Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service had a banner year in 2021, with some of the highest-rated new games debuting as day one Xbox Game Pass titles. This included the likes of Psychonauts 2, which earned rave reviews from critics, as well as Halo Infinite, hailed as a return to form for the beloved FPS series. Forza Horizon 5 was also a day one Xbox Game Pass game, which is especially notable as it was the highest-rated video game of all of 2021.
There is significant momentum behind Xbox Game Pass after the service's incredible performance last year, and Microsoft is keeping things strong for the new year. January 2022 alone has already seen some significant new additions to the Xbox Game Pass lineup with even more big games on the way later in the month, ensuring that Xbox Game Pass subscribers constantly have something new to play.
Here are all the games that are confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in January 2022 so far. Keep in mind that Microsoft likes to announce new Xbox Game Pass games in two batches every month, so it's highly likely that the second half of January has even more Game Pass titles that haven't even been announced yet.
Xbox Game Pass January 2022 Games List
- Gorogoa - January 4
- Olija - January 4
- The Pedestrian - January 4
- Embr - January 6
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass) - January 6
- Outer Wilds - January 6
- Spelunky 2 - January 13
- The Anacrusis - January 13
- Nobody Saves the World - January 18
- Pupperazzi - January 20
- Rainbow Six Extraction - January 20
- Windjammers 2 - January 20
Microsoft started January 2022 off strong for Xbox Game Pass with three solid additions to the lineup. Gorogoa is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning puzzle game that should certainly appeal to fans of the genre, whereas Olija and The Pedestrian are two platformers that should likewise appeal to fans of that genre. The Pedestrian also counts as a day one Xbox Game Pass game because it's just now making its Xbox debut despite having released for other platforms some time ago.
A couple of days later, Microsoft added another three games to Game Pass, though one is only available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Co-op firefighting game Embr and sci-fi exploration game Outer Wilds are available to all Xbox Game Pass subscribers as of January 6, but Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is only available to those who are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass.
The reason for this is because Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was added to Xbox Game Pass through EA Play. EA Play is one of the perks of being an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, along with getting all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold. In all honesty, it doesn't make much sense to only be subscribed to vanilla Xbox Game Pass at this point as Ultimate practically pays for itself with the added value, so those that have yet to upgrade should seriously consider doing so whenever possible.
With these additions, Microsoft has started January 2022 off incredibly strong for Xbox Game Pass, but it's not stopping there. January 13 will see the addition of two more games to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, with Spelunky 2 and The Anacrusis joining the lineup. Spelunky 2 is a co-op platformer that has a reputation for being tough as nails, but like its predecessor, it's earned widespread critical acclaim. The Anacrusis, meanwhile, is an early access co-op shooter that has been compared to Left 4 Dead.
That sums up the first half of January 2022 and the games that Microsoft has outlined for Xbox Game Pass these first couple weeks of the new year. Microsoft has yet to reveal the full slate for the second half of January 2022, but fans shouldn't have to wait too much longer to find out. In the meantime, there are already some games that Xbox Game Pass subscribers know are coming thanks to release date announcements and the like.
For instance, Nobody Saves the World is coming to Xbox Game Pass as a day one game come January 18. The latest game from Drinkbox Studios, the celebrated developer behind the Guacamelee games, Nobody Saves the World is a quirky action-RPG that looks like it has a ton of potential. It also has online co-op support as well, so those needing a new co-op game to play should definitely consider checking it out come launch.
January 20, meanwhile, is set to be one of the biggest days for Xbox Game Pass for the entire month. Three day one Xbox Game Pass games have already been confirmed for release on January 20, with Pupperazzi and Windjammers 2 joined by Rainbow Six Extraction. Rainbow Six Extraction is arguably the first big new video game release of 2022, and so its status as a day one Xbox Game Pass game is huge for the service.