There are only three Xbox Game Pass recommendations this week, but that’s intentional. Not every week needs to be jam-packed with choices. Sometimes, it’s about slowing down and picking your battles wisely. And as fall settles in and work and school rhythms return, you sometimes need to slow down. One of these titles is actually a trilogy bundled into a single package, practically a full season’s worth of play on its own. The other two bring completely different rhythms: one lets you focus on building the everyday drama of virtual lives, and the other drops you into a world where survival is anything but guaranteed. Together, they balance epic scope with intimate play, giving you the chance to decide how you want to spend your gaming hours.
This week’s recommendations aren’t about breadth, they’re about depth. Each of these titles can absorb you for hours on end, whether through branching narratives, generational storytelling, or the sheer determination to survive. Xbox Game Pass is at its best when it showcases variety, and this week’s lineup is proof: three games, three entirely different worlds, and endless opportunities to play your way.
Best RPGs On Xbox Game Pass You Must Play
Xbox Game Pass has many fantastic titles from varying genres, and here is a look at the best RPGs the service has to offer.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
If you’re searching for a game to lose yourself in, look no further than Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Mass Effect has one of the best stories in modern gaming, and it’s an absolute treat to experience at no added cost thanks to your Game Pass subscription. This remastered version of this monumental gaming trilogy lets you relive (or discover for the first time) one of the most acclaimed sci-fi RPG series of all time. Across three games, you’ll build relationships, make difficult moral choices, and attempt to unite the galaxy against a near-unstoppable threat.
The remaster doesn’t just bundle the games together. It elevates them with improved visuals, smoother mechanics, and quality-of-life tweaks that make all Mass Effect games far more approachable for modern players, especially the first. With branching storylines and the privilege of carrying your Commander Shepard’s choices across the trilogy, this is a perfect binge-worthy experience for anyone craving an epic narrative arc. And whether you’re binging it in a single week or spreading the over 100 hours of the entire trilogy across months, I’m super jealous of you—because Mass Effect is that one franchise I wish I could experience for the first time all over again.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 96%
- Released
- May 14, 2021
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors and packs — remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD. Experience an amazingly rich and detailed universe where your decisions have profound consequences on the action and the outcome.
The Sims 4: EA Play Edition
When saving the galaxy gets exhausting, sometimes it’s better to zoom in on the chaos of everyday life. That’s where The Sims 4 comes in. The EA Play edition on Game Pass offers the base game plus the Get to Work Expansion Pack, giving you plenty of tools to create families, build homes, and unleash pure domestic drama.
Do you want to build a dream mansion with rooftop pools? Start a family legacy that spans generations? Or simply trap a poor Sim in an unfortunate series of events as you look machiavellianly? The Sims 4 thrives on letting you set the stage and then watching how hilariously wrong, or surprisingly wholesome, things can go. It’s a different kind of storytelling, one that swaps overarching questlines for the management of quirky households, iconic neighbors, and even the occasional llama.
The Sims 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
- Released
- September 2, 2014
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Maxis
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that’s an expression of you. Download for free, and customize every detail from Sims to homes and much more. Choose how Sims look, act, and dress, then decide how they’ll live out each day. Design and build incredible homes for every family, then decorate with your favorite furnishings and décor. Travel to different neighborhoods where you can meet other Sims and learn about their lives. Discover beautiful locations with distinctive environments and go on spontaneous adventures. Manage the ups and downs of Sims’ everyday lives, and see what happens when you play out scenarios from your own real life. Tell your stories your way while developing relationships, pursuing careers and life aspirations, and immersing yourself in this extraordinary game, where the possibilities are endless
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
Rain World
Craving a difficult platformer on Game Pass, but want to give Silksong a break? For players who crave games that are hard to beat, Rain World offers a survival experience unlike anything else on Game Pass. You play as a vulnerable creature known as a slugcat, navigating a hostile ecosystem where every decision matters. Food is scarce, enemies are relentless, and the weather itself is your biggest enemy.
What makes Rain World stand out is its blend of punishing difficulty and haunting beauty. Every victory—finding shelter, escaping a predator, or simply surviving another day—feels monumental. The game’s unique AI system ensures that enemies will behave in dynamic, unpredictable ways, making every run a fresh test of your instincts. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to endure the challenge, it’s one of the most rewarding August 2025 additions to Game Pass right now.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 43%
- Released
- March 28, 2017
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Videocult
- Publisher(s)
- Akupara Games, Adult Swim Games
WHERE TO PLAY
You are a slugcat. The world around you is full of danger, and you must face it – alone. Separated from your family in a devastating flood, you will need to find food and shelter between terrifying torrential downpours which threaten to drown all life. Climb through the ruins of an ancient civilization, evade the jaws of vicious predators, and discover new lands teeming with strange creatures and buried mysteries. Find your family before something makes a meal of you!
Inspired by the simplicity and aesthetics of 16-bit classics, this survival platformer requires clever decision-making, both to catch your own prey and to avoid the jaws of hungry predators. Each ravenous foe in your path will be cunning, vicious and always on the hunt – eager to sink their teeth into you, or even each other. As a small, soft slugcat you must rely on stealth and wit rather than force: learn the ecosystem and turn their strengths to your advantage. Maybe then you can survive… Rain World!
- Genre(s)
- Adventure