Xbox Game Pass Is Starting 2022 Off With A Killer Lineup

Xbox Game Pass is kicking off 2022 with a bang. Joining a pair of terrific puzzle games and a hotly anticipated Left 4 Dead-alike is a remastered compilation of all-time classic RPGs. Plus, one of the greatest games of all time (that’d be Outer Wilds) makes a return. Here’s everything coming to Xbox Game Pass over the next few weeks.

January 4

• Gorogoa (Cloud, Console, PC)

• Olija (Cloud, Console, PC)

• The Pedestrian (Cloud, Console, PC)

January 6

• Embr (Cloud, Console, PC)

• Mass Effect Legendary Edition, via EA Play (Console and PC)

• Outer Wilds (Cloud, Console, PC)

January 13

• Spelunky 2 (Console, PC)

• The Anacrusis, via game preview (Console, PC)

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the obvious headline here. Yes, all three games from BioWare’s space opera trilogy are also available to subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but it’s a true delight to play them in 4K — and from the same tidy launcher. Plus, you get access to all of the DLC for all of the games (save for one straggler). Just one word of advice: Don’t bother with Mass Effect 2’s Arrival expansion. I ran through it for the first time this weekend and cannot believe no one warned me about it!

Read More: Ridiculously Short, Arrival Sets The Stage For Mass Effect 3

Oh, uh, maybe I should’ve listened to Fahey all those years ago…

Beyond Mass Effect Legendary Edition, there are two puzzle games worth checking out. Gorogoa is mesmerising in its hand-drawn beauty. Meanwhile, The Pedestrian is a 2.5D platformer in which you play as the little-human icon of street signs. Fans of shooters should be intrigued by The Anacrusis, which is yet another take on Left 4 Dead — except you’re on a spaceship.

Speaking of spaceships, if you haven’t tried it yet, Outer Wilds is one of those rare gems I’d recommend to anyone who plays games. (Outer Wilds defies easy explanation and is best experienced with an ice-cold dip.) The Annapurna-published space exploration sim — a perennial favourite of Kotaku staffers — had been playable on Game Pass for some time, but departed the lineup last June. Who knows when the gods of publishing deals will deprive us of it again?

Meanwhile, you know the drill: Every slew of additions heralds a handful of departures. First, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will no longer be playable via Xbox Game Pass, on account of it going free-to-play on January 12. But six more games will follow it out the door on January 15:

• Desperados III (Cloud, Console, PC)

• Ghost of a Tale (PC)

• Kingdom Hearts III (Console)

• Mount & Blade: Warband (Cloud, Console, PC)

• Pandemic (Console, PC)

• Yiik: A Postmodern RPG (PC)