🔗 Share this article

Following Microsoft's recent announcement of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, including a cost hike for the top tier to $30 per month, many subscribers are seeking new ways to get the most from their subscription. For those keeping their subscription or thinking about joining, here are our latest recommendations.

This weekend's titles include a acclaimed Japanese role-playing game, a charming independent adventure, and a brilliant puzzler scheduled to leave the service soon.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

One of the top methods to get your money's worth from your subscription is by diving into a extensive, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill perfectly. You take on the part of a high school student who has just moved to the sleepy rural town of Inaba. During the day, your objectives include making friendships, working part-time jobs, and keeping up with studies. By night, you investigate a disturbing string of murders by venturing into strange dungeons themed around your companions' deepest insecurities.

With a unforgettable cast of characters, tactical battle system, impeccable art design, and a storyline packed with twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a classic for good reason. It also features a incredibly engrossing gameplay loop that will keep you up past bedtime, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major titles like Ninja Gaiden IV are a key selling point for Game Pass, the subscription also showcases lesser-known games. A perfect example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by Spirited Away, this charming indie game is a fantasy journey rooted in Latin American culture. You follow Miho, who, after assisting his grandma make soup, is transported to a vibrant world populated by potato-nabbing frogs and various quirky animals.

Sopa plays out similar to an educational computer title from the 1990s, as Miho tackles puzzles and helps the realm's inhabitants by gathering an assortment of objects. Even if it's a bit rough around the edges, Sopa is a sweet small experience that openly celebrates its appreciation for South America.

Cocoon

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is set to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, giving you only a few days to play it via your membership — and you definitely must. Developer Geometric Interactive designed one of the best puzzle games of recent years in 2023's Cocoon. Its central puzzle mechanic revolves around moving between realms within additional dimensions, and frequently you'll transport those worlds, in the shape of colorful orbs, alongside you.

Although it doesn't have direct guidance, everything about Cocoon's puzzles is designed in a highly natural manner, yet they will challenge you as well. The year 2023 proved a massive year for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was a bit missed by many players. We should rectify that now.