Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Play NHL 24, Manor Lords and More Soon – CNET [CNET]

If you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can access these titles and more.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games that you can play on your Xbox Series X or Series S, Xbox One and PC for $17 a month. A subscription gets you new games every month (like Diablo 4) plus other benefits, like online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Xbox recently added Shadow of the Tomb Raider to Game Pass on April 11, and the company is adding these titles to the service soon, including three Day 1 releases.

Orcs Must Die 3

Available now.

Crank the orc-slaying mayhem up to 11 in the latest installment of this tower-defense series by slicing, burning, carbonizing and tossing orc hordes. You can also use a trove of new traps and weapons, like magical staffs or sawblade launchers. No matter how you dispatch them, the one thing for certain in this title is that every last orc must die.

EA Sports NHL 24

Available: April 18

As the NHL gears up for the Stanley Cup playoffs, you can too, with the latest installment in this EA Sports franchise. This entry in the series has new gameplay mechanics, including vision passing and an exhaust engine, intended to give you more control over your players and to present new challenges. So if you want to see the Las Vegas Golden Knights win the cup back-to-back, or you want to ensure that doesn’t happen, this game is for you.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

Available: April 23

Gather your friends and allies for this Day 1 release. In this action JRPG, you create a party of six heroes out of over a hundred — it’s in the name after all — as you set off on an adventure across the war-torn continent of Allraan. You can also manage a small town and play mini-games along the way. And if you can’t wait for this title to release, you can play Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising on Game Pass Ultimate now.

Another Crab’s Treasure

Available: April 25

You know what they say: One man’s trash is another crab’s treasure, or something like that. This Day 1 release is like a cross between Elden Ring and the classic game Ecco the Dolphin. In this title, you play as a hermit crab who sets off on a quest to buy back your repossessed shell. You’ll have to use the trash of the ocean to protect yourself against huge enemies, and you’ll also learn why the ocean is so polluted with garbage to begin with. And who knows, maybe you’ll see Ariel with her collection of thingamabobs down there.

Manor Lords (PC)

Available: April 26

If you watched Game of Thrones and thought, “Being a medieval lord doesn’t seem that hard. I could do it,” now’s your chance to prove it. This medieval strategy game brings city-building, tactical battles, economic simulations and social interactions into one complex title. Now you can find out if you have what it takes to keep your people safe and fed when the seasons change and the harsh winters approach.

Have a Nice Death

Available: April 30

Even Death needs a break every now and then, and that’s the goal of this roguelike game. You play as Death, the CEO of Death Incorporated, who finds himself needing a restful vacation. The only thing standing in your way from a relaxing stay at the beach — or wherever Death would vacation — is a mountain of paperwork and reminding your demonic subordinates who’s in charge. Just another day at the office.

Games coming to Game Pass Core

Game Pass Core ($10 a month) is the cheapest Game Pass subscription, and it’s a good option if you only want to play certain games online. It also gives you access to a handful of games, and on April 23, Game Pass Core subscribers can access these titles, too:

• Deep Rock Galactic
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete
• Wreckfest

Titles leaving Game Pass

While Xbox is adding the above titles to Game Pass Ultimate, it’s also removing six titles on April 30. So, you have some time to finish any side quests before you have to buy these titles separately: 

• 7 Days to Die
• Besiege
• EA Sports NHL 22
• Loot River
• Pikuniku
• Ravenlok

For more on Xbox, here’s what Diablo 4 on Game Pass likely means for the service, other titles available on Game Pass Ultimate now and everything to know about the gaming service.