August is going to be a big month for all of us Xbox fans out there. Xbox has already confirmed it will have a big presence at Gamescom, with tons of playable demos for upcoming video games, as well as its new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds on the showfloor. That’s a ton to look forward to later in the month, but there are a slew of new Game Pass games you can get excited to play this very weekend. The first wave of games has been announced and I did the difficult work of sorting through the new additions to pick out only the three standout games you should play this weekend. Whether you want a big single player adventure, a more introspective narrative game, or something that can’t be so easily described, these are the games to play.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a bit of a forgotten and overlooked entry in the franchise. This game followed Valhalla and was an attempt to bring the series back to its more stealth-focused roots as opposed to the giant open world RPGs it had become since Origins. It features Basim, a side character from Valhalla, in ninth-century Baghdad as he joins the order of the Hidden Ones to become an assassin. This game evokes a lot of the same feelings as the first entry, but with far smoother gameplay and deeper systems. It wasn’t the perfect return to the old formula some fans wanted, but if you’re burnt out on the huge open worlds of the current games, this is a great change of pace that you can beat in a reasonable amount of time while getting your assassin fix.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mobile, and PC.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
January feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? Now that we’ve had so many game of the year contenders come out, it can be easy to forget the first indie darling of the year, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. While the gameplay mechanics and world are connected to the first game, there’s nothing stopping you from jumping straight into this sequel. You play as an android called a Sleeper who rewrites their own code to try and eek out a life in a ruthless space future. Gameplay is time and dice-based, where you need to choose what activities you do in a day and spend your dice to give yourself the best odds of succeeding in said task. If you like games where you constantly feel on the brink of defeat, you’ll love this. It sounds complicated but it makes perfect sense when you play. This is a game you will fall in love with for its story.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
Rainworld
For the most experimental game on this list, I had to include Rainworld. At its core, it is a survival game where you play as a strange alien cat slug thing on an alien world where you’re at the bottom of the food chain. There’s no direct story or goals beyond survival, but the visuals and mysterious wonder of the world and creatures make it somehow cozy. I find it has similar vibes to old adventure games like Out of This World, if that means anything to you. All the animations are generated in real time, resulting in fluid and unique movements. You can choose to play the game just a few times to get the gist, but there’s a huge world to explore here if you want to fully immerse yourself.
Rainworld is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
