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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. While it may not be seen as the top offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed several high-profile day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a massive library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks feature a therapeutic shooter, an award-winning independent gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players intensely graphic mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as always, with the series' trademark killcam displaying every bullet's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a violent thrill for every peace-lover wanting to unwind in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic life, family trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a sci-fi lens; you assume the role of Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, which is also included). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, every one representing a distinct story style. There's a procedural story about a priest looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant aiming to eradicate destitution through the power of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs require a character with an unknown past, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.