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After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it may not be considered the top offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of big-name day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a massive collection of numerous games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks feature a cathartic action game, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam displaying each shot's impact in gory, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for any peace-lover wanting to unwind in the safety of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic life, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). However, with a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, every one representing a different genre. There's a investigative tale about a cleric investigating the death of his church's head priest. A merchant striving to solve poverty through the force of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a hero with an mysterious background, naturally). Some of these plots intertwine in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution themed world. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.