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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has calmed down. While it might not be seen as the top deal in gaming anymore, the service has introduced several high-profile day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current recommendations include a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for any peace-lover looking to unwind in the security of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, along with experiences of her education and home life, neither of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the story develops from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if there's any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, which is also included). However, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, every one representing a distinct story style. There's a investigative tale about a cleric investigating the death of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the power of capitalism stars in a western-themed adventure. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because all great RPGs require a hero with an unknown background, naturally). Some of these stories connect in surprising, fascinating ways, as you play through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired world. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.