Microsoft has the most experience with high-quality gaming subscriptions or all major console manufacturers. Xbox Live and Game Pass are two of the most popular gaming subscription services out there. The latter is one of the few bright spots from Microsoft this generation.
The current game selection on Game Pass is impressive, but it’s still missing a handful of big games. All you can do is wonder why these games haven’t made it to the service yet. Here are the 10 most dumbfounding omissions from Game Pass.
Dead Rising 4
Dead Rising 4 made its way to Xbox One as a timed exclusive back in 2016. The unmistakably creative zombie series lets players slash through hordes of zombies with just about anything you can find. Golf clubs, lawn mowers, and stacks of CDs barely scratch the surface of Frank West’s arsenal. That’s great and all, but for some reason it’s not on Game Pass.
It would be understandable if this was a more recent release because they wouldn’t want to give it away for “free.” But that’s not even remotely close to being the case here. It’s been two years and a handful of months since the world got their hands on Dead Rising 4.
Also, things don’t look great for this franchise when you consider the fact that the studio behind the series, Capcom Vancouver, was shut down last September. That means Dead Rising is in a state of limbo until further notice from Capcom.
We’re not likely to get anything new from this series any time soon. So, putting this up on Game Pass could help to tide people over until Dead Rising 5 — if that ever happens.
Forza Motorsport 7
The Forza franchise sets the bar for greatness in simulation racing games. Right now, Forza Horizon 4 is the only game in the series available on Game Pass. Excluding Horizon 3 makes sense in this case since the newer title is already on the service.
Forza Motorsport, on the other hand, is completely absent.
There isn’t a legitimate reason to exclude Motorsport 7 from Game Pass. The Horizon games are far and away different racing games. You’ll be hard pressed to ever find a hovercraft in the Motorsport games.
It’s also just a bizarre choice that Microsoft has made to include all Xbox-exclusive games released after the launch of Game Pass, but not everything before that point. There may be some rights issues with third-party developers somewhere along the way, but this is Microsoft dealing with themselves here.
In the end, we’ll probably just have to wait for the release of Forza Motorsport 8 to get the best racing sim on Game Pass.
Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey is a bit of a deep cut from an era when Microsoft was still trying to win over Japan. They even got the creator of Final Fantasy — Hironobu Sakaguchi — to lead the development of this game. Microsoft’s plans didn’t quite pan out, but they still got some excellent Xbox 360 exclusive JRPGs thanks to their efforts.
When you look at Game Pass and see what’s missing, there’s an odd absence of JRPGs. Lost Odyssey is a good start too since it was one of the best critical and retail successes when it comes to JPRGs on the Xbox 360. It’s certainly done well enough to earn a spot on Game Pass.
Also, the trademark for the franchise was renewed last December. It could just be that Microsoft is doing this to hold on to their IPs. But if Lost Odyssey matters so much to them, then they should just put it on Game Pass already.
Infinite Undiscovery
This Japanese action RPG on the Xbox 360 was not received well by critics, but sold decently well around the world. It’s another classic of the Xbox 360 era that’s sadly missing from Game Pass.
There’s nothing quite like this game available on Microsoft’s service right now and it’s something they sorely need. Much like Lost Odyssey, the trademark for Infinite Undiscovery was recently renewed by Microsoft. Of course this doesn’t always mean there’s something going on in the background, but it’s always better than completely abandoning the IP.
The need for Infinite Undiscovery is massive with the lack of JRPGs on the service. Also, it would simultaneously fill a need for more action RPGs on Game Pass.
Cuphead
This is the worst offender by far. The fact that Cuphead is coming to the Switch before Game Pass is inexcusable.
This run and gun game is just as fun as it is difficult. Cuphead’s unique style is perfect for the lineup of titles on Game Pass. It stands out in a crowd with its eye-catching visuals, but also gives core gamers the intense action they’re looking for.
It would be shocking to never see Cuphead come to Game Pass, especially when you consider the roaring retail success the game has seen. It’s been well over a year since this indie hit came to Xbox One with no hints that it’ll be added.
Cuphead deserves better than this and it’s about time we see it on Game Pass.
Rare Replay
Microsoft acquired Rare in the early 2000s and so far there haven’t been many massive releases from the British developers. Their biggest game ever — Sea of Thieves — is already on Game Pass, but the absence of Rare Replay is downright confusing.
To be fair, there are a few titles from this game already on Game Pass (Banjo, Jetpac, Perfect Dark Zero). However, that doesn’t even cover one third of what’s included in Rare Replay. There’s the original (and better) Perfect Dark game, Battletoads, Viva Pinata, Conker’s Bad Fur Day. The list goes on, but the point is that these quality classic games are just sitting there collecting digital dust.
It’s about time you bring Rare Replay to Game Pass, Microsoft. Flaunt those great games that you have at your disposal.
Skyrim
Interesting strategy getting Oblivion on Game Pass but not Skyrim. It’s only the most popular Elder Scrolls game of all time. In this absurd reality we live in, Amazon Echo owners can play more Skyrim than Game Pass subscribers.
This is the most bizarre Bethesda game omission when it comes to Game Pass. It’s their best-selling and highest-rated game ever released.
It makes sense to put Skyrim out on Game Pass because so many people have already bought the game multiple times. Not needing to drop another $25 on this ridiculously long RPG adventure would be a great excuse to get back into the game. Skyrim is already everywhere, but people would throw down the couple bucks a month it costs to start a Game Pass subscription just for Skyrim.
It’s also important to point out that the Xbox One X runs Skyrim better than any console out there. You’re not going to get much better than full 4K with a steady 30FPS on any other console. It just doesn’t make sense to omit from Game Pass the definitive console version of one of the most popular games of all time.
Destiny 1 (Complete)
The Halo series is already set on Game Pass, but Bungie’s other major IP is nowhere to be seen on the service. Destiny didn’t create the looter shooter genre, but it brought it to the mainstream and was wildly successful with continued support over the years.
While many guardians have moved on to Destiny 2, the original is still has its dedicated players. Adding this title to Game Pass along with all the expansions would certainly help bump up the player count. It’s a fantastic game and having all the content wrapped up in one neat package on Game Pass is an absolute must.
Bungie’s close ties with Microsoft would conceivably make this title a shoe-in for the games service. Alas, Game Pass is bare of looter shooters.
Destiny 2 (Base Game)
Destiny 2 is still in the process of receiving frequent expansions and updates, with the last major one having been released (Forsaken) in Sept. 2018. The game is incredibly active and could get a huge boost from being added to Game Pass.
Adding a bundle with the expansions might be a bit much to ask, but vanilla Destiny 2 should come to Game Pass. Now that Bungie exclusively owns the rights to Destiny it may make figuring out the money details little bit easier.
Most importantly, Microsoft needs to get this game on there before it gets too old. They should strike while the Destiny 2 iron is still hot. Very few people will want jump into the game years past its prime. We’re still early enough into the life cycle of Destiny 2 where the game has room to grow.
Adding this title would drum up a massive amount of excitement around both Destiny 2 and Game Pass.
Black Desert Online
Black Desert Online brings another genre that Game Pass is severely lacking. It’s one of the most popular MMOs in the world today as it just recently passed the $1 billion milestone in sales.
At this point ESO is the only game of the genre available on Game Pass. The years have shown that there’s plenty of market space for multiple successful MMOs to be running simultaneously on a single console.
Black Desert Online could follow the same model as ESO on Game Pass and offer discounts on in-game currency. If they didn’t want to do that they would still need something to incentivize players to get Black Desert Online through Game Pass.
Any discounts would be a massive draw for players who consistently put hundreds of hours and dollars into the game.
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