Xbox Game Pass has long been one of the most popular subscription services for gamers. With multiple tiers to suit a variety of budgets, Game Pass has some of the biggest games for Xbox consoles and PC. Its massive catalog gets new additions each month, including quite a few big titles that arrive on the subscription on the same day they release. And it’s not just backlog-worthy games on offer, either. Two of 2025’s day one releases on Xbox Game Pass made the cut for the coveted Game of the Year award nomination list.
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The Game Awards are a massive annual event in the world of video games. The presentation combines big reveals and trailers for upcoming games with a series of awards for the best games of the year. And the biggest title is, of course, the overall Game of the Year award. This year’s nominations are officially out in the wild, with voting underway. And two of the games on the list for best overall new game of 2025 also happened to be day-one Game Pass releases.
Game Pass Subscribers Can Play 2 Game of the Year Nominees for Free
The Game of the Year award has gone to some truly stellar titles in recent years, including Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023 and Elden Ring in 2022. Last year’s winner was PS5 exclusive Astro Bot, which came as a surprise to those gaming on other platforms. But in 2025, 2 of the 6 nominees for the coveted award were day-one Xbox Game Pass releases.
Both Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight: Silksong are in the running for Game of the Year in 2025. They make the list alongside other big releases Hades 2, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Banaz, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. In all, it’s a big year for sequels, but it’s also not a bad year to be a Game Pass subscriber if you want to check out the nominees before the winner is announced later this year.
Expedition 33 is a massively beloved turn-based RPG from indie studio Kepler Interactive. The game arrived on Game Pass when it released back in April and remains available as part of the Game Pass Ultimate catalog. The game snagged an impressive 92 Metacritic rating and a 9.6 user score, suggesting it’s likely one of the frontrunners for Game of the Year. But it’s not without steep competition.
As for Hollow Knight: Silksong, few games have been as eagerly awaited by a fanbase. The indie platformer finally released on September 4th as another Xbox Game Pass day one offering. This game also remains available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and can be played with PC Game Pass as well. Its MetaScore is a bit behind some of the other nominees, at a solid 90. But with the amount of fan love for this franchise, it’s certainly still in the running.
Unfortunately, Xbox gamers will have a harder time experiencing the other 2025 Game of the Year nominees. Hades 2 released as a Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 console exclusive, and Donkey Kong Bonanza is only on Switch 2. And of course, Death Stranding 2 is a PS5 exclusive. That means the only other nominee available to Xbox gamers as of now is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which is not part of Game Pass. It is, however, playable on the Xbox Series X|S at the very least.
Which game are you hoping to see snag Game of the Year in 2025? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in theย ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Paramount+
