Xbox Game Pass grants access to a wide variety of titles, including a selection of excellent multiplayer games. When it comes to multiplayer gaming, tastes vary: some prefer to team up with friends and work together to take down enemies, while others prefer a more cutthroat, competitive scene. Whatever the case, Game Pass has got players covered. From player-versus-enemy RPGs to player-versus-player shooters to survival games that seamlessly blend the two,
But the Game Pass library is always shifting as new games are added and old ones removed. It’s important to check back regularly to see what multiplayer games are new on the service, and which ones have quietly disappeared. It can be difficult to browse through each genre, not to mention getting a friend group to agree on a single one. Here are some recommendations to guide the search for multiplayer titles on Xbox Game Pass.
Chivalry 2 is a PvP hack-and-slash action game that plays like a classic shooter gone medieval. Players trade in guns and grenades for swords and shields. There’s a selection of four playable classes in Chivalry 2, and each one can be further customized via weapon loadouts and cosmetics. There are also a variety of familiar game modes: team deathmatch, last team standing, and free-for-all, but the game really shines in its team objective maps. One team is cast as the attacker, the other as the defender, and each is assigned a variety of unique objectives with a strict time limit.
Chivalry 2 offers gleeful chaos across all its multiplayer modes, whether it’s launching a teammate across the map with a catapult or slapping an enemy with a raw fish. It’s a great game for a group of friends, since every match provides something to laugh at together. Of course, players can take the time to learn its mechanics and actually get good at Chivalry 2, but it’s fun regardless of skill level.
Golf With Your Friends does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a mini golf simulator with fourteen official courses, and a plethora of player-designed maps. These aren’t the typical mini-golf matches, though: they boast ridiculous hazards, like bounce pads, bumpers, and lazy rivers. These can completely destroy even the most well-aligned putt, but clever players can use them to pull off inconceivable trick shots. There are also a wide variety of custom difficulty settings to make things more interesting: turn on collision to activate PvP, or crank the gravity down to the minimum and watch those balls fly.
It’s right there in the name: Golf With Your Friends is a crowd pleaser. It’s just as fun for casual players as it is for video game veterans. It’s the perfect party game, since it can be played in hot seat multiplayer with a single controller. It’s good, clean fun, and with tons of secret routes and new player-made courses being released every day, players will never run out of content.
Any racing game aficionado doesn’t need to be told about Forza Motorsport. But for the uninitiated, Forza is Xbox’s best racing game series. It prides itself on realism: all the cars players can buy, customize, and race are accurate recreations of actual vehicles, and they can drive along faithful renditions of real-life tracks. Players can rack up impressive collections of cars, and customize each one both internally and externally. Win more spots on the podium, and earn more money to buy more cars.
Forza Motorsport has a slightly steeper learning curve: it’s not as easy to jump into and win as, say, Mario Kart. Still, it has many tools to help new players learn. Practice makes perfect, and realistic races against friends or strangers are always thrilling. Those who want a multiplayer racing game on Game Pass need look no further than Forza – it has just about every feature they could ask for.
Before there was Helldivers 2, there was Deep Rock Galactic. It’s a co-op multiplayer mining game, in which a colorful cast of profit-minded space dwarves delve deep into dangerous caves on distant planets. They endeavor to bring back a variety of mined materials, which they can then use to improve their space station, upgrade their tools, and buy new beard styles. And they do it all while fending off hordes of giant bugs bent on destroying everything in their path.
Deep Rock Galactic requires a ton of teamwork – it’s technically playable solo, but missions go more smoothly (and more lucratively) when everyone works together. There are four playable classes, each of which has a unique skill set that incentivizes certain kinds of play. Someone needs to focus on mining, while someone else focuses on defending the party, while another person focuses on supporting everyone involved. Players have to stick together and communicate if they all want to make it back to the extraction point alive.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical online shooter played in teams of five. Players can choose from a list of 71 different Operators – heroes – each of whom has unique abilities that may differ from anything the other team has access to. This often leads to thrillingly asymmetrical matchups: players aren’t always working with the same sets of skills, and a big part of the game is knowing who to pick in response to different situations.
Even in 2024, almost a decade after its initial release, Rainbow Six Siege is worth playing. It still has a large fan base, and sales and free-to-play events provide it with regular influxes of new players. Game Pass players, however, have the unique benefit of being able to play it limitlessly at no additional cost. It’s perfect for anyone interested in a more competitive shooter on Game Pass; unranked games are plenty of fun, but there’s an in-depth ranking system and a significant esports scene.
First released as a Switch exclusive, Monster Hunter Rise has since gone multi-platform, even coming to Game Pass for Xbox and PC. Players select from a variety of weapons, each of which creates a unique fighting style, ranging from the acrobatic mobility provided by the Insect Glaive to the defensive adaptability provided by the Charge Blade. They then set out into distinct wild areas, each of which is filled with a menagerie of terrifying monsters. Once they’ve completed their hunt, they return to the hub area, where they can use parts and items they’ve found to craft better gear.
Monster Hunter has always been known for co-op, and Monster Hunter Rise is the most accessible game in the series. It’s perfect for veteran hunters to introduce their friends to its mechanics, or for a group of newcomers to learn the ropes together. Its battles are always challenging, requiring quick thinking and extensive familiarity with each weapon’s combos. Players can find unique ways to work together and support each other by experimenting with different team synergies, or share secrets they find in the open maps.
In the market for a less grounded multiplayer shooter? Titanfall 2 fits the bill. It’s much easier to pick up and play than Rainbow Six Siege, with easily navigated maps and a comprehensive, yet intuitive, system of progression. Its fast-paced combat is thrilling for players of all different skill levels. And of course, there’s Titanfall 2‘s unique mechanic: each player sees a meter slowly ticking down as time passes and they score points. They can speed this up by earning points. Once it hits zero, a giant mech drops onto the field of battle to assist them.
Titanfall 2 is generally considered one of the best shooters in recent memory. It has a single-player campaign, sure, but Titanfall 2 is best known for its multiplayer modes. From familiar staples like capture the flag to more unique conceits like the tactical Attrition, there’s a lot to experiment with in Titanfall 2‘s multiplayer.
Grounded is a classic survival game with a unique twist: players control one of four kids, mysteriously shrunk to the size of insects, as they explore the now-relatively-massive world of their suburban backyard. They’ll build structures out of leaves, weapons out of twigs, and rope out of spider webs. And speaking of spiders, they’ll have to dodge hordes of creepy-crawly creatures: ants, spiders, and beetles now big enough to swallow them whole.
So Grounded is a survival game, and it’s common knowledge that survival games are almost always best in multiplayer. What sets Grounded apart, though, are its crossplay and unique asynchronous multiplayer mechanics: one player can start a server, but the players they invite to it can visit it at any time, regardless of whether the host is logged in. A player may boot up the game to find their friend has made major upgrades overnight, or suffered a spider attack that left their base utterly destroyed. Whatever the case, these surprises keep Grounded interesting, and make it ideal for long-distance groups.
Final Fantasy XIV is an expansive MMO, recently made available via Xbox Game Pass. It’s well known for its detailed and engaging story, as well as its combo-focused combat and its variable Job system. Players can do just about anything in FFXIV: fight bosses, participate in raids, craft items, design homes, participate in PvP, visit in-game casinos, et cetera. The Game Pass edition includes the base game and its first two expansions – Heavensward and Stormblood. Xbox players of FFXIV can also earn a unique currency that allows them to spend their Microsoft Rewards points on in-game items.
As an MMO, FFXIV is all about multiplayer. While there are some challenges players can take on alone, most everything is better with a party. Even when they’re adventuring alone, the player will be surrounded by people, and FFXIV is renowned for its friendly and helpful community. It has an extensive system of mentorship, and veterans are inclined to chat up new players – termed “Sprouts” for the little leaf icons that appear above their heads. As a result, FFXIV is one of the easiest MMOs to get into, and its abundance of content can keep players engaged for years.