Xbox Game Pass has never added this many free games at once before
May is turning out to be the best month in the history of Game Pass
by Rik Henderson · T3Quick Summary
Xbox has added more than 50 classic games to Xbox Game Pass through Retro Classics – a collaborative cloud gaming app from Antstream Arcade.
We're also getting the superb JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazia as part of Game Pass later this month.
I recently explained that May could end up being one of the best months in the history of Xbox Game Pass, but even then I couldn't quite have imagined just how right that'd turn out to be.
Not only have we been treated to the day one releases of Doom: The Dark Ages, Revenge of the Savage Planet, and Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, we're getting the superb JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazio before the end of the month – a game I've had on my wishlist since its launch in October last year.
And that's not all.
If you're a retro gaming fan, like myself, you'll be thrilled to learn that a monster game drop has also just happened. More than 50 classic titles are also now available to play on Xbox Series X/S and PC at no extra cost.
That's thanks to a partnership between Xbox and the retro cloud gaming service, Antstream Arcade. All Game Pass members on console and Windows can download a dedicated "Retro Classics" app on the Xbox Game Pass store and it provides access to a wide collection of Activision games from the 80s and 90s.
I've been a big fan of Antstream Arcade since its launch and often blast my way through its catalogue on the dedicated app (also available on Xbox and PC). It provides access to a vast library of classic titles taken from the last 40 or so years of video games and delivers them over the cloud – you only have to install the main app itself.
Retro Classics runs in exactly the same way, but with a tighter lineup of curated games. You get to take on challenges and earn achievements, just on Activision games rather than a wider selection.
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That still includes a big catalogue though, with games originally released for the Atari 2600 (VCS), early PC DOS titles, and even SNES, Amiga and PlayStation. Xbox has also promised to add other games from its studios' back catalogue in the future.
Metaphor: ReFantazio — Announcement Trailer - YouTube
What else is coming to Xbox Game Pass in late May?
Back to Metaphor: Refantazio and it's a critically revered RPG with a stunning sense of style and superb, anime-like graphics. It'll be available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard and PC Game Pass subscribers from 29 May.
As will the day one release, Spray Paint Simulator (although Standard members will miss out this time). To a T is another day one game that's coming on 28 May, while Tom Clancy's The Division 2 will be available from 27 May.
Also recently added are Monster Train 2 and Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Creatures of Ava and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 are now also available to subscribers of the Xbox Game Pass Standard package.
Xbox has announced that Crypt Custodian and Symphonia are coming at the start of June, too. However, it'll have to go some to make next month as good as this one.