Xbox Game Pass June 2021: The best games to play this month

June 16th, 2021 Jordan Oloman Xbox Game Pass

After a blockbuster E3 conference from the combined forces of Microsoft and Bethesda, we’re back to update you on what’s coming to Xbox Game Pass in June! The library that never seems to stop getting better is growing once more, demolishing your backlogs and eating up your free time. With E3 2021, Microsoft was clearly keen to give Xbox Game Pass subscribers a reason to celebrate their subscription this month, and they have delivered, offering tons of classic Bethesda games and some interesting new titles that are launching straight onto the service.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Console, PC and Cloud) – Out Now

One of the major Xbox Game Pass announcements from Microsoft’s E3 2021 event was that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is coming to the subscription service. This means that every mainline Yakuza game is playable on Xbox Game Pass now. You can play the full set, from the start of Kazuma Kiryu’s story in Yakuza 0 through to its end in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Then you can round it all off with Like a Dragon, which introduces new series protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. Like a Dragon changes the combat system into a Dragon Quest-style turn-based romp, instead of being a street brawler. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s full of absurd metacommentary on JRPGs and many brilliant minigames, a hallmark of this super series.

Fallout 3 (Console, PC and Cloud) – Out Now

I don’t want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart. I think that’s what Microsoft and Bethesda were going for when they revealed that the legendary Fallout 3 was launching on Xbox Game Pass during their joint E3 showcase. Despite being somewhat in the shadow of New Vegas, Fallout 3 is still one of the greatest western RPGs, a sprawling exploration of post-apocalyptic America with heaps of interesting characters and plenty of murky, atmospheric vistas. If you love charting your own course and testing the limits of your choices in RPGs, this is an essential play, and the DLC is a lot of fun too.

DOOM (Cloud and Console) — Out Now

RPGs are great and all, but have you considered ripping and tearing until it is done? 2016’s DOOM is one of the most beloved first-person shooters of recent memory, and it’s now available to all Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The combat is hectic and engaging, and the bonkers set pieces will keep your adrenaline pumping throughout. It’s worth playing for the Mick Gordon soundtrack alone, honestly. There are few moments as exciting as entering the BFG Division for the first time…

Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance – June 22

From the folks at Tuque Games comes a co-op looter brawler with a big licence. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance launches on Game Pass later this month and is based on The Legend of Drizzt series of novels by R. A. Salvatore. You play as one of four mighty heroes as they fight their way through dungeons thick with enemies in search of epic loot and XP to upgrade your builds. I’ve played a preview of this game and found it to be a good bit of fun, so I’m definitely up for checking it out with friends when it comes to Game Pass on launch day, June 22.