Microsoft's Xbox Games Pass has been described by many as the "Netflix of video games." The subscription service allows players to access a well-stocked library of digital titles, encompassing everything from indie titles, strategy games, and classic shooters. Although there are a lot of games on offer for players to dive into, they're typically only on Xbox Game Pass for around a year before they're taken off, with some titles removed even sooner than that depending on deals with publishers.
There are still plenty of great games to choose from, as well as additional perks like access to different streaming services. However, within Xbox Game Pass' impressive collection of Xbox-exclusives and third-party titles are a few great co-op games, which fans of split-screen or online co-op should definitely try and play before they're taken off the service.
Playing With Others Vs. Solo Play
Multiplayer games have always been popular among gamers, with players keen to share screens with friends on local co-op or jump online to play with others across the globe. Playing solo has its perks, but there's something special about experiencing a game with someone else, even if it's just so you can shoot them full of holes in a battle arena. Games like the Halo franchise have entertaining and intriguing story modes, but more often than not, players are picking up the games in order to make use of its co-op features.
Within its sheer volume of digital content, Xbox Game Pass has some truly amazing co-op games. Some of the best currently available co-op games include It Takes Two, Overcooked2, and A Way Out for options with local co-op, and TheMaster Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 5, and Back 4 Blood with online multiplayer (although some games feature both).
Great Games On Offer With Xbox Game Pass
A few games on Xbox Game Pass are due to leave the service at the end of November, including Hello Neighbor, Football Manager 2021, and Call of the Sea. Players that love a challenge and enjoy teasing out solutions to a good puzzle should check out first-person adventure puzzler Call of the Sea, and fans of survival horror stealth games need to give Hello Neighbor a try before it's gone. However, there are a few games that co-op enthusiasts should play before November 30, before they lose the chance to play for free on Xbox Game Pass.
Aspyr Media and Norwegian developer Hyper Games' physics-based co-op puzzler Morkredd was an Xbox-exclusive indie title released in 2020. "Morkredd" is a Norwegian word that describes a fear of the dark — a fitting title for a game that requires players to become the protector of an orb of light, guiding it through shadowy and dark locations.
Players must solve over 60 puzzles as they progress, all the while avoiding the shadows caused by the characters and other objects within the environment. The game is a tricky balance of light and dark and provides a challenge for two players as they combine their skills and help each other to navigate their way through the various levels.
Beautiful New Worlds To Explore Together
Another co-op game leaving Xbox Game Pass soon that players should check out is the role-playing game Haven, published by The Game Bakers. The third-person action-adventure game follows two lovers who gave up their former lives and traveled together to a lost planet for a fresh start. Players will be tasked with searching for resources and materials as they explore this mysterious world. Players work together as Yu and Kay to glide about the environment in anti-gravity boots and stock up on everything they need to survive.
This is a sweet and mostly slow-paced game, with vast and beautiful landscapes to explore. There are plenty of everyday moments to enjoy, like making meals together, playing games in your ship, and crafting new objects. While not the most action-packed or adrenaline-inducing of games, Haven does feature combat which requires players to synchronize their movements with one another and match their rhythm and timing to ensure they come out triumphant. It's the perfect thing to play as the evenings grow dark and the end of the year approaches — almost like a two-player, less ambitious version of No Man's Sky — and bringing a friend along for the journey makes it all the more fun.