It’s no secret that January has been a pretty weak month for Xbox Game Pass thus far. While two major titles were added to the service this week, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate. Thankfully, a new day one release has been announced, and it’s set to arrive in less than one week. The game in question is Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, from developer Megagon Industries. The game will simultaneously release on Xbox Game Pass and Steam on January 21st, and will feature cross-platform multiplayer, so players will be able to compete, or work together to get down the mountain.
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If the Lonely Mountains name sounds familiar, there’s a good reason for that. Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is a followup to Lonely Mountains: Downhill. While that game puts players on the seat of a bike, Snow Riders features similar gameplay, but with a focus on skiing. It remains to be seen how the new game from Megagon Industries will stack up, but Lonely Mountains: Downhill was well-received upon its release. The Xbox One version currently has a 79 score on Metacritic, while the Steam version currently has a “very positive” rating, with more than 2,300 players having weighed in thus far. A trailer for Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders can be found below.
Everything shown from Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders so far looks promising, and it seems like the kind of Xbox Game Pass title that will convince players to try something they wouldn’t have otherwise. The Game Pass announcement for Snow Riders came from Megagon Industries, and not Xbox themselves, so we don’t know exactly how it will be offered. Since this is a day one release, we can likely expect it exclusively available through the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, but we don’t know if it will be available just on console, or via PC and Cloud as well.
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Hopefully the addition of a new game will help Game Pass subscribers feel a little better about this month’s options. While 2025 is off to a quiet start for Xbox fans, it does seem like things are going to turn around quickly. The company has a lot of big games slated to release this year, including several first-party titles that will be playable via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Next week, Xbox will have its first Developer Direct of 2025, and we know of at least three games that will be highlighted during the show: Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. A fourth game has also been teased for the show, and while Xbox is keeping a tight lid on what that might be, rumors suggest it will be a new entry in a “legendary” Japanese series.
Are you planning to try out Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders? How do you feel about this month’s Xbox Game Pass offerings? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
