The best games on Game Pass August 2024

What are the best games on Game Pass right now? Trawling through more than 450 games in your Game Pass subscription can feel overwhelming. Game Pass is a great deal, with hundreds of games at your fingertips for a fairly low monthly cost, but, if you’re anything like us, you might get lost in the choice and wind up not playing anything. Thankfully, we’re here to help you discover some of the shiniest Game Pass gems.

If you’re unsure and want to try something new, we’ve picked some of the best Game Pass games the subscription service has to offer. Whether you’re looking for horror games, farming games, or short, easy-to-complete story games, we’ve got them all here.

The best games on Game Pass in August 2024 are:

A Little to the Left

Genre: Relaxing
Time to complete: 3 – 8 hours

If you like cozy and relaxing games like Unboxing and Assemble With Care, A Little to the Left could be your favorite new game on Game Pass. Like those other games, A Little to the Left tasks you with simple, organizational puzzles as you arrange books, crystals, tools, and other household items into neat and tidy storage options. While away the hours getting everything just perfect, and soothe your mind as you do so.

Amnesia The Bunker

Genre: Horror
Time to complete: 5 – 12 hours

One of the PCGamesN top ten of 2023, Amnesia: The Bunker comes pretty highly recommended by us, so is naturally one of our go-tos on Game Pass. Amnesia: The Bunker is the most recent of Frictional’s Amnesia series, released in June 2023, and is a tense, dark experience set in a WW1 bunker. One of the greatest depictions of the horrors of war in gaming, Amnesia The Bunker pays homage to WW1 poets as part of its stunning storytelling.

This unique game gives you a gun, but you only have one bullet. Use it wisely, and not to save your life, but instead to distract rather than defeat. The ever-present enemy cannot be killed, but reacts dynamically to your actions as you explore the semi-open world and use your findings to aid in your survival. As you work your way through this terrifying horror experience, the choices you make directly impact the outcome of the game, resulting in multiple Amnesia The Bunker endings, and a level of replayability that gives even more value from your Game Pass subscription.

Another Crab’s Treasure

Genre: Soulslike
Time to complete: 13 – 20 hours

This unique soulslike game has taken the world by storm since its release in April 2024 as people can’t get enough of this cute crab hero. Step into the claws of Kril the hermit crab, a young adventurer on a mission to find his stolen shell. Far from the childish adventure promised by the game’s colorful art style and cute characters, Another Crab’s Treasure explores more serious themes like the state of our oceans, but it’s not preachy and it’s heaps of fun.

Botany Manor

Genre: Puzzle
Time to complete: 3 – 4 hours

Botany Manor is a sprawling stately home in England, and is home to a series of botanical-themed puzzles in this cute indie puzzle game. Grow a multitude of plants as you, Arabella Greene, expand your knowledge and your Forgotten Flora research book, gradually unlocking the secrets of each plant and what they can do. You’ll do all of this while exploring the beautiful grounds of the manor, listening to birds sing and water trickle through fountains in truly one of the most relaxing games this year.

Brotato

Genre: Roguelite
Time to complete: 3 – 5 hours

Brotato is an adorable roguelite by Blobfish which surprised everyone when it was released in June 2023 to thousands of positive reviews. If you haven’t had a chance to try Brotato yet, it has recently been added to Game Pass, so there’s no better time than now to choose your potato avatar and your arsenal as you wield up to six weapons at a time against hordes of aliens and monsters.

Chants of Sennaar

Genre: Farming game
Time to complete: 9 hours

French studio Rundisc presents Chants of Sennaar – an enchantingly satisfying puzzle game which centers around languages and how we learn them. You’ll ascend a tower which showcases various cultures, put together clues in your notebook, and use the information you learn along the way to reunite the people of the tower.

The art style is simplistically beautiful, and the puzzle sections shine. There are some hang-ups over the stealth sections which can become frustrating, but they’re minimal compared to the serotonin boost that occurs when you connect some clues and begin to make progress.

Cocoon

Genre: Puzzle game
Time to complete: 6 hours

Imagine the movie Inception, but instead of hopping into dreams, you’re a tiny adorable bug hopping into different worlds. And rather than delving into deeper layers of the unconscious mind to do it, you’re diving into various magical orbs that can be layered inside each other like Russian dolls. Welcome to the mind-bending world of Cocoon – you’re going to love it here.

Cocoon is categorically one of the smartest puzzlers out there due to the way it deftly leads you down the right track without you even realizing. Its intuitiveness – not only in terms of its progression but also in the puzzles themselves – makes it a must-play for anyone with even a fleeting interest in the genre.

You’ll also be treated to the odd boss encounter here and there, though rather than using weapons to gun them down, you will have to make use of specific mechanics. These fights can get a little tricky, but you’ll never feel like you’re being punished for failure. Indeed, Cocoon is as approachable as it is brilliant.

Coral Island

Genre: Farming game
Time to complete: 50+ hours

It truly is the age of the life and farming sim, with games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and My Time at Sandrock taking the world by storm. Another game to take the world by storm is Coral Island, which started life as an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign, funded in less than 36 hours.

Not only should the game’s Kickstarter success be enough to tell you what you’re missing out on, but the incredible funding also led to multiple stretch goals, providing even more content than was originally pitched: an entire story arc featuring merfolk and their underwater village, multiplayer, and official mod support, among them.

As for the gameplay itself, Coral Island is a sweet community sim, in which you can craft, farm, and build; date, marry, and have kids with NPCs; must help clean the ocean; and help improve the entire town itself. Coral Island is as clever as it is cute, too, with easter eggs referring to its inspiration, Stardew Valley, and its Kickstarter origins. Much like Stardew Valley itself, there is also a passionate modding community for Coral Island, and we’ve gone through Coral Island mods to find you the best ones.

Diablo 4

Genre: Action RPG
Time to complete: 20 – 50 hours (campaign)

As you can see from our Diablo 4 review, we’re fans of the most recent Diablo game, and if you were unable to play Diablo 4 when it was originally released, then now’s your chance. There’s even regular seasonal content, too, so once you’re done with the campaign, you can get ready to dive into the latest Diablo 4 season, and destroy the latest threat to Sanctuary.

Fallout: New Vegas

Genre: Open-world apocalyptic RPG
Time to complete: 30+ hours

Fallout: New Vegas is considered the best Fallout game, and fans constantly beg for a remake. Without one, though, the original still holds its own nearly 15 years after its release. Explore the American Southwest as you’ve never seen it before following the usual nuclear fallout that precedes the beloved apocalypse games.

Among the unique and memorable of RPG settings, New Vegas takes place across familiar real-world locations like the Mojave desert and the ‘New’ Vegas strip. The location isn’t the only star of Fallout New Vegas, as colorful NPCs and incredible combat make this perhaps one of the best games of all time, and even if you aren’t sold on the likes of Fallout 3 and 4, you should try New Vegas anyway, as it’s been known to turn many a non-believer over to the franchise. Once you’ve played it once, there are also a massive range of Fallout New Vegas mods to thoroughly change the gameplay and give the apocalypse game a new lease of life.

Forza Horizon 5

Genre: Open-world racing game
Time to complete: 20+ hours

The Forza Motorsport series is known for its realistic gameplay, almost 1:1 representation of the world’s fastest cars, and its incredible physics that simulate real life driving. That might sound fun if you’re a proper racer like James Bond or Mr. Bean, but if you’re a regular person, the Horizon series might appeal more to you. Forza Horizon borrows aspects from Forza Motorsport and blends them with classic arcade racers like Burnout Paradise to create something that is both authentic and extremely fun.

Forza Horizon 5 takes the action to the vibrant and varied Mexican landscape, an excellent location to burn some rubber in.  Whether you’re racing against off-road buggies on the beach, or taking a casual drive across an active volcano, Horizon 5 never forces the player to do anything they would rather not do. Sure, you can tackle all the missions in order, or you could easily spend hours roaming around looking for all the in-game collectibles scattered throughout the map. Don’t miss out on what is one of the best racing games of this generation, and read our Forza Horizon 5 review if you are eager to know more before you jump in the driver’s seat.

Hi-Fi Rush

Genre: Rhythm
Time to complete: 10+ hours

If you’re missing Metal Hellsinger since it left Game Pass, or if the metal rhythm game wasn’t quite for you, Hi-Fi Rush is the latest action-based rhythm game, and is a treat for the ears. Nominated for multiple Game Awards, including for best score and music, Hi-Fi Rush is one of the most purely enjoyable and addictive games to come out of 2023.

As an action hack-and-slash game, Hi-Fi Rush pits you against multiple challenging bosses in the colorful, comic book-style story of Chai, who found himself fitted with a powerful mechanical arm. As a rhythm game, you need to defeat the many threats against Chai while keeping the beat with every Bam!, Whack!, and Ka-Boom! of battle. As for what to expect from the soundtrack, Hi-Fi Rush combines music from the most beloved artists from a range of genres, pleasing any music fan with the likes of Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy, as well as its own original score.

Inside

Genre: 2.5D puzzle platformer
Time to complete: 3 – 5 hours

As the shortest game on the list, there really is no reason not to at least try Inside. We’re sure that if you do, you’ll love it. A cute but dark platform game, Inside puts you in the shoes of a young boy who gets caught up in a mysterious and insidious project. Avoid being caught while you try to blend in with zombified humans being used for a terrifying experiment, and try to make your own way out alive. Considering its lack of dialogue and short playtime, Inside is truly some of the most magnificent storytelling of recent years, and we’re certain you’ll love it. If you do, you can also try out another of the developer Playdead’s short and sweet games, Limbo, on Game Pass too.

Manor Lords

Genre: City-building
Time to complete: 8+ hours

Manor Lords is a beautifulstrategy game with semi-realistic graphics, a third-person walkthrough perspective, multiple modes, and tens of thousands of ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam. If you love strategy city-building games, then there is no doubt you’ll love Manor Lords, as the challenging game has posed to difficulties for new players to the genre, but has stolen the hearts of genre fans. That said, after a while getting used to the UI, Manor Lords is also a great entry point into the genre, thanks to its wide appeal and easier starter modes.

Check out our Manor Lords early access review for more, or consult our extensive guides – including those for Manor Lords population growth, burgage plot upgrades, and our Manor Lords tips guide – if you need a little help.

Minecraft

Genre: Survival sandbox
Time to complete: Ongoing

OK, so this one’s a no-brainer for this list. One of the best PC games of all time, Minecraft remains incredibly popular over a decade since its original release, thanks to regular content updates, game-changing Minecraft mods, visually compelling Minecraft texture packs, and even multiplayer Minecraft servers. You can get in on all of it for free, since Minecraft Java and Bedrock edition is available on Xbox Game Pass, and you can still load into all the best Minecraft seeds. For the base game and select servers, you can play the legendary sandbox game on Xbox or PC, but must play Java edition on PC to enable mods and join most servers.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Genre: Platform
Time to complete: 10 – 13 hours

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of the most beautiful and touching platform games of the last decade, and if you haven’t tried it yet, we recommend at least giving it a try while it’s available on Game Pass. The gameplay of Ori and the Blind Forest is precisely what you would expect from any classic platformer — run through a range of worlds, bounce from platform to platform, use your surroundings to your advantage, and battle bosses at the end of each level.

What really sets Ori and The Blind Forest apart are its stunning graphics, moving story, and thoughtful character development – all of this in a simple platform game. Ori is a small, orphaned creature who is taken in and raised by Naru. Their home, the forest of Nibel, is under threat from a greater power, and Ori sets out to fix it. Without wanting to spoil anything about Ori’s incredible journey and the other characters in Nibel, all characters, even those who might seem like threats, are deeper than you first realize. Each has their own emotional journey, unraveling alongside Ori’s own path to saving the forest. If you love Ori and the Blind Forest, the story continues in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, also available on Game Pass.

Palworld

Genre: Action RPG
Time to complete: 30 – 50 hours

Palworld has been in development for the past three years, but there’s always been something strange about the gameplay that made the Pokemon-like game seem fake. When you get a look at Palworld’s weird Electibuzz-looking creature wielding a mini-gun, something about the game makes you think it can’t be real, but it is — and we can confirm it’s as bizarre as it looks.

Don’t take that as a bad thing, however, as Palworld does a lot to separate itself from similar games in the genre. For example, the creatures (or Pals as they’re known as) in Palworld can be used for much more than combat. There are plenty of Palworld jobs to put your Pals to work, earning you resources and improving your base while you’re off exploring the world. Give this Game Pass title a try if you’re interested in a survival crafting game with over 100 Pals to catch to complete your Paldeck, and read our Palworld review if you want to know a bit more first.

Persona 3 Reload

Genre: RPG
Time to complete: 50+ hours

It’s a whopper, sure, but if you’re looking to maximize your time-to-money ratio, it doesn’t get much better than Persona 3 Reload. You’re a transfer student who has recently discovered a hidden hour in the day (we’d guess it’s somewhere between 4pm and 5pm, it always seems to drag), and must chase the mysteries that reside within that Dark Hour. Make friends, each delicious-looking food, and bash evil in typically slick Persona turn-based combat. Check out our Persona 3 Reload review if you are eager to know more.

Resident Evil 2 Remake

Genre: Horror
Time to complete: 10 – 30 hours

What can we say about Resident Evil that hasn’t already been said? It’s one of the most well-known horror game series of all time, and even if you’ve not played Resident Evil 2 or its remake, you’ll likely be relatively familiar with Raccoon City, Leon Kennedy, and Claire Redfield – even if it’s just from word of mouth.

If you are new to the series, the Resident Evil 2 remake is one of the best places to start, and is one of the few games to take place in the iconic RPD. You don’t need to worry about having played RE1 first, as, while the characters and story are connected, you can start with 2 without getting lost. So choose whether you want to play as Leon or Claire (the gameplay is slightly different), load up your gun, and get ready to take on the Umbrella Corp and their deadly virus turning the residents of Raccoon City into zombies. Give our Resident Evil 2 Remake review a read to see what we thought of the game at the time.

Resident Evil 3 Remake

Genre: Horror
Time to complete: 6 – 20 hours

Once you’ve finished with Resident Evil 2, you can – and should – move on to the Resident Evil 3 Remake. Often slated as one of the worst by hardcore fans, Resident Evil 3 is actually one of the best games of the series, sticking with the same puzzle-horror vibes of Resi 2, and the location of Raccoon City PD, while bringing back series fave Jill Valentine and introducing her to the curly haired Carlos Oliveira. Since the zombie game is included in your Game Pass subscription now, there’s no reason not to give it a try.

Rollerdrome

Genre: Third-person shooter
Time to complete: 5 – 15 hours

We can almost guarantee you’ve never played anything like Rollerdrome before. A combination of an edgy, hand-drawn art style, the high-speed antics of extreme sports games, and third-person shooter gameplay results in a truly unique action-adventure game experience.

Alongside the intense action of Rollerdrome, there’s a dark story to uncover, and Rollerdrome is the latest blood sport to be introduced in the year 2030. While you partake in the sport, defeating enemies to earn health while you pull off incredible tricks to earn ammo, you must also unravel the secrets kept by the rich and evil Matterhorn Corporation. If you need any more reason to give Rollerdrome a try, then it might help to know that, somewhat unsurprisingly, the sports game comes from the creators of the OlliOlli skateboard game series, and they know how to combine action, sport, and incredible design.

Scorn

Genre: Horror/Adventure/Puzzle
Time to complete: 5 – 7 hours

Depending on your interests, this is one of the best short games on Game Pass for you to check off over a weekend, or even a free evening. That said, if you aren’t into sexual imagery, then the disturbing winner of our coveted Thirst Trap award from the PCGamesN awards 2022 might not be for you. We’re pretty sure it’s no coincidence that even the name of the game rhymes with something else.

If you aren’t bothered by “soft, fleshy orifices”, however, then Scorn is one of the best games to come out of the last few years. The H.R Giger influenced set-pieces and intricate puzzles keep you engaged as you work your way through a somewhat vague and confusing story that climaxes to a heartfelt ending. While the combat isn’t quite what we thought it would be, and seems like a slightly disappointing afterthought, it doesn’t detract from the joy of what is essentially playable art.

Spiritfarer

Genre: Life/Farming sim
Time to complete: 25 – 40 hours

Spiritfarer is a beautiful tear-jerker of a story about death and loss, and its unique style of grief therapy is tucked beneath the facade of a farming sim as you build out your boat to house a cast of wonderful characters. Each one needs their home, built to the highest standard in which to live out their remaining ‘days’. Meanwhile, materials and food to keep your shipmates happy can only be obtained by adding farms and factories.

But why are you on this ship at all? Well, you are the new Spiritfarer, and your job, you don’t have any choice but to accept it, is to ferry spirits to their final resting place after death, making sure they are happy and rested on the way. Some of these characters are your friends, and your story of grief unlocks more for each character you successfully help to pass on. As sad as it sounds, and it is, Spiritfarer is beautiful, moving, and incredibly well-written, with as many funny and endearing moments as there are devastating ones.

Still Wakes the Deep

The Chinese Room does is again with another fantastic horror story game. Okay, so this time, as we explore in our Still Wakes the Deep review, the scares aren’t as heavy as we might have liked, but the story and authenticity is where Still Wakes the Deep finds its feet.

It’s 1974 and you work on an oil rig, probably one of the scariest places to work, let’s be honest. Well, this one’s worse. The already claustrophobic space is made more daunting by biomechanical waste strewn throughout the rig, and so the horror here is more atmospheric than anything. As ever, the developer has done their homework when it comes to the characters, too, with the Scottish voices and stories already behind heralded as accurate and genuine. Still Wakes the Deep is a true work of heart.

Superhot: Mind, Control, Delete

Genre: Shooter
Time to complete: 7 – 15 hours

Superhot is perhaps one of the most innovative FPS games of all time, taking the bullet time mechanics of Max Payne even further as time only moves when you do. Having such control over time allows you to manipulate how are where your shots hit, and Superhot: Mind, Control, Delete takes the original that much further with new equipment, powers, and additional characters.

Thirsty Suitors

Genre: Turn-based action-adventure
Time to complete: 7 – 12 hours

Thirsty Suitors is a hilarious, camp, emotional story of love, difficult relationships, and heartbreak. However, this is no dating sim. Thirsty Suitors is actually a turn-based fighting game of sorts, as you use feelings and physical attacks to defeat your troublesome exes. Yep, it’s just as wild as it sounds. And we love it.

Play as Jala, a teenage girl who is great at getting tangled up with the wrong person and disappointing her parents, but even better at getting one up on those pesky exes. While Jala might be trying to make amends with people, a lot of your fighting tactics are more tough than they are love. It works as relationships are mended, forgiveness is handed out by the bucket load, and Jala learns new ways to grow – any hearts that are broken on the way are merely collateral damage.

Tunic

Genre: Puzzle/Adventure
Time to complete: 12 – 25 hours

This popular puzzle game takes you on a fantasy adventure as an adorable little fox. Despite its cute aesthetic and bright, bold design, Tunic is actually a challenging soulslike with a multitude of secrets to uncover. Some of those unlockable mysteries even come in the form of a classic videogame instruction manual, taking us back to a better time when physical media reigned. As you progress through the world and defeat its bosses, reveal parts and pages of the manual and map, and even useful tips.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank

Genre: Action-adventure
Time to complete: 4 – 6 hours

To be honest, if that title doesn’t make you want to play Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, then we don’t know what will. Whether you’ve played Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion or not (if you haven’t, you want to now, right?), Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a nice, enjoyable Game Pass Game to try out, and only takes about four hours to beat. Sadly, Tax Evasion isn’t on Game Pass, and you might miss the relevance of some returning characters if you aren’t familiar with the previous Turnip Boy game, but it’s not going to hugely affect your enjoyment of directing the cute, pixelated root vegetable through a series of challenging levels.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Genre: Action-adventure
Time to complete: 45 – 70 hours

If you’ve read our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review and are hoping to check out the new game on Game Pass, you sadly have a little longer to wait. However, if you want to get ahead of the series and play the prequel to Infinite Wealth, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of the best Game Pass Games to try right now. Even better, most of the original Yakuza series is on Game Pass as well, from zero, up to six, so hours upon hours of Yakuza gameplay await you on Game Pass. Check out our Yakuza: Like a Dragon review for more details or a refresh.

So there you have just some of the very best Game Pass games to try out right now. If you want to know what’s coming up on the service, our list of games coming to Game Pass has all you need to know. Meanwhile, take a look at our other guides, including Minecraft build ideas, the best Diablo 4 classes, and the Scorn story and ending explained, to get the most out of the games above.