Microsoft have announced another bunch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass library through the second half of February, ranging from the Xbox Series X|S enhanced Dirt 5, to galaxy-sized space sim Elite: Dangerous, and the crash-tastic arcade action of Wreckfest.
With Microsoft now juggling three libraries of Xbox Game Pass games, across Xbox consoles, PC and Cloud Gaming for Android, there’s some games that are platform specific.
Here’s what’s new, what it’s coming to and when:
- Code Vein (PC) – February 18
- Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition (Cloud and Console) ID@Xbox – February 18
- Wreckfest (Cloud, Console and PC) – February 18
- Killer Queen Black (Cloud and Console) ID@Xbox – February 23
- Dirt 5 (Cloud, Console and PC) – February 25
- Elite Dangerous (Console) – February 25
- Superhot: Mind Control Delete (PC) ID@Xbox – February 25
Dirt 5 the biggest surprise here, as one of the biggest games launched around the dawn of the new game generation. It was regularly featured by Microsoft to show off the virtues to their new console hardware, whether it was the shortened loading times, the full 4K graphics, the performance possible on the Xbox Series S, or the 120fps modes available for those with high refresh rate TVs and monitors.
In our Dirt 5 review, Tom wrote:
DIRT 5 strips away the more serious elements of the franchise and puts all its eggs in one, arcade cabinet shaped, basket. At times a riot, in other areas a little repetitive and lacking in finesse, it nevertheless delivers on the concept of an adrenaline-fueled off-road racer. It’s a game that makes you sit forward in your seat and savour the joys of jumping a Dakar Rally Peugeot 3008 over a ravine.
Come 25th February, the game will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and on Android via Cloud Gaming streaming. Everything, in other words.
Similar in its broad availability will be Wreckfest, the smash-tastic arcade racer that will be joining Game Pass tomorrow, 18th February – if you’re of a PlayStation persuasion, Wreckfest is also on PS Now. In our Wreckfest review, Tom said:
Wreckfest is a surprising triumph in blending the best that sim and arcade racers have to offer in an explosive and visually gratifying package. A few visual issues and overly aggressive AI do little to spoil one of the best driving games of 2019.
And the last biggie is Elite Dangerous, which will be available for consoles from 25th February, giving you a starship of your own and sending you out into a vast recreation of the Milky Way. The game has been heavily expanded over the years since its release, with Frontier building up to the major Elite Dangerous: Odyssey release in 2021. Unfortunately, pandemic related impacts have meant that the early 2021 release has been split up, with PC gamers going first in late spring, and PS4 and Xbox gamers expecting the DLC to arrive this autumn.
Source: Xbox
Dominic L
Dirt 5 remains one of my highlights of the Series X launch – Game Pass is nuts.