Xbox Game Pass is hitting the first-party release cadence subscribers deserve

Daily Mirror

17-05-2025

2025 is shaping up to be one of the best years for Xbox Game Pass yet, thanks to a series of first-party acquisitions finally delivering exceptional day one titles.
After years of stilted day one releases and disappointing exclusives, Xbox Game Pass has finally transformed into the excellent value offering it always should've been.
Being an Xbox Game Pass member hasn't always been easy. While the concept of a video game subscription service that regularly updates with day one first-party releases (and the occasional third-party curio) was good in theory, rarely has its release slate been able to hit a good, reliable cadence since it initially launched back in 2017. Fast forward eight – yes, count them, eight – years later, and in 2025 the ducks that company head Phil Spencer and the rest of the Xbox higher-ups spent so long getting in a row now look to be finally paying off.
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This year alone has seen countless Xbox Game Pass treats available at launch, solidifying just how well the service can work when it hits a stride – at least on the consumer side.
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In truth, Xbox Game Pass received its proper supercharge at the end of 2024 with the launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in December. Whereas licensed games previously had a reputation for being a bit ropey and half-assed in terms of quality, this was the most recent example of what can happen when a studio truly understands the source material.
More than a facsimile of the Indiana Jones concept, Machine Games' title put you in the shoes of cinema's most famous adventurer through the act of exploration, investigation, and yes, bashing Nazis over the head with whatever object is lying around. I honestly believe Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would have been a game of the year contender had it not been released so late in the year. A sentiment largely thought impossible for a first-party Xbox game just a few years ago – outside of the Forza Horizon series, of course.
While Xbox's release calendar has shifted wildly in recent months to see its first-party titles now come to rival platform PlayStation not too long after, the value of Xbox Game Pass is still retained due to the high calibre of exclusives that have launched into the service this year. January was a tad quiet, but February treated members to another charming release in Avowed. In my review, I dubbed it an 'RPG let down by its progression system', but it was still a fun adventure, I'm glad players seeking that high fantasy itch could scratch.
Since then, Xbox's recent first-party studio acquisitions have continued to pay off exponentially, with the likes of South of Midnight, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered, and most recently Doom: The Dark Ages being instantly available to play.
Admittedly, getting to this point hasn't been a cakewalk, and I honestly wish Xbox could have spent time assisting its existing family of first-party studios like The Coalition or Halo Studios (previously 343) to reach it. Instead, it spent its energy scoffing up a ream of independent developers like some sort of twisted all-you-can-eat buffet.
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Compulsion Games, Obsidian Entertainment, and Ninja Theory were all early acquisitions made during the end of the flailing Xbox One generation with the intention of bolstering the Xbox platform's release slate. It's certainly done that, but midway through the Xbox Series X |S generation, a lot of players are already looking ahead to the future.
An X-traordinary start
For now, however, 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for a subscription service that has, up until now, felt like a slow drip feed of exciting games to play, as opposed to the full-fledged gush members have been led to expect. It's not just been great for first-party exclusives, either. By partnering with some of the year's surprise hits, Xbox has been able to bolster its lineup with more games that make the idea of subscribing even more enticing than it otherwise would be.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the most obvious example as one of the biggest surprise hits (and most critically acclaimed games) of the year, giving this quirky turn-based RPG about a doomed expedition trying to save their home a broader audience than it may not have been able to reach otherwise.
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For all the troubles Xbox Game Pass has experienced over the years, such as constantly delayed exclusives and splintering into an increasingly confusing list of tiers, it has always done a great job partnering with third-party publishers to help plug gaps. This year, that means heavy-hitters such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Atomfall, of course, but also smaller gems like Revenge of the Savage Planet and Blue Prince.
I can't remember a time prior to now when Xbox Game Pass members (at least those subscribed to the Ultimate tier) have had such a great selection of additions to choose from. It only looks to continue throughout the rest of 2025, too, with high-profile releases like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, The Outer Worlds 2, and Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak also set to launch into the service immediately on day one.
For years now, I've been one of the Xbox Game Pass model's biggest critics. And though I still believe that great art, which video games absolutely are, is worth paying for, there's no denying that 2025 has seen the service ascend to its strongest value offering yet. At a time when Nintendo has kicked off higher tier pricing in advance of the Nintendo Switch 2 's arrival, subscribing now to Xbox Game Pass this year would already see you well fed through to the end of 2025 – and that's not even including all the great day one releases to come.
I doubt such a strong Xbox Game Pass release cadence will continue into 2026 (although I'm happy to be proven wrong). Until then, it's hard not to make the most of this strong flow of exciting games that before now has only ever felt like a stilted drip.