The Most Anticipated Xbox Game Pass Games of 2024

Senua in Hellblade 2

Xbox Game Pass keeps adding new games every month, but 2024 may just be its best year yet with many highly anticipated Xbox exclusives releasing on the service. Microsoft has been gobbling up big game publishers for its internal Xbox Game Studios to release more games frequently, and one look at Xbox Game Pass’ release schedule in 2024 tells you that console gamers will be feasting well the entire year.

Game Pass includes not just Xbox’s first-party games but also third-party games from well-known developers. Here are the most anticipated Xbox Game Pass games releasing on PC and consoles in 2024.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 might be the most important Xbox exclusive in the works, being the first game revealed during the Xbox Series X announcement. The sequel will take Senua to new locations battling monstrous demons, and will offer next-gen visuals pushing the Xbox console and PC GPUs hard. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will be about as long as the first game, and arrives on PC and Xbox Series X/S consoles on May 21, 2024.

Ara: History Untold

Made by the Ashes of the Singularity team, Ara: History Untold is an ambitious turn-based strategy game for PC. The game will let players build their dream nation while leading its citizens through history to “the pinnacles of human achievement as you explore new lands, develop arts and culture, conduct diplomacy”. The game is aiming to evolve the 4X strategy genre with its unique mechanics around shifting between different eras of history, and the new Prestige system. Ara: History Untold will be released in the Fall of 2024 on PC.

Avowed

Avowed is the next big RPG from Obsidian, and it looks like the company’s take on Skyrim. With a more colorful world, Avowed is being made by the wonderful minds behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, which itself felt like an original take on Fallout. While we wait for Elder Scrolls VI, which will undoubtedly be just Skyrim 2, Avowed should keep RPG fans happy if it delivers on its promises. Avowed will feature player choice as a central theme, with many quests designed to have multiple outcomes. Combat in Avowed will use a dynamic system letting players wield wands, flintlocks, melee weapons and shields. Set in the world of the Living Lands from Pillars of Eternity, Avowed releases in Fall 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

Indiana Jones returns to the world of video games with an original story by Wolfenstein creator MachineGames. The (mostly) first-person adventure will be set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade films and will take Dr Henry Jones on a trip across the world, from the Vatican to the pyramids of Egypt to the snowy Himalayas. Indiana Jones and The Great Circle will be released later in 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

The reboot of Flight Simulator remains one of the best-looking games on the market, partly due to it taking advantage of Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. Flight Simulator 2024 will include new vehicles, mission types, navigational routes, and activities. Flight Simulator 2020 already mapped out the entire planet, so it’s exciting to wonder just how far the 2024 edition will push visuals. It’s also the only game on Xbox Game Pass that can teach you to fly real aircraft, making it a better deal than most other titles.

Towerborne

No, Towerborne is not a spinoff of Bloodborne. Quite the opposite actually. Towerborne is a promising 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game letting you team up with friends in co-op to slay monsters. Or you can play solo. Towerborne is being developed by Stoic, who made the critically acclaimed Banner Saga trilogy. Towerborne will be released sometime in 2024 on Xbox Game Pass.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 has been in the works for a long time, but it’s finally coming out this year. The open-world survival FPS aims to push video game graphics to the next level in a nonlinear story. Featuring over 30 weapon types, and a large open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 releases on September 5 for PC and Xbox consoles directly on Xbox Game Pass.

Dungeons of Hinterberg

Dungeons of Hinterberg combines various genres - action, dungeon crawling, and life-sim mechanics. All of these collide when monsters suddenly appear in the peaceful town of Hinterberg in the Austrian Alps. Think of it as Persona with real-time action combat, with dungeons inspired by real-life Alpian mythology. There will be roughly 25 dungeons to explore in the game, and improving your social links will be key to conquering them all. There is no release date yet, but Dungeons of Hinterberg will release day one on Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass is a gaming subscription service for PC and Xbox console owners, starting at $9.99/month with the Ultimate membership costing $16.99/month.