Control, Yakuza Remastered Collection and more coming to Game Pass this month

By Giovanni Colantonio January 19, 2021

Microsoft revealed the next batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass and it’s one of the biggest rounds yet. Over the next few weeks, the service will add Control, Yakuza: The Remastered Collection, and more.

Control comes to the PC version of the service on January 21. Remedy Entertainment’s third-person action game was a big hit in 2019, landing multiple nominations at the Game Awards including Game of the Year. In our review of the game, we called it “a bizarre paranormal action game that feels like it can sit alongside The X-Files.”

Yakuza: The Remastered Collection hits console, PC, and Microsoft’s cloud gaming service on January 28. Announced at this year’s Game Awards, the collection features remastered versions of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, and Yakuza 5.

We hate to be the bearers of bad news so we came bearing good news insteadhttps://t.co/9frXOyLjSK pic.twitter.com/CwGnJJfaBz

— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) January 19, 2021

For those looking to catch up on some 2020 hidden gems, Desperados III comes to console, PC, and Android on January 21. The critically acclaimed Western is a standout real-time tactics game with an emphasis on story and stealth.

Some choice indie titles are coming to Game Pass this month. Sci-fi game Outer Wilds joins the cloud streaming service on January 21. Donut County, a charming puzzle game, comes to PC, console, and Android on the same day. Retro action title Cyber Shadow comes to PC, console, and Android on January 26.

All of those games join a particularly noteworthy month, which culminates in the Microsoft exclusive The Medium joining the service on January 28 for PC and Xbox Series X|S owners.

While plenty of games are joining the service at the end of the month, eight are leaving on January 29. The list includes Final Fantasy XV and several indie hits like Gris and Indivisible.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

Gaming

Xbox Game Pass gets one of 2021’s best games today

Iron Mask and Shionne attack in Tales of Arise.

The next batch of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass this month was just revealed. Leading the pack of games being added to the subscription service today is Tales of Arise, a critically acclaimed RPG from Bandai Namco Entertainment that Xbox previously leaked was coming to the service.

Tales of Arise was released in 2021. The latest entry in a long-running RPG series, it follows a slave and girl inflicted with a curse as they rise up against the kingdom of Rena. It sports real-time RPG combat, and is one of few games to score a five-star rating from Digital Trends.

Gaming

Every key detail from Xbox’s business update: new console, multiplatform games, and more

Microsoft just released the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, and it contained lots of crucial details on the future of Xbox. Microsoft addressed everything from how many games it will make multiplatform to the arrival of Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass to future Xbox hardware.

If you don't want to listen to the full 23-minute podcast and want more details than what's shared in the Xbox Wire post about the discussion, here's a quick rundown of the biggest points made during the episode.
Four Xbox games are going multiplatform
To kick things off, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, addressed the multiplatform Xbox game rumors. "We made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles. Just four games, not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy,” he said. “We’re making these decisions for some specific reasons. We make every decision with the long-term health of Xbox in mind, and long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can."

Gaming

Madden 24 is coming to Xbox Game Pass just in time for the Super Bowl

Players make a tackle in gameplay action of Madden NFL 24.

Xbox revealed a new batch of library additions coming to its Game Pass service. The list includes some heavy hitters in Resident Evil 3 and Madden 24, as well as some indie hidden gems.

Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's subscription service that gives players access to select games for a monthly fee, will add eight new games in the first half of February. The rollout will start today with Anuchard and continue until February 20 with the sci-fi title Return to Grace.