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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it may not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced a number of high-profile day-one releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current recommendations include a therapeutic action game, an prize-winning indie gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II open environments packed with Nazi targets. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as always, featuring the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's effect in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to unwind in the security of a virtual space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic life, family pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi lens; you play as Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that horrific plague, along with experiences of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the plot develops from there. Should all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the original game, which is also included). But, with a break in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, each representing a different story style. You'll find a investigative story about a cleric investigating the death of his church's head priest. A trader striving to eradicate destitution through the power of commerce stars in a western-themed adventure. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (because every good RPGs need a hero with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.