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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Saqib Shah

Xbox announces surprise Game Pass games: Starcraft, Mana, and Overwatch 2 x My Hero Academia

Xbox continues to keep gamers on their toes with its ever-evolving Game Pass library, mixing classic hits with new releases.

Recently, the company has adopted a playful approach, dropping new titles out of the blue while also revealing upcoming games weeks in advance.

The latest line-up is no exception, composed of a batch of classic RPGs you can play today (plus a day one release) and a couple of blockbusters primed for November.

These are all the additions you can play today and the upcoming releases to look forward to.

Xbox Game Pass new games out now

The following games are available to play right now on Xbox Game Pass:

You can't rotate your character without some assistance from your friends in chaotic multiplayer All You Need is Help (PixelJunk)
  • All you Need is Help
  • Legend of Mana HD remaster
  • Trials of Mana remake
  • We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie

Xbox Game Pass games for October

While Xbox didn’t announce any Game Pass games for October, it did reveal an eye-catching new collaboration for Blizzard’s hero shooter Overwatch 2, which was recently added to its gaming service:

  • Overwatch 2 x My Hero Academia Collaboration

Xbox Game Pass games for November

The following games will be available on PC Game Pass on November 5:

  • StarCraft: Remastered
  • StarCraft II

Xbox Game Pass games for December

Pets are coming to Fallout 76 in December (Bethesda)

Furry companions are coming to Fallout 76 with the following update this December:

  • Fallout 76 Camp Pets update

StarCraft is a must play for PC gamers

Xbox made the new game announcements at the Tokyo Games Show in Japan on Thursday morning. During the presentation, it also provided updates on previously announced games like Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, and Age of Mythology: Retold.

The showcase comes on the heels of PlayStation’s State of Play presentation, which featured more than 25 new games and DLCs, including Ghost of Tsushima sequel Ghost of Yokei and eerie horror Hell is Us.

Build and defend your bases in deep space while attacking others in Starcraft II (Activision Blizzard)

Back on Game Pass, StarCraft: Remastered and its sequel stand out as the big additions to the service’s bulging roster. In the twin sci-fi strategy games, players must gather resources to build bases and train military units, while taking down other players’ fortresses. Each of the game’s three races (Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg) has unique structures and troops.

StarCraft: Remastered retains the classic gameplay of the original, offering a steeper learning curve and a focus on multiplayer with improved matchmaking. Players can select up to 12 units at a time, making battalion control more challenging.

Game on: a StarCraft player beat four artificial intelligence bots in a 2017 tournament (Patrik Stollarz / AFP/ Getty)

In contrast, StarCraft II modernises the experience with features like unlimited unit selection, improved unit control, and more accessible gameplay for newcomers. It also includes deeper abilities for units and adjustments to resource management.

While the original StarCraft and its sequel’s multiplayer mode remain free-to-play, Game Pass members are getting the enhanced version of the classic game and the full story-driven content of StarCraft II.

The latter spans single-player campaigns from Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void, and also includes the Nova Covert Ops missions and Co-op Commander mode.

As Xbox notes in its blog post, StarCraft has helped to shape the real-time strategy genre, esports and livestreaming.

The founders of Twitch have cited it as the catalyst behind their pivot to video game streaming. StarCraft also boasts a vibrant pro-gaming community that continues to thrive.

A notable highlight came in 2018 when Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn made history as the first woman to win a major StarCraft II tournament at a pre-Olympic esports event during the Winter Games in South Korea.

Shortly after its release, Nasa astronaut Daniel Barry took a copy of StarCraft on a mission to the International Space Station in 1999.

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