Key Takeaways
- STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl joined PC Game Pass and XGP Ultimate on November 20.
- Early STALKER 2 reviews are mostly positive, with critics praising almost everything but its technical performance.
- Aside from STALKER 2, November 20 also saw Xbox Game Pass add PlateUp and Little Kitty, Big City to its Standard-tier library.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has added STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. This highly anticipated immersive sim is the seventh new title to reach Xbox Game Pass in November 2024.
Much like the first three STALKER games, released between 2007 and 2009, STALKER 2 is a genre hybrid that combines elements of immersive sims, first-person shooters, RPGs, and survival horror games. Ukrainian studio GSC Game World announced the first iteration of the project in 2009 and canceled it three years later. The game then restarted development circa 2018, with initial plans to launch in 2022. Six years and four major delays later, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally here, having arrived at 8am PST / 11am ET on November 20.
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Adds Massive Day-One Game
The sixth new title to reach the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library in November 2024 is a day-one game with an absolutely massive world.
Like Microsoft promised back in early 2021, STALKER 2 is a day-one Xbox Game Pass release. Apart from the Xbox Series X/S and PC, the immersive sim can also be streamed via Xbox Cloud Gaming, an XGP Ultimate-exclusive perk. Owners of the current generation of Xbox consoles have been able to preload the game since November 11, whereas PC Game Pass subscribers had to wait until its release time to download it. The day-one PC version of STALKER 2 is approximately 160GB in size, while the console one takes up around 150GB of storage space.
Early STALKER 2 reviews are mostly positive, with critics praising the game for its immersive open world, compelling story, and unforgiving gameplay. Technical issues are the most common complaint among reviewers, particularly on PC, where they are reportedly more prevalent than on Xbox consoles. The current critical consensus is hence very much in line with how the first three STALKER games were received at launch, suggesting that this long-awaited sequel will be celebrated in all its Eurojank glory.
Xbox Game Pass Standard Adds 2 More Titles
Ahead of STALKER 2‘s release, two other titles have been added to the Standard tier of Xbox Game Pass on November 20. One of them is Little Kitty, Big City, a family-friendly open-world adventure that’s been available on Microsoft’s subscription service since May 2024. The other is restaurant management game PlateUp, which originally made its way to Xbox Game Pass back in February 2024.
Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games
|
Game |
Date Added |
Game Pass Tier(s) |
Platform(s) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Little Kitty, Big City |
Nov 20 |
Standard |
Console |
Available on PC GP and XGP Ultimate since May 2024. |
|
PlateUp! |
Nov 20 |
Standard |
Console |
Available on PC GP and XGP Ultimate since Feb 2024. |
|
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl |
Nov 20 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Nine Sols |
Nov 26 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, Console, PC |
Day-one (Xbox version) release. |
|
Aliens: Dark Descent |
Nov 27 |
Standard, Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, Console, PC |
|
|
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle |
Dec 9 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
Moving forward, Microsoft has so far confirmed two more titles that will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the second half of November 2024. The first of those is Nine Sols, which is scheduled to arrive on November 26. The critically acclaimed metroidvania will be followed by RTS Aliens: Dark Descent a day later.
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 can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.