After a mixed first half of the year, it finally seems as though things are looking up for Xbox Game Pass. After a few months of lackluster additions, Xbox Game Pass is starting to ramp up its output a bit more, with a good few day-one titles heading to the service in July. While the heavy hitter this month is Capcom's new dinosaur co-op exosuit shooter Exoprimal, Xbox Game Pass has also just confirmed that Maquette, originally a PlayStation Plus-exclusive, is heading to the service later this month.
On top of those day-one titles, Xbox Game Pass' July 2023 new games also include a few fun little indies such as The Cave, Techtonica, Arcade Paradise, and The Wandering Village. But by far the biggest third-party title on Xbox Game Pass this July is none other than Rockstar's juggernaut release, Grand Theft Auto 5, with GTA Online paired right alongside it. It might not be the newest game on the market, but GTA 5 is still one of the best, and it may have just won Xbox Game Pass the Summer.
Getting GTA 5 Might Have Won Xbox Game Pass the Summer
The Summer months are such an important time in the gaming ecosphere. At the start of the Summer, big events like E3 -- or Summer Game Fest nowadays -- unveil new games that fans can look forward to, with every big publisher out there getting time in the spotlight. This is usually followed by a fairly big release period, with June usually being packed with new games. This year was no different, with Street Fighter 6, Diablo 4, and Final Fantasy 16 all releasing in June. Then the industry tends to slow down a little for July and August. With many developers gearing up to release their games in September and October, these middle Summer months are the proverbial calm before the storm, and they're the perfect opportunity for a service like Xbox Game Pass.
It's in this brief moment of downtime that Xbox Game Pass can really shine, and that's exactly what it's done by getting Grand Theft Auto 5. GTA 5 has already had quite an extensive history with Xbox Game Pass. Back in January 2020, GTA 5 was added to Xbox Game Pass and taken away just a few months later in May, and then returned in April 2021 until August. But after two whole years of waiting, GTA 5 is finally back on Xbox Game Pass, and fans should jump on it while they can.
Xbox Game Pass has had a slow last few months, with barely any day-one releases and little third-party support. Paired with the failure of Redfall and some fans had begun to sour on the whole service. Grand Theft Auto 5 has come in at the perfect time. In one fell swoop, Xbox Game Pass has proven to fans exactly why the service is worth the asking price, offering not only a top-tier single-player experience that can easily last players over 100 hours, but an online experience that's still one of the most played multiplayer games on the market right now, again offering countless hours of content. GTA 5 is exactly the type of game subscribers need in these Summer months.
PlayStation Plus, on the other hand, has had a pretty solid last few months. June's PlayStation Plus line-up saw some big titles hit the service, including Far Cry 6, Rogue Legacy 2, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and Inscryption. And this month, PlayStation Plus is giving fans It Takes Two, Sniper Elite 5, and Undertale, among others. But while PlayStation Plus' July line-up is pretty good, none of those games are quite on the same level as Grand Theft Auto 5.