This paid off in a big way in 2021, as some of the biggest and most critically-acclaimed games of the year were Xbox-published titles that were released through Game Pass on day one. This includes the likes of Psychonauts 2, a platformer that earned widespread acclaim for its storytelling and art, as well as Forza Horizon 5, an open world racing game that stands out as the highest-rated new video game release of 2021 period.
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And of course, one can’t forget Halo Infinite, which helped cap off 2021 as easily the best year that Xbox Game Pass has seen to date. And while Microsoft has yet to reveal the full scope of its 2022 plans, we do already know of over 30 day one Xbox Game Pass games that will be available to subscribers as soon as they launch, including two titles that are Xbox-owned games.
Xbox Game Pass Games for 2022
The Anacrusis - January 13 Pupperazzi - January 20 Windjammers 2 - January 20 Shredders - February Edge of Eternity - February 10 Total War: Warhammer 3 - February 17 Weird West - March 31 Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Spring STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl - April 28 Midnight Fight Express - Summer Redfall - Summer Scorn - October Starfield - November 11 A Plague Tale: Requiem - 2022 Atomic Heart - 2022 Bushiden - 2022 Chinatown Detective Agency - 2022 Crusader Kings 3 - 2022 Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - 2022 Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery - 2022 Hello Neighbor 2 - 2022 Loot River - 2022 Nobody Saves The World - 2022 Party Animals - 2022 Pigeon Simulator - 2022 Replaced - 2022 Signalis - 2022 Slime Rancher 2 - 2022 Sniper Elite 5 - 2022 Somerville - 2022 Trek to Yomi - 2022
As it stands, there are only two Xbox-owned games that are confirmed to be coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2022 at the time of this writing, though that number will almost certainly grow in the near future. First up is Redfall, developed by Arkane Studios. Redfall is a co-op game about vampires, and since Arkane is best known for its single-player experiences, it will definitely be interesting to see how it stacks up when it comes to Xbox Game Pass in the summer of 2022.
Not enough of Redfall has been shown for fans to truly know what to expect from it, and the same goes for the other Xbox-owned game confirmed for Game Pass in 2022, Starfield. Bethesda is confident that the Starfield release date of November 11, 2022 will be met, though like Redfall, not much of the game has been shown off just yet. However, that should change in the months ahead.
Bethesda has not shown any Starfield gameplay footage, but it has offered a CGI trailer to set the tone of the story and has shown off plenty of concept art. The Starfield concept art tease an ambitious open world game with varied environments for players to explore, though the jury is still out on whether or not it will enthrall players like some of Bethesda’s previous efforts have managed to do. There have been some bumps in the road, but Bethesda still has a pretty impressive track record and smart money is on Starfield living up to the hype.
Besides Redfall and Starfield, it’s likely that another Bethesda-published, Xbox-owned game will hit Xbox Game Pass in 2022. Nothing official has been announced at the time of this writing, but it’s almost certain that current PS5 console exclusive Deathloop will hit Xbox Game Pass before the year is out as a day one release.
And while there aren’t many Xbox-owned games confirmed for release on Game Pass in 2022 just yet, there are other console exclusives that fans can look forward to next year. For example, co-op shooter The Anacrusis launches in early access on January 13 on Xbox Game Pass as an Xbox console exclusive, and first-person horror game Scorn will launch in October.
Microsoft likes to announce Xbox Game Pass games in two batches every month so fans know what’s coming in the next couple weeks without much focus beyond that. Considering this, there are likely many other Xbox Game Pass games waiting in the wings, but subscribers will just have to wait to find out exactly what they are. In the meantime, three games are currently confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in January 2022, consisting of the aforementioned Anacrusis on January 13, and Pupperazzi and Windjammers 2 on January 20.
MORE: Xbox Game Pass’ 2022 Calendar So Far
