What are the best indie games to play on Xbox Game Pass?

Whether you’re playing on an Xbox or a PC, these indie games have our seal of approval, and you can play them on an Xbox Game Pass sub.

Xbox Game Pass is home to Xbox’s now-burgeoning army of first-party developers, but it’s also become a home for some of the best indie games you can have a crack at. We’ve selected some of the most celebrated and highly-rated titles you can play with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, right now. All of the games listed below are available to play on both Xbox and PC, provided you have the appropriate subscription. Check out Xbox Game Pass over here at the official website.

Spiritfarer

Spiritfarer is a ‘cosy management game about dying’, which joined Game Pass upon its release in August this year. You play as a ferrymaster to the recently deceased, and your job involves caring for your new spirit friends, travelling the world, and releasing them into the afterlife that lies beyond. Check it out on the Microsoft Store here.

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire released in January 2019, and it quickly racked up a cult following for its fusion of card games and roguelike gameplay. In order to do what the title asks of you, you must build a deck full of strong cards, discover relics, and beat lots of monsters and enemies. Here it is on the Microsoft Store.

Dead Cells

Dead Cells came out in August 2018, and it’s a rogue-lite Metroidvania, which is short of being an action-platformer with lots of exploration and combat, and where if you die, you have to start all over again (while retaining some progress). There’s no checkpoints, so it’s all up to your combat skill and determination. You’ll find it on the Microsoft Store here.

CrossCode

Remember RPGs on the Super Nintendo? CrossCode takes that aesthetic and makes it an action RPG instead, replete with a sci-fi storyline, fast-paced combat, and puzzle mechanics. The game came out in September 2018, but it has joined Game Pass on Console this year. Here’s the game on Microsoft Store for PC, and here it is for Xbox.

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a celebrated Metroidvania with challenging combat and a moody, gothic world with lots of insecty foes. Renowned for its tight but brutal action gameplay, Hollow Knight is available on Game Pass in its Voidheart Edition, which includes all four expansion content packs. You’ll find the game over here on Microsoft Store for PC, and here it is on Xbox.

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