Xbox Game Pass Just Stealth-Dropped a Cult-Classic Indie That You Have to Play

Xbox Game Pass just added a new cult-classic indie game that you have to play if you haven’t before. As of today, Xbox revealed the next lineup of titles that it would begin bringing to Game Pass for the month of August 2025. This array most notably includes Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which arrives later this week, in addition to Citizen Sleeper 2 and Aliens: Fireteam Elite. However, it’s an indie title from developer Videocult that stands out as the true must-play game of the month so far on Xbox Game Pass.

The game in question that is worthy of your time and attention is that of Rain World. Released originally in 2017, Rain World is an indie game that might not have the same name recognition as titles like Hades, Stardew Valley, Undertale, or Hollow Knight, but it has certainly cultivated a major following over the years. It’s also available on Game Pass right now as the first new game for August.

What’s fascinating about Rain World being so beloved is that it wasn’t always this way. When the game first launched, it was generally seen as a disappointment. Although it garnered praise for its unique visuals and design, it had numerous other shortcomings that resulted in critics coming down quite hard on it. Rain World’s Metacritic score is reflective of this as it boasts a dismal 59/100 aggregate rating.

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However, as the years passed, Videocult continued to improve Rain World based on player feedback. This coincided with new releases for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox that further spread the game’s reach and brought in new fans. Eventually, Rain World amassed such a cult fanbase that Videocult released new expansions for the game dubbed Rain World: Downpour and Rain World: The Watcher. This latter piece of DLC only arrived earlier in 2025, showing that Videocult is still supporting Rain World to this day.

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All of this is to simply say that there has never been a better time to play Rain World. While the 2D survival game was at one point thought to have been a failure, it has instead gone on to be one of the most influential indies of the past decade. Its addition to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC couldn’t come at a better time, especially with so little else to play right now. As such, if you’re a Game Pass subscriber yourself, I highly encourage you to give it a download.