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After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has calmed down. Although it may not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of big-name launch day games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions further enrich a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the game's signature killcam showing every bullet's effect in gory, explicit clarity. It's a violent excitement for every peace-lover looking to let off steam in the safety of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed narrative exploring post-pandemic life, generational pain, and much more. It approaches these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with memories of her education and home life, both of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the plot unfolds from that point. If all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, which is also included). However, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, every one representing a distinct story style. There's a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader striving to solve poverty through the power of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (because all great RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, naturally). Some of these plots connect in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.