Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service is simple enough. In exchange for a fee, subscribers can play over 100 games across Android, PC, cloud, and Xbox consoles. With so many titles to choose from, though, it can be difficult for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to know where to start. To make things a little easier, Microsoft has filed Game Pass games under a variety of categories, with one of the most popular likely being the Shooters category.
The Xbox Game Pass Shooters category is home to all kinds of shooter games available to subscribers, including both first- and third-person shooters. The Xbox brand has been associated with shooters since the beginning with Halo: Combat Evolved, so it's no surprise that some of the best games on Game Pass fall under the Shooters category.
For shooter fans looking for something to play on Xbox Game Pass, here are five of the best games in the service's Shooters category.
Destiny 2
Even with some content stowed away in the Destiny Content Vault, Bungie's Destiny 2 will easily provide Xbox Game Pass subscribers dozens of hours of entertainment while they go through story content from the Forsaken, Shadowkeep, and Beyond Light expansions. The Beyond Light expansion for Destiny 2 was available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers the same day that it launched, letting fans jump in to the new storyline and unlock their Stasis abilities without forking over the cash for a full-priced expansion.
While some shooter fans may be turned off by the MMO elements at work, Destiny 2 is a content-rich experience that caters to a variety of playstyles. Destiny 2 and its expansion offer plenty of PvE content, including story missions, Strikes, and for those who can put together a competent enough team, Raids. Destiny 2 also has an entertaining PvP element through the Crucible, as well as the Gambit, which blends PvP and PvE gameplay.
Doom Eternal
Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media means that Xbox will soon own not just the company's studios, but its IP as well. As it so happens, ZeniMax Media owns id Software and Bethesda, who control the Doom IP. This acquisition was always going to be a big deal for Game Pass subscribers, as it allows them to get all future id Software and Bethesda games on day one, but it also means that many of the company's previously released games are coming to the service as well.
Doom Eternal is one such game that is now a part of the Xbox Game Pass lineup. One of the highest-rated video games of 2020, Doom Eternal earned widespread critical acclaim for its high-octane first-person shooter gameplay, with an emphasis on speed over everything else. Throw in a unique PvP multiplayer mode, and Doom Eternal has a lot of worthwhile content to keep fans busy for some time to come.
Gears 5
One of the main draws of Xbox Game Pass is being able to play Microsoft's first-party lineup of games, which includes the Gears of War franchise. The entire Gears of War franchise is currently available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to play at no additional charge, and that includes the latest game in the series, Gears 5. Gears 5 reviews were mostly positive at the time of its release, with particular praise given to its campaign, story, and wide variety of multiplayer and co-op options.
Since launch, Gears 5 has been expanded with significantly more content, with players having more to do in the third-person shooter than ever before. This includes the Hivebusters DLC, which not only fleshes out Gears 5's Escape characters, but provides a short but sweet, action-packed 3-player co-op adventure. That's not to mention the Gears 5 Xbox Series X enhancements for those who have managed to get their hands on Microsoft's next-generation console, making Gears 5 one of the most appealing titles in the Xbox Game Pass lineup in general.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Out of all the shooter games available for Xbox Game Pass, the one that will keep players busiest the longest has to be Halo: The Master Chief Collection. While Halo: The Master Chief Collection had a rough launch, 343 Industries has addressed those issues and has added a ton of content to the game since then, including Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. In total, players have access to a whopping six Halo campaigns, plus all of the multiplayer and additional content that those games had as well.
Needless to say, there is enough content in Halo: The Master Chief Collection to keep gamers busy for years. If nothing else, it's a great way for players to get a refresher on the Halo series story in preparation for the upcoming launch of Halo Infinite, which will hit PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X later in 2021. And while Halo 5: Guardians is technically not part of the Master Chief Collection, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can check out that game as well with their subscription.
Titanfall 2
One of the reasons why Xbox Game Pass has become such a popular option for Xbox gamers is because Microsoft has consistently been trying to sweeten the pot. One of the biggest moves it's made has been adding the EA Play bonuses to Game Pass, bringing a ton of high-quality EA games to the service and making it so fans don't have to be subscribed to multiple services at one time. The EA Play lineup includes plenty of great shooter games, including DICE's Battlefield franchise, but one that may deserve the most attention is Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall 2.
Unfortunately for Titanfall 2, the game struggled to become quite as popular as its predecessor, with its initial release date largely to blame for that. Regardless, though, Titanfall 2's multiplayer can be a great deal of fun, and its campaign is second to none. Titanfall 2 is one of the most criminally underplayed games of the past generation, and so hopefully it can get some fresh eyes through Game Pass.