It’s April, so there’s no better time to spring clean your backlog using Xbox Game Pass. Are you really enjoying that 90-hour RPG or just pressing through it because other people say that it’s good? It’s time to cut out the chaff and focus on making use of your subscription to one of the most varied game library services on the market.
There are some brilliant games coming to Game Pass this month, and Microsoft has added quite a few heavy hitters over the past quarter, games that may have slipped under your radar through no fault of your own. In this piece, we’re going to run through some of our top picks for Xbox Game Pass in April, so you can hone in on the best of the best and tick some titles off that are well worth your time. A bonus for this month is that Microsoft has added touch controls to more than 50 of the cloud-based games in its library, so check those out on an Android device if you get the chance!
Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud and Console) – April 8
Everybody knows Grand Theft Auto V unless they’ve been living under a rock for the past decade. Even seven years after its release, Rockstar’s open-world masterpiece is still thriving thanks to its consistently updated online partition, GTA Online. It’s only set to grow in popularity too as it lands on Xbox Game Pass early this month. GTA V is well worth digging into for the exciting online mode, where you can team up with your pals to complete heists, play fun driving minigames or just wreak havoc in a realistic open-world setting, driving off of mountains and launching RPGs at people who are just trying to buy clothes. There’s a wonderful campaign to play too if you haven’t already beat it!
MLB The Show 21 (Cloud and Console) – April 20
For the first time in forever, Sony’s first-party exclusive baseball simulator series MLB The Show is coming to Xbox, and it’s launching day one on Xbox Game Pass. With 4K 60 FPS capability and cross-play with PlayStation 4 and 5, there’s a lot to love about this April addition, especially if you’re a big baseball fan. This year the game will feature a ballpark creator, with the ability to download ballparks created by other users and shared online. If you’ve been committed to Xbox for multiple generations you may have never played this previously PlayStation-exclusive series, so it’s well worth checking out if you enjoy other sports games.
Star Wars: Squadrons
Few things have proven to be as enduring or exciting as the prospect of simulating Star Wars space flight. With Rogue Squadron in the rear-view mirror, this generation’s take on realising those dreams is EA Motive’s Star Wars Squadrons, a game that is both highly accessible and deeply complex, suiting HOTAS-toting flight sim veterans and Star Wars fans with galactic ambitions. The game landed on Xbox Game Pass in March via the service’s EA Play integration, only a few months after its release. This is a massive get for Game Pass, as it’s easily one of last year’s best games!
Soul Calibur VI
Beyond the Star Wars and sports ball, maybe you just want to whack your mates online? Soul Calibur VI is a very popular and unique fighting game with quirky official characters like Geralt of Rivia and 2B from NieR Automata. Intense, highly customizable character creation tool, which has allowed players to make Spider-Man, Shrek, Master Chief, Mario and more. It’s absurd, like a modern MUGEN with plenty of potential for silliness.
Every game coming to Xbox Game Pass in April
- Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud and Console) – April 8
- Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 8
- Disneyland Adventures (Cloud) – April 8
- Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure (Cloud) – April 8
- NHL 21 (Console) EA Play – April 12
- Rain on Your Parade (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 15
- Pathway (PC) ID@Xbox – April 15
- MLB The Show 21 (Cloud and Console) – April 20
Want to get your Game Pass fix? Browse Game Pass Ultimate and more Xbox deals right here.