It's the start of a new year, as well as the beginning of a new console generation. The Xbox Series X is a great machine, but while fans are still waiting for major exclusives, Game Pass remains the best deal in video games, allowing subscribers to access a huge library that ranges from triple-A hits to must-try indies. This deal is getting even better in 2021, with EA Play coming to Game Pass for PC and iOS support in the works.
While we don't have specific dates for those yet, this month is already adding new games for players to enjoy on console, PC and Android.
eFootball PES 2021 Season Update
Coming to Console and Android on January 7
Due to COVID-19 and a desire to focus on experiences for next-gen consoles, Konami opted to release a "Season Update" in September rather than a new entry in its soccer simulation series. While it seems this will be a one-time thing, this probably a better approach for sports games in general. eFootball PES 2021 is essentially eFootball PES 2020 with updates to the roster, but the game offers fluid gameplay, online co-op and real-life events that make it one of the best soccer games available.
Injustice 2
Coming to Console, PC and Android on January 7
Netherrealm's DC Universe fighting game lets players fight as heroes and villains like Batman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and the Joker in one-on-one battles. Injustice 2 also continues the plot of the first game, in which Batman took down Superman, who had become a ruthless dictator. Superman's Regime may have fallen, but there are still threats to society that must be dealt with as players build up their versions of their favorite characters.
The Little Acre
Coming to Console and Android on January 7
This indie adventure game tells the story of a father and daughter set in 1950s Ireland. When Aidan disappears while searching for his own missing father, Lily decides to try and find him. Along the way, both are transported to a mysterious world. The Little Acre features gorgeous hand-drawn animation, a beautiful score and full voice acting, and it's heartwarming (but short) games fans of point-and-click adventures should try.
Neoverse
Coming to PC on January 14
After coming to Game Pass for Console and Android last month, the deck-building rogue-lite Neoverse will also be available for subscribers on PC. The game requires strategy and skill to master, and features three unique characters with different playstyles, plus enough cards and monsters to keep the game fresh.
Torchlight III
Coming to Android and Console on January 14
After launching in October, this dungeon crawling action-RPG is coming to Game Pass. Set in a high fantasy world about a century after the previous game, Torchlight III sees Novastraia once again threatened. Players will have to defend it, finding adventure and glory along the way.
What Remains of Edith Finch
Coming to PC on January 14
This BAFTA-winning game is already an indie classic. What Remains of Edith Finch tells a variety of stories about family members who died under unusual circumstances. As players explores the Finch family home and its history, they'll experience the last day of each family member's life as Edith narrates. These mini gameplay experiences are wrapped in a mystery that's emotionally complex and thought provoking in its approach to death.
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
Coming to PC on January 14
An indie game that takes inspiration from 3D JRPGs, YIIK: A Postmodern RPG features dungeons to explore, puzzles to solve and turn-based battles where ordinary objects are used as weapons. It's set in a small town in the '90s, where protagonist Alex and his friends investigate a woman's supernatural disappearance. While the game has proven divisive, earning mixed to negative reviews on Metacritic, Game Pass is a great opportunity for RPG lovers to try it out for themselves.
Control
Coming to PC on January 21
After coming to Game Pass for Console and Android last month, 2019's critically-acclaimed action-adventure game is also joining the service for PC subscribers. The game follows Jesse Faden, director of the Federal Bureau of Control, which studies and contains mysterious forces that threaten reality. Control is an impressive game from a technical standpoint that combines physics, environmental effects and supernatural abilities.
Desperados III
Coming to Console, PC and Android on January 21
A prequel to Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive, this is a hardcore tactical stealth game set in the Wild West. Desperados III's story follows the origins of series protagonist John Cooper, who is hunting down the bandit leader who murdered his father. On this journey, he meets four other playable characters with their own weapons and abilities. Players will need to think smart and use their skills to overcome challenges in whatever way they choose.
Donut County
Coming to Console, PC and Android on January 21
This simple but clever puzzle game lets players control a hole in the ground, which grows larger as it swallows up more stuff. Donut County features plenty of puzzles to solve by combining objects and catapulting them back out of the hole, as well as the option to simple wreck havoc on a colorful world full of cute characters.
Outer Wilds
Coming to Android on January 21
Another one of the top-rated games of 2019 is coming to Game Pass this month. Outer Wilds follows an astronaut exploring a solar system stuck in a time loop. Using a variety of tools, from a spaceship and jetpack to a surveyor probe, players must uncover this world's secrets while keeping an eye on their health and oxygen meters.
Cyber Shadow
Coming to Console, PC and Android on January 26
Yacht Club's Ninja Gaiden-inspired action-platformer, Cyber Shadow, will be available on Game Pass at launch. This retro-style side-scroller follows Shadow, a cyborg ninja who fights with a sword and other special abilities. Shadow must save his clan in a world overtaken by synthetic lifeforms, fighting through enemies, avoiding traps and making his way through the ruins of Mekacity to get to them.
The Medium
Coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC on January 28
One of Xbox's first next-gen exclusives will come to Game Pass when it releases. The Medium is one of the first games that won't also be coming to Xbox One, and for good reason. It follows Marianne, a woman with strange psychic abilities that allow her to travel between the real and spirit worlds -- or traverse both at the same time. The Medium takes advantage of the Series X|S' technical capabilities, using them to render two worlds at once as Marianne explores an abandoned hotel, uncovering secrets, solving puzzles and surviving in both realities.
Yakuza Remastered Collection
Coming to Console, PC and Android on January 28
Whether you're a longtime Yakuza fan, you got into the series with Like a Dragon or you just want to see what all the hype is about, this collection's addition to Game Pass is great news. It features the remastered editions of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5, all of which are action-beat 'em ups that follow protagonist Kazuma Kiryu.
The Remastered Collection features a re-translation of the original script and restores content that was initially removed from the English localization. This release also marks the first time these games will be playable on an Xbox console, as Yakuza games up to Like a Dragon were primarily associated with PlayStation.
Leaving Soon
Like every month, there are also games leaving Game Pass. On January 15, FTL: Faster Than Light (PC), My Friend Pedro (Console and PC), Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (Console) and Tekken 7 (Console) will be removed.
January 29 will see eight more games leave: Death Squared (Console), Death's Gambit (PC), Final Fantasy XV (Console and PC), Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour (Console and PC), Gris (PC), Indivisible (Console and PC), Reigns: Game of Thrones (PC) and Sea Salt (Console and PC). You still have some time to try these games out before they go. And, as always, you'll get a 20 percent membership discount if you decide to purchase any of them while they're still part of Game Pass.