Xbox Game Pass Users Say New Day One Game Is “Game of the Year”

According to Xbox Game Pass subscribers, a new day one game recently added to the Microsoft subscription service is the “Game of the Year,” at least so far. And considering the new Xbox Game Pass game is the highest-rated game of the year on Metacritic, this declaration isn’t absurd at all. While Monster Hunter Wilds, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Schedule I, R.E.P.O, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 remain the biggest releases so far this year, they are not the highest-rated game of the year.

That honor briefly belonged to indie hit Blue Prince, another day one Xbox Game Pass game released earlier this month. And now it belongs to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which boasts the same score as Blue Prince on Metacritic, a 92, but the former is closer to a score of 93, which is why Metacritic ranks it above the latter.

Everyone that isn’t an Xbox Game Pass subscriber needs to pay $49.99 to play the tactical RPG. And the same applies to every Xbox Game Pass subscriber who isn’t an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, which is the tier that unlocks day one games. And according to the Xbox Game Pass Reddit page, those with a Game Pass subscription that isn’t Ultimate should upgrade it to get access to the new best game of 2025.

“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has to be Game of the Year,” reads the top post on the Xbox Game Pass Reddit page right now. “Currently hooked on this game, everything about it has been a 10/10 for me. I absolutely love the battle music , the characters you meet, combat, and the atmosphere. What a gem.

Meanwhile, the second top post on the Xbox Game Pass Reddit page right now is another post praising the game as one of the best Xbox Game Pass games of all time.

“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best Game Pass games I’ve played. Must play to be honest,” reads the post. “Probably the most surprising game of the year for me. Not really a turn based gamer these days but this game does it so well. Haven’t been hooked on a game this much in awhile.”

Of course, not only do the popularity of the post echo the sentiment of each, but the majority of the comments echo the sentiment.

“I tried it just because how good the reviews were but didn’t have huge expectations in terms of getting hooked to the game since I don’t really enjoy turn based games. But damn that prologue was amazing, it got me hooked instantly,” reads one of these comments. “Probably one of the best intros of a game I have ever played.”

For those interested in checking out the new Xbox Game Pass day one game based on all of these rave user reviews, should expect to put at least 30 hours into the game, though this is unfortunately based on early and insufficient data so take the approximation with a grain of salt.

“Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith,” reads an official description of the game for those interested in knowing more. “Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint ’33.’ And tomorrow we depart on our final mission – Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again. We are Expedition 33.”

RELATED: This Is the Best-Looking Xbox Game Pass Game, According to Subscribers

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available for $20 a month. For more coverage on it and all other tiers of the subscription service — 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.