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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. While it might not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the service has introduced several big-name day-one releases lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles further enrich a massive library of numerous games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks include a therapeutic shooter, an prize-winning indie gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic carnage targeting Nazi targets. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to unwind in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic existence, generational pain, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, along with experiences of her school and home life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris is not all that she seems, and the story develops from that point. If all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game indeed begin with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, which is also included). However, with a break in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each embodying a different genre. There's a investigative tale about a cleric investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the force of capitalism headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because every good RPGs require a character with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its essence.