Summary
- Only two games, SteamWorld Build and Against the Storm, have been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in December 2023 so far.
- Both games are city-builder games, with SteamWorld Build combining charm and city-builder mechanics, and Against the Storm featuring roguelite elements and multiple settlements.
- While SteamWorld Build is unproven, previous games in the series have been well-received, and Against the Storm has received overwhelmingly positive reviews during its early access period. More games may be announced, but December is typically a slower month for Xbox Game Pass.
Only two games have been announced for the Xbox Game Pass December 2023 lineup so far: SteamWorld Build for Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Against the Storm for PC. Microsoft likes to announce new Xbox Game Pass games every two weeks or so, but release date announcements let fans know when to expect certain titles in advance.
Release date announcements for day one games give Xbox Game Pass subscribers a fairly good idea of how big each month will be for the service. The last few months have been especially impressive for Game Pass, with September, October, and November all hosting big new Xbox Game Pass games. The games coming in December definitely have the potential to be great, but subscribers may be bummed that only two have been announced so far.
At the time of this writing, SteamWorld Build, coming on December 1, and Against the Storm, releasing December 8, are the only two games confirmed for Game Pass in December 2023. What's interesting is that both are city-builder games. SteamWorld Build marries the SteamWorld franchise's charm with city-builder mechanics, whereas Against the Storm is a city-builder with roguelite elements and a grander scope than most games in the genre, as it lets players manage multiple settlements at a time.
New Xbox Game Pass Games for December 2023
- SteamWorld Build (Xbox One/Xbox Series X) - December 1
- Against the Storm (PC) - December 8
SteamWorld Build is an unproven quantity so far, but previous games in the series have generally earned high praise from fans and critics alike. What's been shown of SteamWorld Build so far has been impressive, and it seems like it will be a solid day one Xbox Game Pass game when it's added to the service on December 1. SteamWorld Build is only confirmed for Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One and Xbox Series X, so fans should keep that in mind.
Against the Storm, meanwhile, is only coming to PC Game Pass, so fans will either need to be signed up for PC Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and have a suitable PC to play it. Whereas SteamWorld Build is an unproven game, Against the Storm has been available in early access for a year and has been warmly received by fans. In fact, Against the Storm has enjoyed "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam user reviews, and so it's quite likely its 1.0 release on December 8 will be successful as well.
While SteamWorld Build and Against the Storm are the only two games announced for Xbox Game Pass in December 2023 so far, it's possible that more games are on the way. That being said, December is typically one of the slowest months for Xbox Game Pass every year, so fans shouldn't expect it to be nearly as big as the last few months have been.
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.
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