Xbox Haters Be Damned, 2025 Was Goated And We'll Show You Why

Xbox haters look away because it is time to focus on why 2025 was a great year for the platform. And yes, Game Pass (along with all its controversy) has been central to that.

Most of us don’t like price hikes, I think that’s safe to assume. Especially when billion-dollar corporations justify it by playing the world's smallest violin about the hardships of the current economic crisis. Often, just after announcing record year-on-year profits.

In recent times, just about every subscription service has raised its prices, including the likes of PlayStation Plus, Disney Plus, Netflix and more. Another company which has joined that club is Xbox Game Pass.

We Hate Price Hikes

The Xbox Game Pass price hike in particular went down like a lead balloon, even with its most loyal customers and understandably so. In some regions, that price hike was as high as a whopping 50%.

To play somewhat of a devil’s advocate, depending on the Xbox Game Pass tier, Microsoft did announce more games to the service, more day one launches, an arguably improved reward scheme and the inclusion of Fortnite Crew.

Still, even with all those additions and perks, some Xbox Game Pass subscribers either lowered the tier to ease the financial burden or outright cancelled it. Again, understandably so, especially during the cost-of-living crisis that appears not to be ending anytime soon.

That being said, Reddit user mo-par has shared a lengthy post that details all the games that came to Xbox Game Pass in 2025, including day one releases and those that left the service. Spoiler alert: the list might be more impressive than you think.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Bethesda Softworks

But Xbox Game Pass Had an Epic 2025

In 2025, Xbox Game Pass included 19 first-party titles, 62 day one releases, 82 retro games, 62 Ubisoft Classics, five Electronic Arts titles and much more.

Some of the gaming highlights on Xbox Game Pass 2025 include:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Gears of War: Reloaded
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Ninja Gaiden 4
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• RoboCop: Rogue City
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Remastered
• The Outer Worlds 2
• Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

The list goes on. Looking at the full list, not that I’m complaining, but it almost feels like there’s too much choice.

You know what I mean, we’ve all stared at the Netflix options, stressing over what choice we should make.

The year 2026 needs to be a big year for Xbox if it wants to close the gap on PlayStation, and I can’t wait to see what other delights come to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.