If you’re a superstitious person, Friday the 13th might be a bad sign for this weekend. While I can’t say you won’t encounter any bad luck, what I can promise is that you will have more than enough fun with all the new Game Pass games hitting the service. Last weekend’s Xbox Games Showcase showed off too many upcoming Xbox Series X games to count, most of which will be day-one Game Pass games when they come out, but we still have a while to wait for games like Keeper and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. All that excitement may have overshadowed the latest batch of Game Pass games, including a fantastic day one sci-fi survival game like nothing else, a delightful co-op strategy game, and the biggest sports game just in time for the World Cup.
The Alters
Any sci-fi fan should pay close attention to The Alters, regardless of whether or not you typically like survival games. After crashing onto a mysterious planet, lone survivor Jan Dolski can only survive by creating alternate versions of himself based on different life paths he could’ve gone down had me made different choices. Between juggling the need to gather resources, expand your base, and overcome obstacles to move your base before the sun rises and cooks you with radiation, you will spend a ton of time interacting with your various Alters. This is where the game shines brightest. The moral and ethical dilemmas, plus the unique issues that arise from alternate versions of the same person trying to work together in a dire situation, are incredibly captivating and thought-provoking.
The Alters is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Kingdom: Two Crowns
Technically, Kingdom: Two Crowns is the third game in the overall Kingdom series, but you won’t have any problems starting here. The first thing you will notice is the game’s amazing pixel art, but there’s a lot of depth behind this 2D game. You control a monarch who manages and builds up your kingdom under attack by a race of monsters called the Greed. You spend the day building up your defenses using gold before night falls and waves of enemies attack. You don’t fight yourself, but simply place units, build walls, and outfit your kingdom to repel invaders, but you can travel out during the day to explore a procedurally generated world to hunt for extra loot. This is a great co-op game, especially since it supports local split-screen play.
Kingdom: Two Crowns is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Mobile, and PC.
EA Sports FC 25
Xbox knows exactly what it’s doing here, and I totally respect it. June 14 marks the beginning of the World Cup, so what better time to give us EA Sports FC 25 so we can play along with the real event? For those who didn’t follow the news at the time, the EA Sports FC brand is the same team that made all the FIFA games in the past, but has ditched the license to make their own brand. While the name is different, the top-notch soccer simulation gameplay is exactly the same. New to this game is the new tactical system called FC IQ, Player Roles, and a 5v5 Rush Mode. Of course, there’s always the career mode and slightly predatory Ultimate Team.
EA Sports FC 25 is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.