A recent, and one of the newest, Xbox Game Pass day one games is currently the 7th highest-rated game of 2025, according to Metacritic. This puts it behind only the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Split Fiction, Donkey Kong Bananza, Despelote, and Death Stranding 2. There are a trio of unmentioned 2025 games with technically higher Metacritic scores, but these are re-releases rather than brand new games. Meanwhile, it is ahead of some noteworthy games such as Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Mario Kart World, Deltarune, and DOOM: The Dark Ages. However, it hasn’t been getting as much attention as most of the games above.
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The Xbox Game Pass in question is Abiotic Factor from developer Deep Field Games and publisher Playstack. For those unfamiliar with Abiotic Factor, it is a survival crafting game that can be played solo or with up to five others. And since its release it has been reminding subscribers of Half-Life.
As an Xbox Game Pass day one game, the game was immediately available with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC subscription when it released on July 22, saving subscribers from a $34.99 purchase. While it has flown under the radar of some, it has impressed those who have checked it out. This is not only evident by its 88 on Metacritic, but its glowing user reviews. For example, the Xbox Game Pass game has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam, thanks to a 96 percent approval rating across 27,513 user reviews.
This is the highest rating a game can earn on Steam. Meanwhile, it has positive reviews on the Xbox Store as well.
“I never leave reviews, but this game was so good it made me write one,” reads one of the aforementioned user reviews for the game. “Took a chance with this and I am glad I did. One of the best games I have ever played, so much so.”
Abiotic Factor‘s developers have been proactive in ensuring the game runs well and addresses player feedback – as evidenced by a massive launch day patch that fixed a lot of problems that were identified in pre-release playtesting.
How long Abiotic Factor is going to be available with Xbox Game Pass, we do not know. That said, three of the top highest-rated games of 2025, according to Metacritic, are now Xbox Game Pass day one games, an impressive return for the Microsoft subscription service.
For more coverage on all things Xbox Game Pass and all things Xbox in general — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.
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