Summary
Generally speaking, 2024 has been a good year forXbox Game Pass, albeit not one without its few hiccups along the way. Thoughday-one Xbox Game Pass releaseshave been rather rare this year, the few that fans have been given have generally been very well-received, withPersona 3 Reload,Palworld, andAnother Crab’s Treasureall being key examples. Xbox Game Pass' third-party offerings have helped to pick up the slack as well this year, withResident Evil 2and3,Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,Dead Island 2going a long way in filling in the gaps between day-one launches.
But whileXbox Game Passhas maintained a steady pace this year, it seems as though that momentum is finally slowing down. As things currently stand, Xbox Game Pass has had a rather weak line-up this May, and though a few additions will likely be announced soon, they’d have to really go above and beyond to outdo what PlayStation Plus is delivering this month.
Xbox Game Pass Is Being Outdone by PS Plus This May
Xbox Game Pass' May 2024 Line-Up Pales in Comparison to PS Plus’s Essential’s Offerings
Currently, only three games have beenreleased on Xbox Game Pass this month. While Xbox Game Pass' monthly schedule is often quite erratic, this is the lowest number of games this year that have been added to the service in the first half of the month, with January, February, and March all having at least four new additions by this time. Last month, a whopping 10 games were added to Xbox Game Pass by the month’s halfway point.
Normally, this kind of scarcity wouldn’t be scrutinized too much, but Xbox Game Pass has some very strong competition this month. TheMay 2024 PlayStation Plus free games(Essential tier) are great across the board.Tunicis one of the most acclaimed Indie games of the last few years,Ghostrunner 2is a thrilling action-platformer that is still pretty new,EA Sports FC 24still has at least a few months of life left in it before the next entry drops, andDestiny 2: Lightfallbrings players up to date just in time forThe Final Shape’s release next month.
There’s really something for everyone this month on PlayStation Plus, and all the offerings are actually worth playing. Unfortunately,Xbox Game Pass' current May 2024 line-uppales in comparison, withSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2arguably being the only truly standout addition this month.
PlayStation Plus is also set to receive a slew of new PS Plus Extra and Premium games, though they won’t be announced until around May 15.
PS Plus Has The Better-Reviewed Day-One Indie Release
Unfortunately, there’s another direct point of comparison between the two gaming subscription services this month. This May, both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus have received one day-one Indie release each. Xbox Game Pass receivedLittle Kitty, Big Cityearlier this month, whilePlayStation Plus gotAnimal Well. While both games have been reviewed quite well,Animal Wellis one of the year’s biggest surprise successes, reaching an incredibly impressive 91 on Metacritic, with many outlets and fans deeming it to be one of the most creative and innovative Indie games in recent memory. ThoughLittle Kitty, Big Cityis still a good game by all accounts, it simply can’t compare toAnimal Well, which is currently the second highest-rated game of the year according to Metacritic.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you may play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
