Update: We've now got a few more Xbox Game Pass titles to add to the list for February 2023!
Original story: It's definitely been a strange start to Xbox Game Pass in 2023. This month has already seen the likes of Monster Hunter Rise, Persona 3 & 4 and Stranded Deep hit the service (with more to come), but otherwise it's been quieter than we originally expected it would be.
Normally around this time we look at what's scheduled for Game Pass in the month ahead, but at the moment, February 2023 only has one game confirmed for Xbox Game Pass, and that's the day one release of Atomic Heart.
We're obviously anticipating more Xbox Game Pass games in February 2023, and hopefully a few of them might be announced at the Xbox Developer_Direct next Wednesday, although we might still have to wait a little bit longer yet.
In the meantime, don't forget that we've got the likes of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition still scheduled for Xbox Game Pass in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully the 2023 Xbox Game Pass list will grow significantly very soon.
What Xbox Game Pass games do you want to see in February 2023? Tell us down below.
Comments 31
well they would not want to ruin the suprise of shadow dropping starfield by revealing the date too soon
jk folks.
If I was on game pass I wouldn't be too bothered by just having Atomic Hearts in February with Persona 3/4 and Monster Hunter in January there'd be no way I would have finished them all by now. Anything extra would be added to the 'i'll get to them one day' list.
However I wouldn't say no too a Silksong shadow drop! Would drop practically everything for that.
Maybe the person doing GP community marketing was let go?
Joking aside, they have been communicating GP plans poorly for a couple of months now.
February’s more exciting to me than January was for Gamepass. What can I say? I prefer new games being added to the service?
@grumpypotato If Gamepass increases in price, I’ll probably cancel my sub and buy Starfield instead at this point, just so that I know I’m directly telling Xbox, “Hey, I’m supporting THIS title SPECIFICALLY” with the purchase. But that’s a great tip though.
the games added are good so no complaints.
but it feels light because everyone keeps lauding GP for smaller titles, and currently none are about. yet a decent chunk has left (questions on their quality)
@Kaloudz I agree with MHR being a great game, but I've played it on Switch and it was a 20 USD game (recurring sale). So value is a bit doubious there.
@Cikajovazmaj Well, it’s a $40 game on Xbox and PlayStation. It’s a brand new game for us. And then you’ve got Persona 3 and 4, which are $20 games. So that’s $80 value just in those three games this month with Age of Empires 2 still coming on 1/31 and are random others.
Lots of people on Push Square opting to save $40 and use GamePass for MH instead of buying for PS5.
I imagine whatever they have for Feb will be announced in the show next week or just before or after it
Still time to announce what's coming in February. They could even announce things just a week before they happen - even if they are 'not' brand new releases, they can still have 'big' games on Game Pass - imagine Goldeneye or even Elden Ring for example being announced a 'week' before they drop on GP, that would be massive and it's not as if they 'need' to announce months ahead to build up hype, marketing/promotion, etc to get as many people to 'pre-order' before launch day to maximise sales...
With Digital games, you can literally sell them the day they go 'Gold' for example because you just upload the Gold code for people to buy - no need to send it to someone to 'print' to discs, to put in plastic cases, to print artwork etc and distribute them around the world so they have stock the day it launches, if not 'before' to fulfil pre-orders to ensure they get posted in time to arrive on the day of launch...
Once Gold, it can literally be 'for sale' with digital so you could even see a 'trend' where Digital games come 'first' with a Physical release coming 'later' too - which may well be a 'better' way to buy 'Physical' in the future anyway as the 'Gold' version on disc is very often an 'unpatched' and old version of the Day 1 Digital version you can buy - it often requires Patching before you can play after/during installation. Maybe its 'better' to sell a Physical version once they have a 'perfect' code and any/all DLC to preserve it in all it's glory....
Can you imagine trying to play AC: Unity or Cyberpunk from their Disc on OG hardware not connected to the internet? The 'disc' version is absolutely awful, unplayable but if you bought 'digitally', even if you deleted, you'd still get the 'latest/best' code version.
With Digital sales 'dominating' how people are purchasing games, and the fact that Game Pass itself isn't about 'game sales' and would affect pre-orders because people would still wait for GP, They also don't 'need' long marketing cycles for their games. They can say 'coming next month to GP/XB/PC with a Physical release coming later. Its 'only' Series X gamers that 'may' choose to buy it Physically anyway because PC and Series S owners will buy it Digitally anyway and ALL GP subscribers will access it Digitally too. So a 'Physical' release is catering to a 'decreasing' user base as more and more access digitally...
Communication has been pretty poor since early December - I'm currently not subscribed as playing my backlog and not interested in this month's games.
Will sub again if some decent games drop during the showcase or they go back to the twice monthly drop with some indies - otherwise will see what Atomic Heart reviews are like or wait till clear backlog a bit...
Makes me laugh people get so defensive of the service like they own shares in it or work for Xbox.
People are allowed to question value. Different people paid for GPU for different reasons and depending on your reasons the value has dipped massively.
People heavily invested in the brand will always find value. To justify the spend…
We all game in different ways. We all pay a different amount for GPU. We will all value it differently.
I love my Xbox SX. I’m a fan of Xbox. I don’t particularly love GPU.
What I mean by that is that 'Starfield' could launch the day of the show. The 'big' closing announcement from Todd Howard could be that they went 'Gold' and now the Game is available on Game Pass or in Digital stores to buy NOW - the game starts NOW, enjoy your journey....
And then tweet that a Physical Release date is 'coming soon', Only a 'few' people realistically would be impacted because Series S owners only have Digital purchase options and PC owners buy Digitally too, so its 'only' those Series X owners who ONLY buy physical and are NOT subscribed to Game Pass that would be impacted. Even if you wanted to buy Physical to support them and have your 'own' copy, you can still 'play' day 1 via your GP subscription and 'buy' it later...
It's not about 'Pre-orders' or 'Sales' when your game is launching day 1 into GP so doesn't necessarily need long 'marketing' windows and the 'excitement' of playing a massive game like Starfield for example 'straight after' their 'in-depth showcase would be 'huge' and outweigh any annoyance it may cause to those 'few' Series X, Physical ONLY, Non-GP subbing users who would have to wait a bit longer....
It may also see a 'sudden' surge in Game Pass Subscriptions too so a 'win-win' for all. The audience get to play much sooner than expected, no waiting and over hyping themselves, MS gets a 'boost' in GP numbers and sales too because they are the 'only' ones selling and the majority are very happy...
Holding out for Wo Long. Looks amazing.
@Stocksy I mean, maybe we are actually saying that we think there’s great value just like you don’t think there’s enough value?
Hasn’t been a single month yet that I personally haven’t felt good about the value of GamePass. And you’re entitled to think the opposite. Doesn’t mean my opinion isn’t valid.
@awp69 can you read? I said we all value it differently. I didn’t attack anyone for finding value in it. My post was quite clear but as usual people like you take offence and offer a defence as to why it’s amazing.
I’m glad you love it. You loving it will keep Xbox strong. If everyone felt like me Xbox would be in trouble. They don’t. That’s good.
I’d prefer to pay for exclusives and get more of them… and longer solo campaigns and focus when they drop.
The other games…. I like niche games and have a back log that’s ridiculous between steam deck, xbsx, ps5 and switch plus older gens and evercade…. So I’m less fussed about random titles. That’s just me.
Hopefully this year will be a turning point for exclusives and content from xbox studios. Xbox OG first gen was mind blowing for “only on xbox”
@Stocksy "dipped massively". That sounded pretty dramatic, but sure, you got a point, it's how market works.
@fbnaulin what are you talking about? Market?!?
I said “Different people paid for GPU for different reasons and depending on your reasons the value has dipped massively.”
Lots of people sub to GPU for the USP of all the Xbox exclusives day one. We just had a plus with no first party AAA exclusives….. that would indicate that, If you were primarily signed up to enjoy Xbox studios day one exclusives I’d say over 12 months without one is a pretty large dip no?
Why do some of you find it difficult to read and believe that not everyone blindly hands over money for the same reasons as you.
Nothing I’ve said is over blown or unreasonable.
@grumpypotato That's just pure speculation on your part, there's zero evidence of an impending price increase. Xbox didn't increase the price of Game Pass when Forza Horizon 5 dropped and that's arguably been the biggest addition to the service so far in terms of 1st party titles.
If there was going to be a price increase it will be announced well in advance by Xbox themselves.
@Stocksy A bit overdramatic there aren't you?
As for me, the value of Gamepass is irrelevant because I got 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate included with my Series X when I bought it. When that runs out in January 2024 I might have an opinion on it.
@Acurisur again, not at all. Did you actually read the comments. You got it “free” so obviously you think it’s amazing value. Rightly so.
I’d rather pay for exclusives and get more of them.
Nothing in any of my comments has been dramatic.
It’s been balanced and well reasoned.
The Xbox defence league doesn’t care to read though does it. We must at all times praise everything Xbox does.
I love Xbox. I want more exclusives with longer single player campaigns and more single player focus.
If you don’t that’s cool. I’m not mad at you.
Or any of the other people that can’t read.
@Stocksy No point defending mate, your posts were reasonable and your intent difficult to misinterpret.
But there will always be some who seem to take personel offence that your not quite as enamoured with the service thay love as they are. Like not agreeing with your mate that his new GF is not the most beautiful person on the planet - you cant win that discussion.
Im in a similar position to you in that this service has not delivered what I like for a while, and seems to be dipping in what its offering.
Only one batch in december, and I already owned the excellent lego game, so no value for my tastes. This month the excellent persona games are titles I played years ago, and Im not a huge MH fan, so Rise doesn't excite me. Ill have a go anyway as theres nothing else to try for me so far.
The value of GP, for me, is the constant variety of drops which used to mean there was usually something I wanted and something I hadnt tried. Having fewer releases has meant no new titles played on GP this last couple of months for me.
I don't think its unreasonable to note that fewer releases mean the service doesnt maintain the same broad appeal I love it for.
Im hopeful there will be several releases announced at the show for instant GP releases that will turn it around for me this month.
Im also hopeful I dont upset anyone who loves this service with a passion. I have no desire to disparage it, im just a little concerned theres less added than we have been used to, but im sure it will be back to its usual diverse offerings soon, and that will suit some of us better.
@awp69 I said “we all value it differently and that’s cool” so whats your point? My point is allow others to have an opinion and not shoot them down. I didn’t shoot down anyone that finds value in it. That’s awesome. My comment was balanced. You need to reread it and not stop as soon as you perceive something was negative. Don’t worry you weren’t the only Xbox defence league member to jump on it and you won’t be the last
@Titntin Aye, all fair points mate. Forza coming is a big one for me, I stacked cheaply so I can’t grumble too much.
It’s obviously a good service. No doubt. Just different folk will find different value.
I miss a flow of exclusives. Last year was a blip but it’s a big blip. Halo disappointing didn’t help either.
I don’t think this year is particularly chocker either.
Day one exclusives is definitely the USP and it’s not really been a factor for a while. I also worry both Activision and Bethesda will release less games than they would have done to fit in with a GPU calendar. They won’t spoil us with exclusives they will release in a planned way. Previous we could have got a acti, Beth and Xbox studios game all in the same month. Now we will get one a quarter maybe two max.
I’d rather pay money and have more games. Especially like I’ve said with solo player campaigns. Halo 8 hours was on the short side when you consider all things.
@Acurisur I'm in a similar situation, with year in the future making me start to evaluate things already. I got GPU for a fraction of a price and it was a no-brainer. However, if the current pattern continues, or actually lasts for majority of year, I won't extend my subscription full price. I feel that to be reasonable.
There is literally a year for MS to change my mind.
@Stocksy sorry , I wasn't clear. By market I mean people with different needs, interests, and perception of value. I was giving you the reason. Have a nice day!
@Stocksy Subbing to 'Game Pass' just for MS's own 1st Party 'exclusives' does seem somewhat a self imposed 'limitation' on the 'value' of the service.
What about 3rd Party exclusives, timed or otherwise, games like High on Life, Contraband, Scorn, Tunic, Medium etc. What about MS's non-exclusive games like Minecraft, Deathloop, Ghostwire etc, What about 3rd Party day 1 releases like Plague Tale, Back4Blood, Atomic Heart etc. That's not even counting all the 'older' games like Guardians of the Galaxy for example or all the 'indie' games...
They all add 'value' to the service and just because you only want 1st Party Exclusives from the service is more your own self imposed limitations. Just because you don't want to play ALL the 'new' games, let alone access to any of the games on the service 'anywhere' with GPU. If you aren't 'using' it to even 'break even' over the course of the year to have any 'value' to you, that say's more about YOU than the Service itself.
In 2022, whilst MS may not have had a big AAA console Exclusive to release, they still managed to release Ghostwire, Deathloop (Xbox release), AoE4, Pentiment and Grounded. On top of that, you could play games like Scorn, High on Life etc as 'console' exclusives and got access to some 'big' games day 1 too.
It's still great value regardless. Its not defending MS or being 'Fanboy' about it. The fact is that YOU are 'only' interested in a very limited range of what the service offers. Games are games, whether they are made by a Microsoft owned Studio or not, whether they are big budget or not and MS offers a LOT of NEW games every month. If you don't take advantage of that, opting to 'buy' (or ignore) games like Plague Tale instead of playing via Game Pass, that's on you, not Game Pass as a service.
Anyone who can't see the Value in Game Pass is applying their own blinkered and very limited view of Game Pass. Game Pass is about bringing Games to their Subscribers - not just 1st Party which will all launch into Game Pass day 1, but also games from their 'partners'. That's not including access to hundreds of great games from the History of Xbox - most of which would still cost as much, if not more than 1 month of Game Pass to play. If you only want 1st Party AAA exclusives games, that's you 'limiting' the value of the service in your own head and ignoring all the other 'benefits' it offers.
There is also nothing stopping you 'unsubbing' until the 'game' you want to play is released and then 'decide' if its worth subbing or maybe you'd be better off just buying it. With GPU, you can play 'anywhere' and get EA Access adding even more 'value' to the service - whether you 'choose' to use that or not.
Point is, if you are not getting value from Game Pass, that is more about you than the service. The service is offering a LOT more than 'just' Xbox 1st Party games day and date. If that's ALL you subscribe for, that's on you, not the service!!!
@Skedaddle Yeah, I’m not an “Xbox Defense League”. I have a PS5 and Switch. Like them all for different reasons. But that I just have had a great experience with GamePass. Playing lots of new games, some I never would have tried and some bigger games I love. Nothing wrong with being happy with the service.
@awp69 see nothing of it , is in a clan with more than 70 members , of which no one does game pass instead of ps5 console, little to no one is actually interested in the game pass I did manage to persuade someone
Yakuza Ishin Game Pass and Dead Space Remake for EA Play on GP Ultimate
They just added a couple Persona games so that should keep you busy for a few months anyway
On the one have i've been trying to keep expectations in check for their showcase. But at the same time their relative silence this month, smaller than usual Game Pass selection for Jan AND little announced for Game Pass in Feb is leading many to to hype this event up.
Hopefully they aren't shooting themselves in the foot.
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