Summary
The last month or two have been great reminders of whyXbox Game Passis a service worth subscribing to. While the first half of 2023 has been jam-packed with huge video game releases, all vying for gamers' attention at the same time, and the second half looks as though it’s going to be doing the same, this middle Summer period is rather quiet, and it’s moments like these whereXbox Game Passreally shines.
Though the last few months haven’t brought a ton of huge games to Xbox Game Pass, there have been plenty of great additions, all providing a ton of content that suits all types of players. FromGrand Theft Auto 5toExoprimal, Xbox Game Passhas added something for everyone recently, and its August line-up is starting to look fairly strong. But there’s one big August Xbox release that seemingly isn’t coming to Xbox Game Pass, and it’s a huge missed opportunity.
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Stray Should Be On Xbox Game Pass
WhenPlayStation Plus first launched its tier system, it only had a handful of games that really incentivized players to take the plunge and upgrade, and many PlayStation fans had already played through those games before. But in a surprising turn of events, a little Indie game about a cat and its robot companion ended up being more of a successful marketing tool than any other first-party PlayStation exclusive on the service at launch. By the end of the year, well over four million PlayStation users had playedStray, and it’s widely considered to be one of the reasons why PlayStation Plus did so well at launch.
Now, just over a year after its initial release,Strayis heading to Xbox. Set to land on August 10, it’s great to see PlayStation letting a past exclusive come to Xbox.Strayis such a unique, bright, and beautiful game, and the fact it’s going to be available to a wider audience is a good thing for the gaming industry, though, it would be nice for Xbox to take things just one small step further.
Xbox is missing a golden opportunity by not puttingStrayon Xbox Game Pass the day it releases. WhileStraywill probably perform quite well regardless, it would gain an even wider audience if it came to Xbox Game Pass, and it would be yet another great title to add to the service in these slower Summer months. WithStraybeing a PlayStation console exclusivefor over a year, and one that was so critically acclaimed and well-received when it first released, Xbox fans are likely champing at the bit to finally get to play it, and that excitement would have madeStrayan incredibly successful Xbox Game Pass game.
