Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service has had one of its best years to date, with many highly-rated day one releases joining the lineup in 2022. There's a chance that even more day one Xbox Game Pass games could be added in the second half of December, but none have been announced at the time of this writing. It's possible one of those games could crack the top 10, though it seems unlikely.
Barring any unexpected new game additions that blow critics away, the top 10 highest-rated Xbox Game Pass games of 2022 have now been solidified. And it's clear from the list that Xbox Game Pass not only delivered plenty of high-quality games in 2022, but it delivered some of the best games for their respective genres.
Here are the 10 highest-rated day one Xbox Game Pass games of 2022, according to review aggregate site OpenCritic. It should be noted that all the games on this list are still readily available to play through Xbox Game Pass at the time of this writing, but there will likely come a point when they are removed from the lineup. Considering this, Xbox Game Pass subscribers may want to make it a point to play these titles as soon as possible.
Highest-Rated Xbox Game Pass Games of 2022
- Norco - 91
- Chained Echoes - 90
- Immortality - 88
- Return to Monkey Island - 87
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - 87
- Total War: Warhammer 3 - 86
- Pentiment - 86
- Tunic - 85
- Citizen Sleeper - 85
- A Plague Tale: Requiem - 84
The highest-rated new Xbox Game Pass game of 2022 is point-and-click adventure game Norco, which is available on both PC and Xbox consoles. Norco earned critical acclaim for its story, writing, and clever use of point-and-click adventure game mechanics. It's one of the highest-rated games of the year, and it is a certainly a must-play for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
Joining Norco in the 90 or above club is Chained Echoes. The most recently-released Xbox Game Pass game to crack the top 10, Chained Echoes has earned widespread critical acclaim for being a worthwhile homage to SNES-era JRPGs. Critics have praised Chained Echoes for stripping out many of the more frustrating and dated elements of turn-based RPGs, offering something that's streamlined and better suited for modern audiences.
The rest of the games are certainly notable as well, and offer a wide variety of experiences for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to check out. From the mind-bending narrative in Immortality to the classic co-op beat 'em up action of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Game Pass subscribers have plenty to choose from. And this is on top of all the older games that are readily available on Game Pass well, including the entire Halo franchise and many of Bethesda's games.