Although Microsoft has yet to officially announce the first wave of Xbox Game Pass games for January 2023 (as of this writing), Stranded Deep is now available to claim and two more games have been teased as additions. These two games, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and The DioField Chronicle, aren't as certain but are possible additions for later today, January 3.
As anyone who keeps up with the service should know, Microsoft is sometimes "late" with these announcements. This may be due to the number of shifting gears involved in keeping something like Xbox Game Pass running, as while these games have appeared early, they aren't the only ones. According to the Xbox app, five games are leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 15 despite there being no official announcement yet. These games are Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition, Nobody Saves the World, Pupperazi, The Anacrusis, and Windjammers 2. Because things can change last minute, fans should take these games' departures with a grain of salt for now.
Meanwhile, there's nothing confusing about Stranded Deep. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can claim this survival game that takes place in the Pacific Ocean now, on PC, Cloud, and Console. The other two do find themselves in murky water, though. As noted by Twitter user MaurinoNL and first reported by True Achievements, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection currently has a "Get Game Pass" button when looking at it in the store, as well as an unusual Xbox Game Pass discount. Meanwhile, the store page for tactical RPG The DioField Chronicle is counting down to the Game Pass post-drop time, which according to MaurinoNL, is usually indicative of its addition.
Xbox Game Pass List - January 3
- Stranded Deep (PC, Cloud, and Console)
- Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (Possible)
- The DioField Chronicle (Possible)
Of course, fans should wait and see what the official announcement says whenever it comes. Stranded Deep is locked in obviously, but the other two games still have a lot of ambiguity around them. If they all make it though, it seems that Xbox Game Pass' new games for January 2023 are going to have a field day.
These are three major titles coming to the service, but far from the only confirmed for this month. In the second half of January 2023, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to claim and play Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, Monster Hunter Rise, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, and Inkulinati. That's not counting whatever is announced later this month.
Xbox Game Pass users get a handful of games every month.
Source: True Achievements