Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass has had a phenomenal few months in 2023, with a strong lineup of games and an impressive momentum that has continued to grow exponentially.
- While there have been some slower months, the recent offerings on Xbox Game Pass, including Starfield and upcoming titles like Gotham Knights and Warhammer 40K: Darktide, show that the service is still the best deal in gaming.
- With a lineup of highly anticipated first-party exclusives set for 2024 and the potential Xbox-Activision acquisition, the future of Xbox Game Pass looks bright, and fans can expect the service to continue its current momentum into next year.
From practically its very first breath, Xbox Game Pass has been heralded as one of the best deals in the entire gaming landscape, and that reputation has stuck with it for the last six years. But while Xbox Game Pass has always been considered great value for money, it has had its fair share of disappointing months, where only a handful of mediocre games join the service. 2023, however, has been largely without any of these lackluster periods.
Kicking the year off strong with a bunch of Persona games, Hi-Fi Rush, GoldenEye, and Age of Empires 2, Xbox Game Pass' January 2023 line-up would only be a sign of things to come for the rest of the year. And while 2023 hasn't been completely bereft of some slower months, it's largely kept up quite an impressive momentum, and that momentum has only continued to grow exponentially these last few months.
Xbox Game Pass Has Had a Phenomenal Few Months
Though the beginning of 2023 was a smash hit for Xbox Game Pass, the middle section of the year was a tad slower, with June and July's Game Pass offerings not standing out all that much, especially when compared to the slew of huge releases that were dropping at the time. But in August, the gears started turning once again, with Sea of Stars, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Age of Empires 4 all dropping for Xbox Game Pass.
This momentum continued to pick up in September, with Starfield making its long-awaited debut, along with Lies of P, Party Animals, and Payday 3, all of which hit Xbox Game Pass on day one. And while October doesn't have any titles that live up to the sheer hype behind Starfield, it's still carrying that same momentum forward, if not building on it with games like Gotham Knights, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Forza Motorsport, Cities: Skylines 2, and Jusant, along with a handful of exciting Indies like The Lamplighters League and Headbangers Rhythm Royale.
Xbox Game Pass Cannot Let This Momentum Die Down
For years now, -since the seventh console generation started and the PS4 dominated in sales, Xbox fans have been adamant that the company has everything it needs to succeed, but isn't quite using it properly. For years, a common phrase among the community is that Xbox is "lining up the dominos," and at any moment it could knock over the first one, beginning a chain reaction that sees it at the top of the gaming industry once more. After years of waiting, Xbox might have finally knocked down that first domino.
The last few months have proven that Xbox Game Pass is still the best deal in gaming, and with more high-quality day-one exclusives than ever before, that deal is better than it ever has been before. If Xbox can continue building, or even just carry this momentum through to December and the beginning of next year, then it already puts Xbox Game Pass in an excellent spot for 2024, where the service already has some great additions lined up.
Though they haven't been given exact release dates just yet, Xbox has a slew of first-party exclusives already set for a 2024 release. Avowed, Fable, Clockwork Revolution, Hellblade 2, Stalker 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and a good few more are all expected to release next year, and all of them will presumably be hitting Xbox Game Pass on day one. On top of that, the Xbox-Activision acquisition is still on the horizon, and could go through any day now. The future of Xbox Game Pass is very bright, and if its current momentum can flow into next year, then it could finally achieve the ripple effect that fans have been waiting for.