Every year, Microsoft seems to invest more into its Xbox Game Pass subscription service in an attempt to keep current subscribers signed up and convince potential new members to give it a look. Out of all the years Xbox Game Pass has been available so far, 2022 may very well be the best to-date, with Microsoft going above and beyond to ensure that Xbox Game Pass subscribers always had something new to play.
Microsoft added new games to Xbox Game Pass multiple times each month throughout 2022. The new offerings ranged from brand-new, day one releases to older, but still incredible games. Xbox Game Pass subscribers were treated to near-endless new games to try through their subscription service this year, though some may want to prioritize playing the best of the best.
With that in mind, here are the 10 best Xbox Game Pass games for 2022. The games listed here are not listed in order of quality, but rather the month they were added to the service. Since many Xbox Game Pass games stay on the service for about a year, this should help subscribers figure out which games they may want to play first.
Death's Door (January)
The concept of blending Dark Souls-style boss fights with The Legend of Zelda-inspired exploration is nothing new, but few games do it quite as well as Death's Door. Death's Door's earned high marks for its challenging combat, engrossing atmosphere, and unique boss fights when it first launched in 2021, but it didn't come to the Xbox Game Pass service until January 2022. Xbox Game Pass subscribers had to wait about six months after Death's Door first released to play the game through the subscription service, but many would agree that it was well worth the wait and is one of the strongest games on the platform to this day.
Tunic (March)
Anyone that enjoyed Death's Door would likely get a kick out of Tunic as well, as the games share a similar concept of mashing together Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda. Whereas Death's Door has a dark and gloomy aesthetic, Tunic has more upbeat visuals, with players taking on the role of a sword-wielding fox who goes off on a grand adventure. Tunic reviews were mostly positive when the game released as a day one Xbox Game Pass game this past March, and it was even nominated for multiple awards at The Game Awards.
Norco (March/November)
One of the greatest benefits of releasing a game on Xbox Game Pass is that it gives it an immediate audience of players who may never have tried it otherwise. This has allowed more obscure games to reach new heights, like point-and-click adventure game Norco. Norco has been recognized as one of the finest new game releases of the year, and for good reason. It has a sharp sense of humor, dark themes, and makes great use of traditional point-and-click adventure game mechanics. Norco bleeds style from its art style to its musical score, and it's readily available to play for both PC and console Game Pass subscribers.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (June)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has a long history of delivering quality beat 'em up games, with Shredder's Revenge perhaps one of the best the series has offered to date. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a modern take on classic TMNT arcade beat 'em up gameplay, with quality of life features to help it better appeal to modern audiences. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge also supports up to six players in local and online co-op, and it's an experience that's even better with friends. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is generally considered to be one of the better action games that released all year, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers were able to play it on day one.
Deathloop (September)
After Microsoft acquired Bethesda, it still had to fulfill certain contractual agreements that were made between Bethesda and Sony prior to the buyout. This meant releasing some Bethesda-published games as timed-PS5 console exclusives, like critically-acclaimed first-person shooter Deathloop. Deathloop spent a year as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, but as soon as the exclusivity window was up, it joined Xbox Game Pass as a day one game. Deathloop is one of the few Xbox Series X-only games on Game Pass, and it's also one of the better FPS experiences one can have with their subscription.
A Plague Tale: Requiem (October)
A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the highest-rated new game releases of 2022, and so its status as a day one Xbox Game Pass game was huge for the service. The sequel to cult hit A Plague Tale: Innocence, A Plague Tale: Requiem continues the story of Amicia and Hugo as they fight to survive against supernatural forces and human foes alike. A Plague Tale: Requiem puts the next-generation hardware to good use, showing over 300,000 rats on-screen at once, all of which swarm together and chase players down like literal rat tsunamis. Requiem boasts impressive graphics, various improvements over its predecessor, and an emotional story that stands out as one of the year's best.
Persona 5 Royal (October)
For decades, the main Persona franchise was console exclusive to the PlayStation brand, but now that's changed. Persona 5 Royal, one of the highest-rated video games of all time, has finally jumped ship to other platforms, and it made its Xbox debut as a day one Game Pass game. Persona 5 Royal is the definitive version of Persona 5, giving fans even more content to check out than the original release and providing a fuller experience. Even more Persona games are making their way to Xbox Game Pass in the new year, as Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are both scheduled to join the Xbox Game Pass lineup in January 2023.
Pentiment (November)
Obsidian Entertainment is one of Xbox's most-consistent first-party studios. It launched survival game Grounded out of early access earlier this year, and it also released the well-reviewed Pentiment as a day one Xbox Game Pass game. Described as a narrative RPG, Pentiment uses a unique art style inspired by medieval paintings to tell an engrossing murder mystery story. Obsidian has long been praised for its stories, and Pentiment proves that the studio still has plenty to offer in that arena.
Chained Echoes (December)
Chained Echoes has been overlooked this awards season due to releasing so late in the year, but make no mistake, it's easily one of the best games of 2022. Chained Echoes plays like a classic SNES-era JRPG, but with many more quality-of-life features that strip away things from the genre that haven't aged well. It features an endearing cast of layered characters and tells a mature fantasy story while also delivering satisfying exploration and consistently challenging turn-based battles. Xbox Game Pass subscribers who have yet to play Chained Echoes should definitely give it a shot, especially if they consider themselves fans of classic 16-bit RPGs.
High on Life (December)
Justin Roiland's Squanch Games hit out of the park with comedic first-person shooter High on Life. While professional High on Life reviews have admittedly been pretty mixed, the game has been embraced by the Xbox Game Pass community, propelling it to the top of the subscription service's most-played charts. High on Life may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's one of the most successful new Xbox Game Pass additions of the year and Rick and Morty fans will likely find it to be one of the funniest titles they've played in years.