Skip to main content

Outriders will be available through Xbox Game Pass at launch

Outriders is coming to Xbox Game Pass in one of the biggest additions to the service so far this year. The new third-person shooter will join the service when it launches on April 1.

The game is one of this spring’s biggest major releases. Published by Square Enix, Outriders was set to be the first big third-party game of the new console generation before getting delayed till April. Now, it’ll be available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox consoles and Android. It will not be available on PC.

Outriders
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Game Pass version of the game will still support crossplay with other consoles. That means Xbox owners will be able to squad up with PlayStation 5 owners and PC players.

Players who are curious about the game can still try out its free demo, which will remain live through launch day. The demo features several missions and progress will carry over to the full game.

Outriders is a major addition for Xbox Game Pass. While the service adds first-party Microsoft games when they launch, major third-party titles tend to come long after a game releases. Outriders is one of the biggest new games to land on the system in some time.

The release potentially sets the stage for a big relationship between Microsoft and Square Enix. Fans have long speculated that Microsoft may try to acquire Square Enix following its recent Bethesda purchase. While that’s only been a rumor up to this point, Outriders coming to Game Pass is a massive development that could lead to more Square Enix titles coming to Game Pass down the line.

Editors' Recommendations

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
Xbox Game Pass gets Mass Effect, Outer Wilds, and more this month
Characters in Mass Effect.

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.

Read more
Xbox Game Pass adds Mortal Kombat 11, loses three Yakuza games
Mortal Kombat 11 character screen featuring Skorpion.

Xbox Game Pass is adding a few more games before 2021 ends. The December batch is headlined by Mortal Kombat 11, Among Us, and indie hit Firewatch. However, the service is also losing three Yakuza games at the end of the year.

Microsoft's subscription service gives players access to a library of downloadable games for a flat monthly fee. It'll add 11 new games between December 15 and 16.

Read more
Sony reportedly has a Game Pass competitor in development
PlayStation 5 side view

Sony is ratcheting up its competition with Microsoft's Xbox ecosystem in the form of a competitor to Xbox Game Pass, according to a report from Bloomberg.  The report, which cites "people familiar with Sony's plans and documents viewed by Bloomberg," alleges that the competitor, code-named Spartacus, will be a tiered subscription plan.

Expected to launch in spring 2022, Spartacus will combine PlayStation's two current subscription services, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now, into one service. PlayStation Now has been seen as a failed competitor to Game Pass that lets players stream a limited number of games to their PlayStation consoles. According to the report, PlayStation Now will be phased out entirely, while the PlayStation Plus branding is retained.

Read more