like the Xbox Series X or Series S consoles, but one of the biggest offerings it has going is the Xbox Game Pass service. Besides being required to access online multiplayer on the Xbox Series consoles, which is a bit of a shame, you also can get access to a pretty sizeable game library. Granted, you aren't always going to get the latest games, but if you don't buy games often, having this option is great for a little bit of extra each month. Sony actually has a similar service in the form of the PS Plus, but the difference is that there is also an Xbox Game Pass subscription service for PCs as well, so PC gamers can access the library.

Also, you may want to check out these great Xbox Series S and X deals while you're here.
Xbox Game Pass Core -- $8, was $13 per month

Read more