The best games in the Xbox Game Pass for the holidays

You do not know what you should play between the years? We have a few tips from the Xbox Game Pass.

The most beautiful time of the year is imminent. For one, because he can spend a lot of time with the family, for the other, because he can finally play the games he has repealed all year (or even longer). Give it! Not a few of you are always taking to reduce their own pile of shame between the years, and at best, strike one of the whole thick chunks from the list. The large open-world epic or a role-playing game with its eternally long history — from Christmas it will finally be made up. Well, and then the holiday is past Nu and you are still far from the credits. So that you did not get in this annoying situation, we have something for you: the Xbox Game Pass offers some games that you certainly have not yet gamed and are extensive, but not too huge. You can fill your vacation completely, but you can play through in time.

For info: We use the information on the game time from HowLongTobeat and serve as a rough guideline.

Age of Empires 4

Genre: Real-time support Time: 24 to 42 hours (campaign) Platforms: PC

Age of Empires 4 is still relatively fresh. Only in October is the real-time strategy game — spent 16 years after the third part. Yes, Microsoft has been waiting for us long, but it was worth it. Relic Entertainment (Dawn of War, Company of Heroes) has been a worthy continued. The four campaigns treating historical events such as the conquest of England through the Normans and the Hundred Years' War, offer varied missions and subject the fun gameplay with historical knowledge in the form of elaborate documentation.

However, the game mechanics is the actual star of EGE of Empires 4. The eight playable peoples differ significantly from each other than the fractions of its predecessors and allow many strategic procedures. If you are not over with the campaigns, but your holiday is not over, you can still deny individual battles against the I and of course compete in multiplayer against other players. Do you have enough to do here in any case?

Now for Age of Empires 4 in the Xbox Game Pass!

Evil Genius 2: World Domination

Genre: Steering Time: 28 to 42 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

Where we are already on continuations that have been published for more than ten years after your direct predecessor: Evil Genius 2: World Domination is also the same way. The first part dates back to 2004, the second has been released for the PC last spring. Meanwhile, he finds himself in the Xbox Game Pass and at the latest now should fans of players who do not take too seriously take a look at it. Here you embody the parody of a typical James Bond villain, i.e. quasi a way. Evil. As such, you build your own secret association on a remote island, which converts your exploratory conversion plans.

Evil Genius was already considered Dungeon Keeper clone with another setting. The successor is basically the same, only in a contemporary optics and of course with many improved and new features. In the core, however, you just do exactly what Dungeon Keeper has awarded: you gradually expand your base for new spaces and forms Handle anger. In between, secret agents are always visiting, with which you have to finish. So she constructs deadly falling so that the intruders do not cross your nasty plans. Evil Genius 2: World Domination presents all this in colorful comic optics and with a lot of humor.

Now to Evil Genius 2: World Domination in the Xbox Game Pass!

HADES

Genre: Rogue-Like, Hack and Slay Time: 21 to 96 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

Hades has been the indie hit of the year 2020. After a longer early access phase on the PC, it also invaded the Nintendo shop and since this year there are also versions for the other consoles. Game pass subscribers have the great luck not to buy Rogue-Like and should definitely try it, even if they could not do much with the genre so far.

Hades works very well not only at a playful level. In addition to the brilliant, action-rich real-time fights and an enormously motivating progression, it also offers narrative a lot. While the main character Agrees, the son of Hades, always attempts to escape from the underworld, he meets between the Runs on other well-known figures from Greek mythology. Gradually, you will learn more about the characters. The dialogues may not be elaborately staged, but are written fantastically, and the speakers make a sensational job. Oh yes, and you can caress Kerberos, the three-headed dog, and that's what's right as an argument for Hades, right? What's the name of it? That's a perfect boy!

Now to Hades in the Xbox Game Pass!

Hollow Knight

Genre: Metroidvania, Action Adventure Time: 26 to 59 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

We stay with the topic of indie hits: Hollow Knight has already four years on the hump, but since then has not been a metroidvania that it can be done with this masterpiece. No, not even Metro id Dread! Granted, you need strong nerves and a high frustration resistance, if you want the Adventure of the Knight (and no, you do not play the name-based Hollow Knight) to the fullest. The difficulty level is quite high. Especially if you really want to do everything, you would have to master such incredibly tricky skill passage and numerous challenging boss fights.

All the efforts rewards the game but with an emotional history, great level design and a game world, where exploring a lot of fun and is very well rewarded. In addition, this fantastic, gloomy atmosphere comes without Muting Hollow Knight to the horror game. You move in an insect world, but thanks to the comic look, much has a certain cuteness. Alone the many caterpillars you can find will be conquered with their sweet animations and loud your heart.

Now to Hollow Knight in the Xbox Game Pass!

Near: Automata

Genre: Action Role-play Time: 21 to 62 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

Somewhere you will have always read that Near: Automata allegedly one of the best video games of all time or at least the past decade was. So far we would not go, but the action role-playing game (where the emphasis is here on action ) is definitely worth something special and value. Besides, if you are a subscriber of the Xbox Game Pass anyway, why shouldn't you tell him a chance? Yes, it does not look pretty anymore and the world is anything but a detailed scene. But the other strengths make that more than any.

Near: Automata tells an perfect story in a fascinating, post-apocalyptic world in which machines have won the upper hand on the earth. This is not just some sci-fi plot, but is strongly philosophically and stimulates accordingly to think. There are also a brilliant combat system and numerous surprises in the gameplay, which also like to break through the gene regulations. Very important, however, however: Near: Automata once to play through is as if you would end the first chapter of another game. It is part of the experience to play it several times, because only so you will present the entire picture. But no bang, a single pass is not so long.

Now to Near: Automata in the Xbox Game Pass!

Prey

Genre: ego shooter, action adventure Time: 16 to 45 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

In 2006, an ego shooter named Prey, who was strongly reminiscent of Doom, has also had his own ideas. This game we mean at this point but not, this is difficult to get anyway and certainly not in the Game Pass Library. No, we are talking about the Prey from 2017 developed by Arcane (Dishonored, Death loop). This is not a linear shooter that can be completed within a few hours, but let you explore a pretty big room station in which there is a lot of side quests and secrets to discover away from the main path.

Prey is even more than a normal ego shooter. The arsenal on conventional firearms is even very manageable. The main share in that the title is such a great experience, the action adventure elements have. Actually, Prey is an immersive SIM. You have a lot of freedom of action and can solve problems in a variety of ways. For the foam cannon alone, with which you are scaling a substance that consolidates immediately, the game has earned a Middle. Not only the opposing aliens can be cut out of short-term battle, but also set up improvised stairs to get to places that could not achieve at all. In Prey, many great ideas are stuck, yet it has a strong atmosphere and is simply a great mix of action, exploration and puzzles.

Now to Prey in the Xbox Game Pass!

Subnautica

Genre: Survival game Time: 29 to 56 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

Not every survival game on the market is just a sandbox like Day, ARK: Survival Evolved or Minecraft. Subnautica is the best example of how to link the typical gameplay of this genre (resource, crafting, base construction, secure its own survival with storytelling. It does not take you to the hand, but let yourself be explored the world. Earlier or later you will inevitably come across things that awaken your curiosity and over which you want to find out more.

The special feature of Subnautica: most of the time you are on the sea surface. The game puts you on a planet that has almost no land masses. At first, only a small rescue capsule serves as a sanctuary and for your dives will not be much time, since you can not keep the air for a long time. But gradually you make better equipment to dive and deeper and deeper. Small warning at the spot: Subnautica is quite scary in the deepest depths of his game world. But if you do not bother you or even loves it, you will not be a bow around the title. And then you are not sick afterwards, you just go in the successor Below Zero, which is also in the Xbox Game Pass.

Now to Subnautica in the Xbox Game Pass!

Spiritual

Genre: Management game Time: 24 to 38 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

Spiritual is by far the most relaxed game in the Game Pass, which you can play in Christmas holidays. Here you play Stella, who takes the job as a ferryman (or rather ferry woman) of the deceased at the beginning. Yes, that sounds like, as if the game could elicit you one or the other tear, and if you have no heart from stone, then it will. But Spiritual is not a deadly excessive experience, but too big sharing very happy. This also contributes the beautiful, colorful and hand-drawn comic optics.

In terms of gameplay, a construction part of which your ship continues to expand, exploring various islands with jump-and-run passages, crafting and one or the other mini-game. Spiritual never put pressure on you, but does not bore at any time. There is a lot to discover and unlock and then there are still the many sympathetic figures with their heart-resistant stories, which will not be forgotten so quickly.

Now to Spiritual in the Xbox Game Pass!

THE OUTER WORLDS

Genre: Role-play Time: 13 to 37 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

The Outer Worlds will be happy to describe as a fallout: New Vegas in space. That does not fit so quite, because it is not open-world game and attaches less to exploration than the classic. But you could definitely call it as a mixture of Fallout and Mass Effect. There is Shooter Gameplay, a very free character development and black humor as in the final timing games of Bethesda, while the structure and assembly of your own crew remember the bioware hits.

The Outer Worlds is not perfect. The main history, for example, is just finally going on, and basically it always tells the same GAG ​​over its entire term, only in different designs. Finally, it's always about how evil are the large corporations that prevail in this world, but what is just overpassed. But the great freedom of action, the great quest design and the sympathetic I companions make up the loose. And we give it to it: We had to laugh several times loud and the weighing video games often.

Now the Outer Worlds in the Xbox Game Pass!

The Surge 2

GENRE: SOULS LIKE, ACTION RPG

Time: 21 to 39 hours Platforms: PC, Console, Cloud

There is not much to laugh in The Surge 2. The Souls-Like from Germany is Knüppelhart and pretty bloody — and therefore so good. The predecessor still had his quirks in terms of balance, but in this regard agrees with the second part. In addition, it is much bigger. She just explores the terrain of a company, but large parts of a city. While it is optically not gorgeous, but the level design convinces with clever toothed areas of the brand Dark Souls.

In addition, The Surge 2 offers a fantastic combat system and a motivating progression. She is constantly letting her new weapons of your opponents playing very differently than what you already have in the inventory. Even collecting the arms sets holds one at the rod. On the other hand, on the narrative level, The Surge 2 is very weak. The own character is mute and therefore has no personality, otherwise there are no interesting figures and the plot splashed so. But purely referred to the gameplay, The Surge 2 is a Souls-Like, which should not leave the fans of the genre — not at all when it's in the Xbox Game Pass.

Now to The Surge 2 in the Xbox Game Pass!