Summary
- Xbox Game Pass has had a strong year, consistently adding new games and delivering one of its strongest months ever in September.
- December 2023 is shaping up to be one of the busiest months for Xbox Game Pass, with 12 games, including heavy-hitters like Far Cry 6 and World War Z: Aftermath.
- The addition of festive favorites like Steep, Dead Rising 4, and Batman: Arkham Origins would be perfect for the holiday season and a welcome return for these popular titles.
Xbox Game Pass has really gone out of its way to prove its worth this year. Kicking the year off with a real bang, Xbox Game Pass brought a slew of Persona games, Hi-Fi Rush, and GoldenEye 007 to the service in January, and from then on Game Pass has had a pretty consistent stream of good monthly additions, from huge AAA day-one titles to the smallest of Indie gems. And while Redfall broke Xbox Game Pass' momentum a little in May, it quickly turned things back around in September, delivering one of the service's strongest months ever, and it's been pretty non-stop since then.
Rather than let that momentum slow down, Xbox Game Pass has made the smart decision to just continue to ramp things up. What was an empty month for Game Pass a few days ago has quickly become one of its busiest of the entire year, with a total of 12 games heading to Xbox Game Pass this December, including heavy-hitters like Remnant 2, Far Cry 6, Goat Simulator 3, and World War Z: Aftermath. But while Xbox Game Pass' December 2023 line-up is looking very strong already, it could still use some festive favorites this holiday season.
Best Indie Games On Xbox Game Pass
The collection of indie games available on Xbox Game Pass are stellar, and here is a look at the best titles you can play.
Xbox Game Pass New Game for December 2023: Steep
Originally released all the way back in 2016, Ubisoft's Steep is a thrilling sports game that's perfect for the winter season. Whether it's snowboarding, skiing, paragliding, or wingsuit flying, Steep lets players explore the Alps, the most expansive mountain range in Europe, gorgeously realized with some pretty top-notch graphics that hold up surprisingly well seven years later. Though it received fairly mixed reviews upon its initial launch, Steep has gained a bit of a cult following over the years, offering a Tony Hawk Pro Skater-like experience for fans of winter sports, which is quite rare nowadays. Steep had a pretty firm place on Xbox Game Pass a few years ago, and there's never been a better time for its return.
Xbox Game Pass New Game for December 2023: Dead Rising 4
Another title that used to be an Xbox Game Pass staple, but hasn't been seen since its removal years ago, Dead Rising 4 is one of the most popular holiday-themed games out there. Set just after Christmas, Dead Rising 4 sees players hack, slash, shoot, and mow down hordes of undead with whatever tools and weapons they can find, a lot of which are holiday-themed. From a candy cane crossbow to an ornament gun and an electric wreath whip, Dead Rising 4 has plenty of ways to deliver murderous Christmas cheer, and it still offers one of the best video game seasonal slay rides all these years later.
Xbox Game Pass New Game for December 2023: Batman: Arkham Origins
A game that's become pretty synonymous with the holiday season, Batman: Arkham Origins would be the perfect Xbox Game Pass addition this December, especially with it being left out of the Batman: Return to Arkham remastered collection, and the recently released Batman: Arkham Trilogy on Nintendo Switch. Set primarily on Christmas Eve, Batman: Arkham Origins sees players step into the armored boots of the Caped Crusader very early on in his crime-fighting career, on a night when he's forced to fend off a horde of assassins, a wary police force, and The Joker himself.
Batman: Arkham Origins may be the black sheep of the Arkham franchise due to it not being developed by Rocksteady, but WB Games Montreal still did a solid job, not pushing the series in any new directions, but giving players more of what they loved from Arkham City and Arkham Asylum. Arkham Origins is still worth playing in 2023, especially during the holiday season, and especially if it was free on Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
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