Hades, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and more coming to Xbox Game Pass

By Andrew Zucosky June 13, 2021

During the Xbox conference at E3 2021, it was announced that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be coming onto Xbox Game Pass today, along with the rest of the Yakuza games. Along with Like a Dragon, Age of Empires IV and Hades will be on the Xbox Game Pass on October 28 and August 13, respectively. Players who own the Xbox Game Pass subscription can download these games for no extra cost on their PCs and Xbox consoles.

During the conference, it was announced that Hades will be available on the Xbox Game Pass. Supergiant Games’ critically acclaimed hack-and-slash roguelike Greek fantasy takes you through the deepest parts of Hades all the way to the mortal realm. It will be released on Xbox Game Pass on August 13.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon was released in early January of 2020 and was a huge departure for the game series. Instead of assaulting your enemies with a flurry of button-mashing blows, the gameplay slowed down to a strategic turn-based flow. Fortunately, the game kept its style and humor and even branched out into poking fun at classic turn-based RPGs.

The latest installment of the long-running RTS series Age of Empires IV got a new trailer along with a release date for the game. Age of Empires IV will be available on day one with Xbox Game Pass on October 28.

It would not have been a proper E3 without a Forza announcement. Forza Horizon 5 was announced during the Xbox conference, with a trailer showcasing many of the cars you will be driving, as well as a gorgeous rendering of Mexico, where the game will take place. Forza Horizon 5 is releasing on November 9 and will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one release.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Andrew has been playing video games since he was a small boy, and he finally got good at them like a week ago. He has been in…

Gaming

Persona 3 Reload leads a surprisingly strong batch of Xbox Game Pass additions

A character uses a bow and arrow in Persona 3 Reload.

Microsoft unveiled the next batch of new Xbox Game Pass titles, which are dropping between January 18 and February 8. Of the seven new titles coming to the video game subscription service over that time span, four are new games being added on the day of their release. The most noteworthy of those games is Persona 3 Reload, Atlus' highly anticipated remake of an RPG classic.

Persona 3 was first released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006 and came to North America just a year later. While its sequels would go on to garner a bit more immediate acclaim, Persona 3 provided the solid foundation that they all built on. It is darker than those future entries, though, as you'll go from living your life as a Japanese teenager to shooting a gun at your own head to summon a Persona in stylish turn-based battles. Persona 3 is considered one of the best RPGs of its generation, and this remake brings the experience to modern platforms with a visual overhaul that makes it look more like Persona 5.

Gaming

These Activision Blizzard games need to come to Xbox Game Pass this year

Sekiro easy mode mod FromSoftware Souls games gameplay difficulty

In October 2023, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and by the end of the year, the latter company's CEO had departed. Now, this will be the year where we’ll see how Activision Blizzard functions when fully integrated into Microsoft. The most immediate change for those who play games will likely be Activision Blizzard titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service.

Microsoft and Activision have explained that because of the tribulations the acquisition encountered, it was impossible to have Xbox Game Pass additions prepared almost immediately after the acquisition, as it did with ZeniMax Media. In the coming months, I expect we’ll finally start to see Activision Blizzard games trickle onto the service, even if we shouldn't expect it from this week's Developer_Direct. As Activision Blizzard is one of the oldest game publishers out there, having released hundreds of games, there are plenty of titles to choose from. I’ve cherry-picked the ones I want to see most.
Diablo IV

Gaming

Don’t start Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth without playing this Xbox Game Pass title first

Kiryu listens to a message in his earpiece in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The entire Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series is available as part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog, so you might be scratching your head wondering where to start. With Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth launching in a couple of weeks and shaping up to be “the series’ ultimate climax," the pressure is on to get into the series soon. Although every Like a Dragon game is worth a playthrough at some point for those who love crime dramas and video games with wild narratives, if you can only play one this month before Infinite Wealth launches, make it Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

This isn't the best game in the series; I gave it a three-star review when it launched in November. Despite that, I recognize that multiple factors make Like a Dragon Gaiden the perfect game in the series to get into before you play Infinite Wealth. And as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release, this two-month-old title cements itself as a must-play this month.