In this week’s recommendations, we want to highlight a few games that seem suited to Game Pass in various ways. These include an indie game, the latest in a long-running FPS series, and an overlooked gem from earlier in the year.
Guardian
The latest Double Fine game, Guardianis a type of custom design for a subscription service. This is a bit of a demanding sell to mainstream audiences who buy games a la carte. The meditative adventure follows a walking lighthouse and its bird as they wordlessly wander through stunning landscapes inspired by surrealist painters. It’s an amazing artistic experience, but it’s also a slow-burn, five-hour walking simulator, peppered with lithe puzzles. You might not be willing to spend $30 on a tidbit if you’re not very aware of Double Fine’s reputation, but it’s the kind of thing you’re probably more likely to check out if you have immediate access to it. And when you do find a thoughtful piece of craftsmanship that will give you plenty of time to think about what a post-human world might one day look like. —Giovanni Colantonio
Doom: The Dark Ages
Part of the appeal of Game Pass is that subscribers can experience the latest AAA hit for $70 without having to shell out $70 for it, and Doom: The Dark Ages is exactly the game that embodies this charm. You might be reluctant to pay full price for an FPS without multiplayer, which doesn’t evolve much over the course of the 15-20 hour campaign. But if you already subscribe to Game Pass? Why not dive in for a few hours and crack some demon skulls? Doom: The Dark Ages it has great action that will easily assist you kill a few hours on a idle Sunday afternoon. The Assassin’s Shield is a welcome addition to parry-focused combat, and shooting guys with a shotgun never gets ancient. —Austin Manchester
Eternal threads
Did you know that one of the best games of 2025, Strand, is available on Game Pass? No, no Death Stranding 2: On the BeachHurry up. His Eternal threads! The debut game from Yellow Brick Games does the impossible: it allows you to download tasks game. The basic loop is to set out from your base, choose an environment to explore, fight a group of enemies in that environment, pick up some crafting materials along the way, and operate those materials to upgrade your weapons. That’s when the real thrill begins and you encounter boss fights against skyscraper-sized creatures that require you to be your best Alex Honnold (you have to climb them) to win. Yes, Eternal threads it’s a messy, uneven jumble of ideas, all of which have been better executed in better games, but that’s what makes it engaging – and worth checking out. —Ari Notis
