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Following the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. While it might not be considered the top offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several high-profile launch day releases recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive collection of numerous games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks feature a cathartic action game, an award-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players ultraviolent mayhem targeting enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as always, with the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for any peace-lover looking to unwind in the safety of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the only person left of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game does begin with a killing. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if any game worth attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the original game, which is also included). But, due to a break in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, every one representing a distinct genre. There's a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader striving to eradicate destitution through the force of capitalism headlines a western-themed adventure. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is excellent — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.