Skip to main content

Xbox Game Pass adds Ark, but loses some heavy hitters

Microsoft has revealed the titles coming to its Game Pass service this February. The biggest title is Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition, which includes the base title Ark: Survival Evolved as well as the game’s many expansion packs.

This month’s lineup also includes Telling Lies, another non-linear thriller directed by the creator of Her Storyand a variety of other indie titles. These additions to Game Pass come in the wake of Microsoft’s explosive announcement of its intent to purchase Activision Blizzard last month.

Recommended Videos

Ark: Ultimate Survival Edition will be available on PC, console, and mobile devices via the cloud. Considered the “definitive collection” of Ark content, the game allows players to get up close and personal with dinosaurs as they explore a primeval world and stage battles.

Other available titles include the lauded Contrast, a puzzle-platformer that plays with light and shadow in a world based on 1920s vaudeville, and Skul: The Hero Slayer, a roguelite with over 100 playable characters and a variety of challenging battles. Game Pass subscribers will also have access to a Grounded update called Into the Wood and an Australia update for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Here’s the full list of titles joining the service this month.

  • Contrast
  • Dreamscaper
  • Telling Lies
  • Besiege
  • CrossfireX
  • Edge of Eternity
  • Skul: The Hero Slayer
  • The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom
  • Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition
  • Infernax

Several high-profile titles are also leaving Game Pass. On February 15, subscribers will no longer be able to play Control, one of 2019’s best action games. Also leaving is Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age, the definitive remaster of the PlayStation 2 original. Here’s what’s leaving the service in February.

  • Control
  • Code Vein
  • Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age
  • The Medium
  • Project Winter
  • The Falconeer
Emily Morrow
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…
3 Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (April 25-27)
Maelle fighting an enemy in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

Depending on where you live, we're all somewhere in the process of fully transitioning into the Spring season. Flowers are budding, the sun is shining, and fantastic games are coming to Game Pass, giving you a strong reason to stay inside all weekend. This weekend is the most exciting of the month, thanks to one specific day-one game we're sure you're excited for, but if RPGs aren't your thing, we have plenty of other options that are perfect for the warm weather. May is going to be another big month for upcoming Xbox Series X games on Game Pass, with Doom: The Dark Ages in particular looming on the horizon. Until then, these are the best games to play on Game Pass this weekend.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Read more
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (April 18-20)
Patrick using an umbrella to parachute.

Last week was a major one in terms of big day one Game Pass games, and next week is arguably even bigger with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 joining the service. But there are way more titles joining the catalog besides that one upcoming Xbox Series X game, and this is the perfect time to give some smaller, lesser-known games a chance. We're not going to burden you with a massive RPG that you won't be able to finish before Expedition, but a smattering of smaller titles that are the perfect size to give you a weekend of fun before wrapping up. Why not try something a little out of the ordinary this weekend with one of these games?

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game

Read more
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (April 11-13)
A wide shot of Hazel and Shakin Bones in South of Midnight.

While the news is starting to die down about the Switch 2, one conversation is only gaining steam. Game prices have been thrown into question with Nintendo breaking the $70 barrier on many upcoming Switch 2 games, which makes the already incredible value of Game Pass even more appealing. This week in particular saw not one, not two, but three day-one additions to really show its worth. We still have Clair Obscur to look forward to soon, but each of these games is perfect for filling a dead weekend.

South of Midnight

Read more