New to Xbox Game Pass - January 2022 Wave 1

Among all of the traditions involving family, gifts, and food that occur during the holidays, a big one for me is the Steam Winter Sale. I fully admit that it’s unfortunately consumer-based, but I can’t deny how much I love a good deal when it comes to video games. I mention that as we just left the holidays and this tradition of mine has actually diminished over recent years. The reason for that is due to better deals on games I enjoy being offered all year on third-party websites as well as the wonderful offerings on various subscription services.

Since Xbox Game Pass, in particular, has dragged me away from logging into my Steam account as much as I once did, I figured I should start covering what will be added and what will be leaving the subscription service. These updates have so far been provided near the beginning and middle of each month and you can expect me to have a breakdown of each wave soon after. There’s a great selection of games coming to kick off this new year so let’s get into it!

Three games are already available, each through cloud, console, and PC. The first of these is Gorogoa, a puzzle game that truly falls into the art-blended with games category. It won a slew of awards after it came out four years ago and is an experience like no other. Second is Olija, a 2D action-adventure game with a wonderfully grim pixel aesthetic. Engaging combat and the many mysteries waiting to be encountered are sure to keep things entertaining.

Rounding out the titles available now is The Pedestrian, a puzzle platformer where you move public signs to help a small stick figure man safely traverse. It’s arguably one of the most interesting puzzle games to come out in the last couple of years and is one I’m extremely excited to finally give a try.

Two more games set to join them on January 6th through cloud, console, and PC are Embr and Outer Wilds. Embr is a game that allows you or a group of friends to squad up and tackle over-the-top firefighting situations, all while saving selfie-taking civilians and finding bonus cash lying around to upgrade gear. If you need a break from laughing and socializing with friends, the time loop mystery of Outer Wilds will surely keep your attention. The game received numerous Game of the Year awards in 2019 for very good reasons, which is why I highly recommend taking the advantage and playing it if you haven’t before.

Another large addition to start the new year is actually through EA Play, which is offered with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for consoles and PC Game Pass. Nearly eight months after it came out to stellar reviews, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be available for subscribers to play. Remastering all three games in the original trilogy and including over 40 DLC make this the ultimate way to experience the, ahem, legendary sci-fi series. Mass Effect: Andromeda has already been available through EA Play, which means the full series is available as we patiently wait for the next entry.

The last offerings for this first wave in 2022 will be available on January 13th for console and PC. Spelunky 2, the sequel to Spelunky, a.k.a. one of the most influential games that’s commonly on many greatest games of all time lists, is widely considered to improve upon the original in many ways. It might not break as much ground as its predecessor, but it’s still a lot of fun. Joining it is The Anacrusis, an Early Access Co-Op horde FPS that looks like it came straight out of a retro Sci-Fi movie from 50 years ago. This shooter looks to be another fun title in the genre.

Finally, we have what’s leaving on January 15th. These titles include Desperados III, Ghost of a Tale, Kingdom Hearts III, Mount & Blade: Warband, Pandemic, and Yiik: A Postmodern RPG. PUBG: Battlegrounds will also be technically leaving on its own on January 10th. However, this is because it will be turning into a free-to-play game on January 12th.