Microsoft has been positioning Xbox Game Pass as an absolute must-have service for gamers not just on Xbox consoles, but as well as those who game on PC and Android mobile devices. The company has been doing all it can to add huge games to Xbox Game Pass, giving players some big budget games on day one, along with plenty of critically-acclaimed indie darlings. While games occasionally leave Xbox Game Pass, the service regularly has over 100 titles to choose from, and especially with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, it offers gamers a ridiculous value.
Xbox Game Pass has had a huge 2021 so far, with Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media seeing 20 Bethesda-published games join the service. And earlier than that, Bloober Team's The Medium hit Game Pass as the first Xbox Series X console exclusive to launch on the service. With Halo Infinite and other big games looming on the horizon, it's clear that Xbox Game Pass is just going to get bigger from here on out.
Only a few days into April 2021, and this month has already been a big one for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Microsoft has added some big new games to the service and has made some major announcements that will ensure that the winning streak for Xbox Game Pass continues throughout the year. Whether or not this leads to more Xbox Series X and Series S consoles being sold remains to be seen, but Microsoft clearly has a strategy at work and it definitely seems to be working so far.
Outriders
Microsoft kicked off April 2021 for Xbox Game Pass in a big way by adding Outriders to the service. A third-person looter-shooter from People Can Fly and Square Enix, Outriders has earned mostly positive reviews so far, despite some server issues keeping fans from playing the game as much as they would like. These issues will undoubtedly be cleared away in time, and if the early reviews are any indication, fans will be left with a high quality, fully-featured looter-shooter that doesn't rely on live-service elements.
Outriders was a big "get" for Xbox Game Pass when it was announced to be coming to the service. While Xbox Game Pass subscribers expect first-party Xbox games to come to Game Pass on day one, it's rare for a triple-A third-party game to do the same. Usually when non-Xbox titles are released for Game Pass on day one, they are much smaller-scale indie games, and while there have been some tremendous indie games that have debuted on Game Pass, they just don't generate the same kind of interest as a triple-A title.
The addition of Outriders to Xbox Game Pass was potentially a big blow to PlayStation-only gamers, and really showed the value of Xbox Game Pass. On one hand, those on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 can pay $60 to play Outriders. On the other hand, those with Xbox Game Pass can play through the entire game at no additional cost beyond what they already pay for their Xbox Game Pass subscription. For someone with both PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the choice is clear, especially since Outriders supports cross-play and so they don't have to get one version over the other to play with their friends.
The addition of Outriders to Xbox Game Pass is a huge deal, but it's not the only reason why April 2021 has already been a major month for the service.
MLB The Show 21
Sony's San Diego Studio has been developing MLB The Show games exclusively for PlayStation platforms for years, with most titles in the baseball simulation series earning widespread critical-acclaim and praised as some of the best sports games available on any platform. The latest entry, MLB The Show 21, is still being developed by Sony's San Diego Studio, but due to a deal with Major League Baseball, this year's game will also be seeing release on both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
Not only will a first-party Sony game be releasing for Xbox consoles, but it will actually be available through Xbox Game Pass on the day it launches as well. Come April 20, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can download and play MLB The Show 21 at no additional cost. This is an even bigger blow to PlayStation than Outriders, as MLB The Show 21 is developed by a Sony-owned studio, yet the game is going to cost a lot more for PlayStation fans to play.
Games like Outriders and MLB The Show 21 are going to be huge for the continued success of Xbox Game Pass. And considering the hot streak that the service has been on since the start of the year, it will be very interesting to see how Microsoft one-ups itself. Assuming Microsoft plans to continue being this aggressive with its Xbox Game Pass offerings, subscribers to the service should have plenty of other big announcements to look forward to in the months ahead.