Love it or hate it,Xbox Game Passhas completely changed the way we consume video games. Sure, other companies have offered subscription libraries before, but including AAA games in a subscription on day one? That was a true game-changer.
8 Best Xbox Exclusives on Xbox Game Pass
Don’t miss these incredible Xbox exclusives, all of which are available on Xbox Game Pass.
It’s undeniable that Game Pass has been widely successful and well-received. Many titles found success through it, whether by gaining access to a massive audience or by enjoying a level of creative freedom rarely possible when pressured by traditional sales goals.
Whatever the reason, plenty of games wouldn’t have reached the same level of success without the help of Game Pass. Let’s take a look at eight of them.
8Outriders
An Explosive Start
Fextralife Wiki
Outriders owes much of its success to Xbox Game Pass. The looter-shooter launched day one on the service in April 2021, instantly giving millions of players access who might have hesitated at full price.
Square Enix reported 3.5 million unique players in the first month. Game Pass was a major factor in that explosion of interest.
The huge player base gave Outriders a strong community from the start. It also convinced Square Enix to label it a potential franchise (even though the publisher has been silent on that front). Without Game Pass breaking down that barrier, the game probably never would have gained so much traction so fast. Unfortunately, the successdidn’t last for long.
7State Of Decay 2
This One Refused To Stay Dead
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2didn’t blow critics away when it dropped in 2018, but Game Pass allowed plenty of curious players to give it a shot.
The zombie survival sequel launched day one on the service and racked up over a million players in just two days. Two weeks later, it passed the two million mark. That wouldn’t have happened on sales alone, especially with the lukewarm critical reception.
Game Pass gave people the chance to try it without worrying about mixed reviews. Players jumped in, shared feedback, and stuck around as the devs patched and expanded the game.
Without that ease of access, State of Decay 2 could’ve easily been overlooked by many who ended up loving it. Game Pass turned it into anongoing community project.
6Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Galaxy’s Biggest Comeback
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxyhad all the ingredients for a hit: sharp writing, lovable characters, and an amazing soundtrack. What it didn’t have at launch was players. Sales came in well below Square Enix’s expectations, and the game risked fading fast.
When the game landed on Game Pass in 2022, people finally gave it a shot. Players who weren’t sure about paying full price jumped in with their subscription.
The buzz spread quickly. Reviews and player reactions exploded across social media. Even the devs openly credited Game Pass for giving the game a second life. Without that massive wave of new players, Star-Lord and the gang might have stayed lost in space.
5A Plague Tale: Requiem
Swarms Of Rats, And Also Players
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Requiemhad big shoes to fill after the surprise hit ofA Plague Tale: Innocence. It pulled it off, thanks in no small part to Xbox Game Pass.
The game launched day one on the service in 2022, and the results were immediate. Focus Entertainment announced it hit over a million players in its first week. There’s no question Game Pass played a huge role in that number.
A slower-paced, mid-budget, narrative-driven game like Requiem might have struggled to get that kind of attention. Game Passmade it easy for players to dive in and get hookedon the emotional story and gorgeous world.
4Yakuza Franchise
The Dragon Of Dojima Comes To The West
For years,Yakuzawas a cult favorite stuck on PlayStation, loved by a small but loyal group. Then Sega brought the series to Xbox Game Pass and everything changed.
With titles likeYakuza 0,Kiwami, andKiwami 2added to the library, a whole new crowd finally got to experience the wild mix of crime drama, karaoke, and chicken racing.
Top 10 Like A Dragon Karaoke Songs
Even outside the franchise, these karaoke songs are absolute bangers.
The devs openly said subscriptions like Game Pass massively boosted the series’ Western audience. It even convinced Sega to localize Japan-only spinoffs for global release.
Game Pass didn’t just help Yakuza get noticed. It turned it from a niche masterpiece into a global phenomenon.
3No Man’s Sky
A Little Help For The Redemption Arc
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Skyhad one of the rockiest launches in gaming history. Players were hyped, expectations were sky-high, and then… well, we all know the state of the game at release.
To their credit, Hello Games kept working. They hunkered down, and with each update over the years, the game became what it was always supposed to be.
When the game hit Xbox Game Pass in 2020, this second wind reached critical mass. Game Pass gave people the perfect no-risk way to see how much the game had changed, which caused more than a million new players to try the game within a month.
The massive player wave brought No Man’s Sky to its biggest numbers since launch, finally cementing its status as afully redeemed and astounding video game.
2Pentiment
This Is What Game Pass Is For
Let’s be frank,Pentimentis amazing, but it’s also the kind of game that probably never would’ve existed without Xbox Game Pass. Obsidian pitched it as a slow-burning 16th-century mystery with a strange, hand-drawn art style. Normally, that’s the sort of risky idea most publishers would avoid.
Game Pass changed the rules. It gave Obsidian the freedom to make something weird, knowing it didn’t have to sell millions to be a success.
Players found Pentiment through the service andquickly fell in lovewith its detailed storytelling and clever choices. The devs even said they wouldn’t have proposed it without Game Pass.
Pentiment is weird, creative, and exactly the kind of game the industry needs more of. It’s great that Game Pass gives smaller, niche titles a real chance to find their people.
1Sea Of Thieves
From Shipwreck To Flagship
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thievespretty much set the blueprint for how Game Pass could make a game blow up. When it launched in 2018, Rare’s pirate adventure was fun but kinda bare, and most players jumped ship in a couple of months. Thanks to Game Pass, though, millions of curious players gave it a shot.
It smashed expectations. Rare said they hit their three-month player goal in just a single day. The constant flow of new players kept the seas lively while the devs kept adding content.
Over time, the player base passed 25 million and just kept growing. Without Game Pass, Sea of Thieves would’ve struggled to stay afloat. With it, the game became a long-running success and one of Xbox’s biggest live service hits.
10 Best RPGS on Xbox Game Pass
These are the best RPGs available on Xbox Game Pass in 2025, boosted by a couple of incredible day-one launches across PC and consoles.
