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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. Although it might not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of big-name day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a vast library of numerous games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks feature a cathartic action game, an prize-winning indie gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy targets. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi targets. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the game's signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist looking to unwind in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative exploring life after a pandemic life, family trauma, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with experiences of her school and family life, both of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from there. If all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if any game worth trying the effort 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, also available). But, with a break in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, each embodying a different story style. You'll find a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his church's archbishop. A trader aiming to solve destitution through the force of commerce stars in a western-themed adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (because every good RPGs require a character with an unknown background, of course). A few of these stories intertwine in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed world. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.