Xbox Game Pass Closes Out March With An Octopath Traveler Surprise
We already knew that Xbox Game Pass had a big launch coming up with the day one release of Square Enix's Outriders, but now Microsoft has detailed the other games that will be arriving throughout the rest of March. As it turns out, the final couple of weeks in March are going to be big ones for Xbox Game Pass, and between these releases and the addition of a bunch of Bethesda games earlier in the month, it's safe to say that this has been a huge month overall for the service.
The new additions to Xbox Game Pass have technically already started, as famed indie game Undertale is now available on cloud, console, and PC. Tomorrow – March 18th – we'll see Empire of Sin (cloud, console, and PC), Nier: Automata (PC), Star Wars: Squadrons (console), and Torchlight III (PC) join Game Pass. Star Wars: Squadrons was teased earlier in the month alongside a collection of sports games, and it's joining Xbox Game Pass as part of EA Play.
The additions continue on March 25th with Genesis Noir (console and PC), Octopath Traveler (console and PC), Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition (PC), Supraland (PC), and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (cloud, console, and PC). On March 30th, we'll wrap up the month with the addition of Narita Boy on cloud, console, and PC, then it's just a couple of days until we see Outriders land on cloud and console on April 1st.
Obviously, the biggest surprise in this batch of announcements is Octopath Traveler, which up until this point has only been available on Switch, PC, and Stadia. Prior to this announcement, we didn't have any indication that Octopath Traveler was coming to Xbox, so this is indeed a big reveal. While Octopath Traveler certainly stumbles in some places, it does have an interesting battle system and beautiful graphics, and it'll be well worth a download for fans of classic JRPGs. You can read more about the game in our review of the Switch version.
Of course, as Xbox Game Pass gives with one hand, it takes away with the other, and there are three games that are leaving the service in the coming weeks: Hyperdor (console and PC), Journey to the Savage Planet (console), and Machinarium (PC). Those three games are all leaving Xbox Game Pass on March 31st, so you've got about two weeks to finish up if you're currently in the middle of any of those.