Deep Silver’s long-awaited first-person zombie slasher has finally been released nearly a decade after it was announced – but is Dead Island 2 on Xbox Game Pass?
The day has, at last, arrived. After being initially revealed with an infamous CG trailer back during E3 2014, Dead Island 2 has survived numerous delays and multiple developer changes to finally launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC today. That means players no longer need to wait to start slashing, bashing and dismembering endless hordes of the undead with friends beneath the sun-drenched sky of “Hell-A”.
As a high-profile AAA release, though, gamers on Xbox are wondering if the game is playable on Xbox Game Pass. After all, just because Dead Island 2 isn’t exclusive to Microsoft’s console doesn’t mean it’s not possible, so people have every right to be curious about whether there’s a more affordable way to jump into Dambuster Studio’s game for a lot less than RRP.
Is Dead Island 2 on Xbox Game Pass?
Sadly, Dead Island 2 is not available to play on Xbox Game Pass on day one. We've known this for a while, too, since it wasn't included in the Xbox Game Pass April 2023 lineup's announcement. That doesn’t mean that the long-awaited zombie slasher won’t eventually arrive on the service. But alas, for now, no deal has been made between Xbox and publisher Deep Silver to have it appear. This means that your only way to play is by picking up a copy at retail.
The standard version of Dead Island 2 has a typical price of £59.99 / $69.99 / AU$109.96. Obviously a lot more than the price of an Xbox Game Pass subscription, but probably worth it for players on any platform wanting a way to slaughter flesh-eating hordes with friends. Alternatively, on digital storefronts, you can pick up Dead Island 2 Deluxe Edition for £64.99 / $74.99 / $117.95, while the Dead Island 2 Gold Edition will set you back £79.99 / $89.99 / AU$145.96.
With Dead Island 2 not on Xbox Game Pass, here’s what’s included in each edition for those wanting to purchase the game standalone.
Dead Island 2 Deluxe Edition contents
- Dead Island 2 base game
- Character Pack 1 – Silver Star Jacob
- Character Pack 2 – Cyber Slayer Amy
- Gold Weapons Pack
Dead Island 2 Gold Edition contents
- Dead Island 2 base game
- Dead Island 2 Expansion Pass
- Character Pack 1 – Silver Star Jacob
- Character Pack 2 – Cyber Slayer Amy
- Gold Weapons Pack
- Pulp Weapons Pack
- Memories of Banoi Pack
In our Dead Island 2 review, we called it “better in every way imaginable” when compared to the 2011 original. Despite it not being available on Xbox Game Pass on the day of release, it’s a fun way to unleash some frustration on the LA undead with friends.
