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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. While it may not be considered the top deal in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed several big-name day-one releases lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current recommendations include a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players intensely graphic mayhem against enemy targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II open environments filled with Nazi targets. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the game's signature killcam showing every bullet's effect in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover looking to unwind in the security of a virtual space.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story exploring post-pandemic life, family trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the only person left of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with memories of her education and home life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story develops from that point. Should all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if any game worth attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, which is also included). But, due to a break in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, each representing a different genre. There's a procedural story about a cleric investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the force of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired adventure. Additionally, there's a enigma about an herbalist with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a hero with an mysterious background, naturally). Some of these plots intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed world. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.