Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Adds AAA Day-One Game With Excellent Reviews

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Adds AAA Day-One Game With Excellent Reviews



Key Takeaways

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is now available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
  • The game’s early reviews are excellent, making it one of the highest-rated day-one additions to Xbox Game Pass in 2024.
  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is unlikely to reach XGP Standard until mid-2025 at the very earliest.

PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can start playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as part of their subscriptions starting today, December 9. This is the fourth new title to reach Microsoft’s gaming service since the start of December, as well as the 137th Xbox Game Pass addition in 2024.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the latest release from MachineGames, a Swedish studio owned by Bethesda parent ZeniMax Media, which is best known for its critically acclaimed Wolfenstein games. It’s also the first Indiana Jones game since 2011, when Zynga released its Facebook-exclusive Indiana Jones Adventure World. Disregarding browser games, the latest PC and console entries in the franchise before 2024 were Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings and LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, released in June and November 2009, respectively.

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Player Highlights Surprising Way to Get XP

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This extended hiatus for Indiana Jones games has now at last come to an end with the newly launched Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which reached the Xbox Series X/S and PC on Monday, December 9. Like all the other releases from Microsoft-owned studios, MachineGames’ latest title is a day-one addition to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle even comes with Xbox Cloud Gaming support, allowing XGP Ultimate members to stream it on supported devices.

Early Reviews for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Are Excellent

Judging by the game’s early reviews, it seems Microsoft has quite a critical hit on its hands. The latest Indiana Jones adventure presently has a “Mighty” rating on OpenCritic, boasting an average score of 86 and a 92% recommendation rate. Many reviewers praised Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for its gameplay variety, production qualities, and respectful handling of the franchise lore, among other qualities. Early player impressions seem to be just as encouraging, with the game presently boasting a 4.1-star rating on the Xbox Store and “Very Positive” user reviews on Steam.​​​

Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games

Game

Date Added

Game Pass Tier(s)

Platform(s)

Notes

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Dec 9

Ultimate, PC

Cloud, PC, Series X/S

Day-one release

Wildfrost

Dec 10

Ultimate, PC

Cloud, Console, PC

Carrion

Jan 2

Standard, Ultimate, PC

Cloud, Console, PC

Returning title that was last available in Jul 2022.

Road 96

Jan 7

Standard, Ultimate, PC

Cloud, Console, PC

Returning title that was last available in Jun 2023.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Jan 30

Ultimate, PC

Cloud, Console, PC

Day-one release

Avowed

Feb 18

Ultimate, PC

Cloud, PC, Series X/S

Day-one release

Football Manager 25

Mar ??

Ultimate, PC

Cloud, Console, PC

Day-one release; exact release date TBA.

Atomfall

Mar 27

Ultimate, PC

Cloud, Console, PC

Day-one release

When Will Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Reach Xbox Game Pass Standard?

Back when Microsoft announced its Xbox Game Pass tier revamp, it stated that day-one titles may take between six and 12 months to reach the XGP Standard library. However, the company also noted that the exact gap between day-one and Standard-tier releases would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Since Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has the potential to be a big driver of new higher-tier subscriptions, it seems unlikely to deviate from this pattern by reaching XGP Standard in under six months of its debut. XGP Standard subscribers hence shouldn’t expect it before mid-2025, so around the time that the game was previously confirmed to be arriving on the PS5.

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