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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it might not be considered the top offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed several big-name launch day games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions further enrich a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current recommendations feature a therapeutic shooter, an award-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players ultraviolent mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy targets. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in gory, explicit clarity. It's a violent excitement for every peace-lover wanting to unwind in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed narrative exploring life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that horrific disease, as well as memories of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that intrigue isn't enough to hook you, the game does begin with a killing. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, also available). But, due to a break in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each representing a distinct genre. There's a investigative story about a cleric looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve destitution through the power of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (because every good RPGs need a hero with an unknown background, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.