As the fall season approaches, the number of high-profile Xbox Game Pass additions is rising. That said, the service also does a great job of appealing to players who are fans of more specific, niche genres. September 2024 has been particularly kind to Xbox Game Pass subscribers who are fans of simulation or strategy games that require a deeper level of engagement and dedication. These are the kinds of games I’m recommending to you this week, especially because one of them launches right into Microsoft’s video game subscription service today.
Frostpunk 2
Later today, Frostpunk 2 will get its wide release on PC and be available to Game Pass subscribers. It is a more ambitious sequel to an enthralling yet stressful city-builder in which players try to survive in a harsh, snowy apocalypse. Frostpunk 2 increases the scale of things as players try to maintain the restored civilization they built from scratch in the first game. It exacerbates the already stressful nature of real-time city-builders but in a way that works perfectly in its postapocalyptic world. Frostpunk 2 is only available on PC, and you can play it there with a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game
While Saber Interactive recently garnered much acclaim for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, it has previously courted a hardcore audience of off-roading simulation games with its MudRunner series. Earlier this year, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game was released, emphasizing the exploration aspect of off-roading. It’s still a pretty hardcore driving simulation, though, as you’ll need to constantly keep track of what gear your vehicle is in and use tools to help yourself scale tough terrain or avoid nasty pitfalls or deep water. Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is available with Game Pass across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It’s also on PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Star Trucker
Finally, there’s Star Trucker, which somehow finds the appealing middle ground between Euro Truck Simulator and Elite Dangerous. As its self-explanatory title suggests, you’re hauling cargo on a big rig but are doing so through outer space rather than highways. It’s a pretty ingenious idea, recognizing that the cargo delivery missions and space exploration of a lot of sci-fi games actually have quite a bit in common with driving simulators. By leaning into the more hardcore aspects of the latter genre, Star Trucker offers something very novel. Star Trucker is available across PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
