Soapbox: Rainbow Six Extraction Extends A Winning Streak For Co-Op On Xbox Game Pass

Last week, as Xbox announced another huge win with Rainbow Six Extraction coming to Game Pass on day one, it hit me. The service's biggest plus is breaking down barriers for co-op action with friends, and long may that continue.

Over the last few months, we've had some real heavy hitters arrive in the Game Pass library. Yes, those include Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, but of course, first party titles are already a given at this point. And, let's face it, most of us here would probably buy those games anyway.

However, the triple hit of Back 4 Blood in October, the arrival of Aliens: Fireteam Elite in December and now with Extraction being added this month, Game Pass is quickly becoming a fantastic co-op playground. I'm partial to a turn-your-brain-off co-op shooter to be honest, and the fact that I haven't had to fork out for these over the last few months, or convince friends and family to do the same, is brilliant.

I've only just dug into Aliens this past week, after spending much of the festive period blasting through Halo Infinite and clearing the map on Forza Horizon 5. Its bite-sized co-op levels are providing a lovely palette cleanser to the behemoth worlds of Horizon and Halo, and I'm really looking forward to just spraying and praying with that pulse rifle a little more. The fact that I'll be digging further into Fireteam Elite with my partner because we both have Game Pass, is the icing on top of the cake.

That co-op partnership will likely continue with Rainbow Six Extraction, but only because it's been announced for Xbox Game Pass. Sure, Ubisoft did its best to bring players in with a free co-op pass and a lower price point, but I just wasn't prepared to pay out, in January no less, for a co-op shooter based heavily off Rainbow Six: Siege. That initial investment is now gone, and I can enjoy Extraction as yet another co-op experience on Game Pass.

The package gets even better for co-op and online players when you factor in EA Play. Adding EA's subscription service to Game Pass Ultimate was something of a master stroke, given I no longer have to pay for anything from EA, with a little patience. Sure, games aren't added to the EA vault right at release, but EA games on Xbox essentially gain a second launch when they're added to Game Pass, which will probably be ideal for the likes of Battlefield 2042, among others. I now just tell myself that EA games launch 6-12 months after they actually do, and it's bliss!

What's next for third party additions to Game Pass is largely a mystery, as Xbox tends to keep things under wraps for as long as possible. All I'd like to say is, long may the co-op releases keep coming, so my friends and I can continue to enjoy them as part of the subscription.

Are you enjoying the slate of co-op releases on Game Pass? Let us know down in the comments below.