Xbox Game Pass has six games confirmed so far for May 2022, which is pretty normal, but these titles show how much potential the month has.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers get new access to several games every month, with some games known months ahead of time. This is the case for games like Starfield, which launches on Game Pass in November. Oftentimes, though, they are only announced a week or two beforehand, and that builds a lot of interest every time the Game Pass new game lineup starts to get empty.
But, again, it’s never completely empty. While more games for Xbox Game Pass are expected to be announced soon, there are already six games confirmed for May 2022 across PC and console. Everyone loves it when they are big genre-defining games from massive publishers, but a service like Xbox Game Pass has a secret weapon: variety. Anyone, no matter their taste, can go on Xbox Game Pass and find something that appeals to them. The six games confirmed for May prove this, as not a single one is like another.
Here are the new games at first glance, their date, and their platform. All thus far are also confirmed for PC Game Pass, minus one.
Each of these games offers something unique. Citizen Sleeper, for example, is described as a narrative RPG inspired by the choices available in TTRPGs, set in a cyberpunk Sci-Fi world. Players take on the role of a Sleeper, a human mind in an artificial body, and must avoid/escape the capitalist overlords that want them back. The game is heavy on storytelling and choices, complete with dice rolling, clocks that track the world and the player’s impact, and drives—not quests. These drives are personal to the player and can impact their skills, all while adopting nothing short of pure roleplaying for its main game direction.
Trek to Yomi joins the same day as Citizen Sleeper. While decision-making and role-playing are the core fundamentals of Citizen Sleeper, Trek to Yomi is more about presentation and combat. The main character, a samurai named Hiroki, makes a vow to his dying master to protect his home. It seeks to recreate the spirit of classic samurai films, describing its approach as a cinematic presentation, and it's complete with a streamlined combat system to emphasize the power and style of a samurai. This is not to say Trek to Yomi won’t have a good story, but the lens by which players interact with it and Citizen Sleeper are completely different.
This is an action-based JRPG focused on rebuilding a town following an earthquake. Players have to resolve disputes, seek treasure, and form bonds. There are multiple playable characters in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, and it manages to capture a classic JRPG vibe through its gameplay. It really cannot be put side by side with Trek to Yomi or Citizen Sleeper, and that’s a good thing for subscribers.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker blends a lot of genres together, but its physical simulation is what sets it apart here. Players are a spaceship salvager who must utilize physicals to cut and destroy ships, whether that's in its campaign, free play mode, or timed challenges. There are plenty of ships to salvage, and by upgrading, players can take on even bigger ships.
Shooters are one of the most popular genres out there, and the tactical third-person sniping/shooter game Sniper Elite 5 is checking off that box for Xbox Game Pass in May. In it, protagonist and marksman Karl Fairburne must bring an end to Germany’s Project Kraken in WW2. The campaign takes across several maps, with a variety of kill list targets, infiltration and extraction points, and more, and players can either do it solo or in co-op. But they must survive and eliminate their targets, no matter what. With enhanced gunplay and traversal mechanics, an invasion mode where another sniper hunts the player, a survival mode, and 16-player online multiplayer, Sniper Elite is always about the right shot at the right time.
The sheer variety of storytelling, shooters, action-adventure games, and more here are all great; it’s also all very modern. Yet, classics are classics for a reason, and Pac-Man Museum+ is bringing an extensive list of classic Pac-Man games to the service. Pac-Man doesn’t really need any sort of introduction, and these 14 games show off why this character and game is a classic. From a certain point of view, this technically means there are 19 games confirmed for May 2022, not six.
Without a doubt, this is a varied selection for May. These six games alone show off the sheer potential of Xbox Game Pass when it comes to attracting subscribers. Perhaps the best part of all of this, though, is that these are the six games fans know about now. Come the beginning of May, the middle of it, and likely some surprises in-between, Xbox Game Pass games for May 2022 will clearly have a lot to offer—for just about everyone.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a handful of games every month.
When Joshua Duckworth received Pokemon Yellow for Christmas at 5-years-old, his fate as a gamer was set. Since then, he’s been involved with every step of the gaming industries’ growth from the golden PS1 era and the dying days of the arcade to any current gaming trend. When he’s not writing, playing his own games, or thinking about writing or playing his games, he’s probably the second player to his son’s Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! file. Joshua has an MA degree in English from Jacksonville State University, and the best way to contact him is at [email protected].
