Summary
2024 has been an interesting year forXbox Game Pass. While it’s seen its fair share of hotly anticipated additions, and experienced the start of a new age of Activision day-one launches, Xbox Game Pass' general 2024 output hasn’t quite reached the same heights as last year’s. That being said, 2024 is just halfway done, meaning there’s plenty of time forXbox Game Passto really knock it out of the park in the coming months.
Therecent Xbox Showcasegave fans a pretty good idea of what heavy-hitters they can expect to see join Xbox Game Pass by the end of the year, but aside from those few, Game Pass' 2024 line-up is still a bit of a mystery. At the time of writing, just 14 upcoming Xbox Game Pass titles have concrete 2024 release dates, and an interesting pattern has emerged between three of those entries.
The Rest of Xbox Game Pass' 2024 Line-Up Is Relying Heavily on Strategy Games
Xbox Game Pass Has Always Been Home to Some Great Strategy Games
Since its very debut all the way back in 2017, Xbox Game Pass has been a haven for strategy games. Currently, there are well over 30 strategy games available on Xbox Game Pass. These include AAA first-party releases liketheHalo Warsseries,Gears Tactics, andMinecraft Legends, as well as beloved third-party additions likeStellaris,Crusader Kings 3, andFrostpunk. There are even a handful of Indie strategy titles on Game Pass, such asSlay the SpireandThe Wandering Village.
While Xbox Game Pass has always been a melting pot of different genres, it’s often gone out of its way to secure some of the best strategy titles on the market. TheAge of Empiresfranchiseis a great example of this, with it being used several times as a way to market PC Game Pass, andAge of Empires 4being used as a shadow-drop for Game Pass upon its console launch.
Whenever Xbox Game Pass is having a slower season, it tends to fall back on the strategy genre for support. Last year’sCities: Skylines 2was a great example of that, being a key part of the October 2023 line-up. The same happened earlier this year when the Indie darlingManor Lordsbecame Steam’s most-wishlisted gameand became a key player in its April line-up.
Xbox Game Pass has Three Major Strategy Games Lined Up
As things currently stand, the rest of Xbox Game Pass' confirmed 2024 line-up is relying heavily on the strategy genre, with three major titles slated for release in the coming months, and each one playing a key role in Microsoft’s recent marketing.Frostpunk 2is the first of these strategy games up to bat, releasing on July 25. A highly-anticipated sequel,Frostpunk 2’s early previewshave been pretty glowing, suggesting that the game is taking its predecessor’s strong groundwork and building upon it with some innovative new systems and mechanics.
The 2002 RTS classicAge of Mythologyis being remade this year and is heading to Xbox and PC Game Pass on day one. Officially titledAge of Mythology: Retold, this remake launches on September 4 and not only collects all of the game’s original content and expansions but delivers it all in a neat, modernized package. Finally, there’sAra: History Untold, aCivilization-like 4X strategy gamethat releases on September 24, and offers a unique ‘What if?’ hook, allowing players to explore alternate histories.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
