Xbox Game Pass is adding a further 11 games this month in a line-up featuring an eccentric mix of blockbusters and quirky indies.
Top of the list for many players will be Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, a nightmarish sequel that’s about as next-gen a gaming experience as you can get. It will be available to Game Pass members the moment it comes out, along with three new releases in Galacticare, Hauntii, and Rolling Hills (more on those below).
Here’s everything coming to and leaving Game Pass throughout the rest of the month, followed by our top picks from the newcomers.
Xbox Game Pass latest games for May
- Chants of Sennaar – May 15
- EA Sports NHL 24 – May 16
- Immortals of Aveum – May 16
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – May 21
- Galacticare – May 23
- Hauntii – May 23
- Moving Out 2 – May 28
- Humanity – May 30
- Lords of the Fallen – May 30
- Firework – June 4
- Rolling Hills – June 4
Games leaving Xbox Game Pass on May 31
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Farworld Pioneers
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
- Pac-Man Museum Plus
- Little Witch in the Woods
- Railway Empire II
Highlights
Hellblade 2 is almost here. Following the scarring events of the first game, this short sequel sees Senua seeking revenge against the marauding Vikings who ransacked her village. Her odyssey leads her to Iceland, an ethereal backdrop for the narrative-driven title’s tortured, psychological mind games. Here, you’ll face off against brutes, with nothing but your cumbersome sword (and wits) for assistance, in darkened arenas where every pulverising blow hits like a hammer. With visuals powered by the Unreal Engine 5, the latest in game development tech, Hellblade 2 is one nightmare you’ll want to relive again and again.
Elsewhere, you can choose from three eccentric indies, which should act as a palette cleanser when you emerge from the murky depths of Hellblade 2. Galictcare tasks you with building hospitals for aliens with bizarre illnesses; Hauntii is a puzzle-solving ghost story with a hand-drawn art style; and cozy game Rolling Hills puts a robot chef at the helm of a sushi restaurant – what could go wrong?
Xbox’s troubles
The new additions come during a transitional time for Xbox. Studios have been shuttered, games abandoned, and blockbuster titles released on rival consoles – leading to confusion about Microsoft’s strategy for gaming.
Sony has also been turning up the heat on Xbox with its competing PS Plus service. Subscribers have received solid back-to-back freebies, including EA FC 24 and Immortals of Aveum, which is also among the new arrivals on Game Pass.
Taking a page out of Microsoft’s book, Sony recently added Animal Well to its PS Plus catalogue on day one of its release. Mentioned in the same breath as Metroid and The Outer Wilds, the game is being hailed as an instant classic.
