Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service is geared up to have an absolutely massive 2023, and if everything goes according to plan, this year could truly be the biggest year for Game Pass to date. While millions of Xbox gamers have already signed up for Xbox Game Pass, the service will be an absolute must-have by the time this new year comes to a close.
Microsoft has increasingly invested in its Xbox Game Pass service, using it as the main selling point for its Xbox consoles this generation. By signing up for Xbox Game Pass, subscribers get access to well over 100 games instantly, including brand-new, day one releases and beloved older titles. Microsoft makes sure that there are always more games coming to Xbox Game Pass than there are games leaving the service, so subscribers never have a shortage of games to play.
2023 will see plenty more games added to Xbox Game Pass, including a wide variety of day one releases. At the time of this writing, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have at least 60 games to look forward to in 2023, with a couple that have already been added to the lineup.
New Xbox Game Pass Games Coming in 2023
- Stranded Deep - January 3
- Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition - January 5
- Persona 3 Portable - January 19
- Persona 4 Golden - January 19
- Monster Hunter Rise - January 20
- Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition - January 31
- Inkulinati - January 31
- Roboquest - January 2023
- Atomic Heart - February 21
- Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - March 3
- Amnesia: The Bunker - March 2023
- Way to the Woods - March 2023
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle - First Half 2023
- Forza Motorsport - First Half 2023
- Guilty Gear Strive - First Half 2023
- Hollow Knight: Silksong - First Half 2023
- The Last Case of Benedict Fox - Fist Half 2023
- Lightyear Frontier - First Half 2023
- Minecraft Legends - First Half 2023
- Planet of Lana - First Half 2023
- Redfall - First Half 2023
- Starfield - First Half 2023
- Valheim - First Half 2023
- Age of Empires 4 - TBA 2023
- Age of Mythology: Retold - TBA 2023
- Ara: History Untold - TBA 2023
- Ark 2 - TBA 2023
- Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem - TBA 2023
- Bushiden - TBA 2023
- Cassette Beasts - TBA 2023
- Cocoon - TBA 2023
- Dungeons 4 - TBA 2023
- Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes - TBA 2023
- Ereban: Shadow Legacy - TBA 2023
- Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn - TBA 2023
- Flock - TBA 2023
- GoldenEye 007 - TBA 2023
- Homestead Arcana - TBA 2023
- Hot Wheels Unleashed: GOTY Edition - TBA 2023
- Humankind - TBA 2023
- Infinite Guitars - TBA 2023
- Lies of P - TBA 2023
- Little Witch in the Woods - TBA 2023
- Mad Streets - TBA 2023
- Maquette - TBA 2023
- Marauders - TBA 2023
- Party Animals - TBA 2023
- Pigeon Simulator - TBA 2023
- Railway Empire 2 - TBA 2023
- Ravenlock - TBA 2023
- Replaced - TBA 2023
- She Dreams Elsewhere - TBA 2023
- Solar Ash - TBA 2023
- Spirittea - TBA 2023
- STALKER 2 - TBA 2023
- The Big Con - TBA 2023
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - TBA 2023
- Thirsty Suitors - TBA 2023
- Turnip Boy Robs a Bank - TBA 2023
- Warhammer 40K: Darktide - TBA 2023
- The DioField Chronicle - Rumored
- Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection - Rumored
Xbox Game Pass started off 2023 by adding survival game Stranded Deep to the lineup on January 3, with Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition joining on January 5. The addition of Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition to the Xbox Game Pass lineup of games came as somewhat of a surprise since it wasn't long ago that the base version of Mortal Shell was removed from availability. In any case, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have those games to check out while they wait for the rest of the new Game Pass games for 2023. There is also evidence to suggest that The DioField Chronicle and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection are coming to Game Pass, but nothing has been officially announced on that front just yet.
At the time of this writing, Microsoft has not revealed the full slate of Game Pass games coming in January 2023. However, previous announcements have confirmed that the new Xbox Game Pass games for January 2023 will consist of some seriously heavy hitters. For example, January 19 will see the release of both Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden to the Game Pass lineup, while Monster Hunter Rise is coming on January 20. Fans can easily sink hundreds of hours into those games, so they should provide incredible value for Xbox Game Pass in January.
Some other new Xbox Game Pass games have solid release dates in 2023 if one looks a little further out. BioShock-like FPS Atomic Heart is expected to release on February 21, while Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, the latest effort from Team Ninja currently has a March 3 release date. Survival-horror game Amnesia: The Bunker has a vague March 2023 release window, but that's where things get less clear.
Most of the other new Xbox Game Pass games coming in 2023 don't have concrete release dates or even release windows, though many are expected to drop at some point in the first half of 2023, including some of the absolute biggest Game Pass games all year. Barring any delays, the first half of 2023 should see the addition of Bethesda's open world sci-fi RPG Starfield, as well as the co-op vampire shooter Redfall from Arkane Studios. The latest entry in the long-running Forza Motorsport racing game franchise is also supposed to release in the first half of 2023, with these games joined by a number of other big name titles.
The official announcement has yet to come, but it's also a virtual guarantee that Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire: Tokyo will join Game Pass in March or April. Ghostwire: Tokyo's timed-PS5 exclusivity is nearly out, and since Microsoft now owns Tango Gameworks, it's highly likely that it will waste little time in bringing the game to its subscription service. There are rumors that the new Xbox Game Pass version of Ghostwire: Tokyo will even have some fresh features to check out, but nothing has been announced in an official capacity at the time of this writing.
Microsoft likes to announce Xbox Game Pass games on a month-to-month basis, so subscribers will never have an entirely clear picture of what to expect from the service in terms of new games in 2023. However, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can rest assured that well over 100 new games will be added to Xbox Game Pass by the time 2023 is over.
Xbox Game Pass Will Lose Major Games in 2023
While Xbox Game Pass is set to have an absolutely massive year in terms of new games, it's also worth pointing out that many games will be leaving the service this year as well. While there are exceptions to the rule, third-party Xbox Game Pass games generally stay on the service for one year at a time, meaning subscribers can take a look at what was added this time last year to get a decent idea of what will be removed.
The good news is Microsoft tends to give Xbox Game Pass subscribers two weeks notice before it removes any games, and beyond that, the games are typically available at 20% discounts. Assuming this stays true for 2023, Xbox Game Pass subscribers should have plenty of time to play through Game Pass games before they're removed, and if a game they really like is about to get the boot, they will be able to buy it for keeps without paying full asking price.
More Xbox Game Pass Games Will Be PC and Series X/S Only
A trend that Xbox Game Pass subscribers are going to see in 2023 is Microsoft increasingly leaving the Xbox One behind. While there have already been some games that released exclusively on next-generation console hardware, many more have been cross-gen releases, including high profile releases like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. In 2023, the first-party Xbox games are going to mostly be releasing only for Series X/S on console.
This will include aforementioned games like Redfall and Starfield, plus other titles that likely haven't been announced yet or are without release dates. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have to wait for some official announcements before they can be sure, but if rumors about an Xbox Games Showcase in early 2023 are true, more information should come to light sooner rather than later.