Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Trash
  4. News

Xbox Game Pass gets Mass Effect, Outer Wilds, and more this month

Add as a preferred source on Google

Microsoft’s game streaming service is kicking off 2022 with an explosive list of additions. During January, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get access to eight new titles in total, including Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Spelunky 2, and Outer Wilds.

Starting today, however, Game Pass subscribers will be able to give a few other notable titles a try. Olija and The Pedestrian are now available on Game Pass, along with developer Buried Signal’s hand-drawn puzzle title, Gorogoa.

On Thursday, January 6, both The Outer Wilds and Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be made available on Game Pass. For anyone who hasn’t played the Mass Effect franchise yet, Legendary Edition is everything they’ll need to get into the series before Bioware releases its mysterious next Mass Effect game.

Similarly, it’s worth noting that the version of Outer Wilds available as part of Game Pass won’t include the game’s Echoes of the Eye expansion. Along with the two games, Embr, which puts players in the shoes of freelance firefighters, will also be available on January 6.

Spelunky 2, the cave-diving roguelike platformer, is set to land on Game Pass on January 13 along with The Anacrusis, a wave-based cooperative shooter.

With the games coming onto Xbox Game Pass this month, some also have to leave. As of January 15, Game Pass subscribers will no longer have access to Desperados 3, Ghost of a Tale, Kingdom Hearts 3, Mount & Blade: Warband, Pandemic, or Yiik: A Postmodern RPG. PUBG: Battlegrounds will also be leaving Game Pass, although for a different reason. The battle royale title, perhaps trying to maintain its space in the genre, is going free-to-play on January 12.

Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
Anthropic cracks down on video game cloning with new Claude restrictions
Claude can still help develop original games, but copying existing titles is now off the table.
Claude website open on laptop

AI has been making its way into video game development for a while now, but the recent developments have started raising some serious concerns. Popular games are being reverse-engineered with AI assistance, recreated for web browsers, and made playable on platforms they were never released for. Between all that, indie developers have started pulling down their demos over fears of getting copied. Anthropic has now stepped in with new restrictions for Claude Code.

The change was first spotted on X and subsequently confirmed by Anthropic's Addy Osmani. The new instructions prevent Claude from recreating specific existing games, even if they are renamed or presented as original projects. Users can still make original games, work on games within a genre, and use their own designs and assets.

Read more
Ubisoft shares major Assassin’s Creed updates, including disappointing news about remakes
New Game+, a final Black Flag treat, and a 20th birthday on the horizon.
Assassin's Creed, Gaming, Remake

If you have been looking for an excuse to jump back into Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft just gave you a couple of good ones. Its Fall 2026 update is packed with news, from fresh content to a big birthday celebration next year.

What’s new in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla?

Read more
Phantom Blade Zero hands-on: An extraordinary game with unbelievable combat that I can’t get enough of
Every fight feels like a beautifully choreographed martial arts movie, except I'm the one controlling every move.
Phantom Blade Zero poster

We have had a considerable number of high-profile game releases this year, but none so far have had as much hype behind them as Phantom Blade Zero. The source of all that hype was a 2023 trailer highlighting its fluid kung-fu-derived sword combat. Considering that, at the time of writing this piece, there are over 700,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, on a weekday no less, I think it's safe to say that the hype has converted into gamers actually showing up for the game. I have sunk around 10 hours into this game today, and so far, it has been nothing short of an absolute masterclass in action combat.

A world that pulls you in from the start

Read more