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Overlooked Gaming Gems On Xbox Game Pass 

Overlooked Gaming Gems On Xbox Game Pass 

Have you checked the Xbox Game Pass library lately? If not, you should because it’s full of amazing games just waiting to be played. New games are regularly added to Game Pass, so even if you checked the library last month, we guarantee there are new games waiting for you right now. 

If you don’t already own Game Pass, it’s a subscription service for Xbox One and Windows PC that gives you more than 100 games for the price of a monthly subscription fee. The base version of Game Pass is $9.99 per month

If you want to add Xbox Live Gold to the mix, you can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $14.99 and get Game Pass and Gold under a single, convenient subscription. One thing we like about Xbox Game Pass is game discovery, as we’ve stumbled across many titles we’d either never heard of, or never got the chance to play. 

If you have a bit of free time on your hands at home and are wondering where to start, we’re here to help you out. Below, we’ll walk you through some overlooked gaming gems on Xbox Game Pass that you should check out! 

Astroneer

Have you ever wanted to not only explore space but interact with it directly? If so, Astroneer is the game for you! Similar to games like Minecraft, Astroneer is a sandbox game where you can dig, gather, and build things like bases and vehicles using the terrain that’s all around you. 

You aren’t limited to a single planet to explore as the game boasts seven different planets, all with their own unique biomes. You’re free to travel between these planets in order to get everything you need, letting you get as creative as you like. 

Astroneer features online co-op that supports up to four players, meaning you can bring your friends along on your space adventures if you like. Overall, Astroneer is a stress-free game that’s fun for the whole family, and that sounds pretty great right about now. Right? 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Are you looking for an expansive tale of dueling monarchs, epic battles, and sword fighting? Look no further than Kingdom Come: Deliverance! In this massive medieval RPG, you play as Henry, the son of a blacksmith who lives a relatively peaceful, sheltered life. 

All of that changes when his village gets raided, everything is burned to the ground, and his father is killed. Alone and with nothing left to call home, Henry journeys through Bohemia and winds up serving under Lord Radzig Kobyla.  

While the story itself is reason enough to play the game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance one-ups itself by making everything open-world. You’re free to follow the path of the story, or you can head off and do your own thing. 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a single-player experience, and a mature one at that, so it’s one you may want to play after everyone goes to bed. With that said, we highly recommend it if you need to kill time as you can easily sink over 100 hours into the game! 


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Old Man’s Journey

Old Man’s Journey is one of the most beautiful games we’ve played. The gameplay centers around puzzles, though none of them will leave you stumped or frustrated. All of them lend to the game’s moving story about “life, loss, reconciliation, and hope” as described by the game’s developers. 

Visually, Old Man’s Journey is striking and looks fantastic when played on Xbox One. The music and environments are peaceful, introspective, and reflective. Essentially, you follow an old man looking back on his life and while the game is short, it’s one everyone should experience.

It’s something a lot of us can relate to on some level whenever we feel lost in our memories, yearning for days gone by, or simply reminiscing on the happy moments of our life that we feel grateful for. 

Children of Morta

If you’re a fan of roguelikes, Xbox Game Pass has you covered with the inclusion of Children of Morta. Released back in 2019, Children of Morta is both a roguelike and an RPG that follows the Bergson family and their quest to fight back against the Corruption.

In Children of Morta, you’ll explore procedurally generated dungeons, hacking and slashing your way through foes together with your family. Each family member has their own style of play, and the game does a great job at encouraging you to play all of them.

In terms of appearance, Children of Morta has some impressive pixel art and interesting areas to explore, even as you’re going from dungeon to dungeon. The story is interesting and helps push everything forward, and by the end, it’s impossible to resist the urge to jump back in and run through the game again. 

Overcooked 2

We know that Overcooked 2 may not necessarily be “overlooked” in the sense that it’s one of the most popular multiplayer games available on Xbox Game Pass. That said, if you’re stuck inside and need something you can play with the whole family, not just two people, Overcooked 2 has you covered. 

Overcooked 2 is the action-packed sequel to the hit indie game, Overcooked. In it, you and up to four other players (online and local co-op supported) will work together or against one another in chaotic cooking challenges. 

You don’t need to know anything about cooking to play and enjoy Overcooked 2. In fact, the mechanics of the game are pretty straightforward with challenges that gradually ramp up in difficulty. Because of this, the game is approachable and fun for gamers of all ages and experience levels.

Slay the Spire

You like card games? What about roguelikes? Well, Slay the Spire has both! Right now, Slay the Spire is one of the most popular single-player deckbuilding roguelikes on Steam. On Xbox Game Pass, people seem to be passing over it. 

We know that it can feel weird to play a “card game” using a controller on Xbox One, but if the only place you game is on Xbox One, you shouldn’t feel deterred from at least checking the game out. In Slay the Spire, you’ll have to carefully strategize which cards you use.

You have over 350 cards to choose from, allowing you to tailor your deck of cards to your unique playstyle. You can play and replay and play Slay the Spire and never get the same experience twice. It’s not just cards, the Spire changes with each journey, as do the enemies and bosses you face. If you’re looking to add a little strategy to your life, Slay the Spire is well worth your time. 

Kona

Detective games with a lot of walking and searching can be hit or miss. You don’t want the pacing to be too slow, as players get bored. You also don’t want the game to be too quick and easy to complete, as you’ll be left wishing there was more content.

Kona strikes a perfect balance between these two points. It’s not agonizingly long, but it’s also not too short as you’re able to get several hours out of the game. Set in Northern Canada in 1970, you play as a detective investigating the aftermath of a mysterious blizzard.

You’ll not only need to piece together what happened as you explore the Atamipek Lake area, but you’ll also need to keep yourself safe from the elements. Kona is atmospheric, quiet, and chilling. Once you dive into the game’s mystery, you won’t want to stop until it’s solved. 

The games listed above are only a small taste of what Xbox Game Pass has to offer. As noted above, Game Pass has over 100 games to choose from. If the games we mentioned aren’t your thing, we recommend browsing through the Xbox Game Pass library and seeing if anything else catches your eye. 


Read More: The Best DLC To Sink Time Into

In addition to the games themselves, it’s easy to lose track of DLC expansions as they’re released. When it comes to games you enjoy and have already put quite a bit of time into, it’s often worth it to buy the DL and we’ve got a list DLC that’ll keep you properly preoccupied for the next few weeks!