Sony is going to have a tough time following Microsoft in this month’s battle between PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. After recently proving why it’s the king of video game subscriptions, Microsoft is back with another big month of new releases for Xbox Game Pass releases in May 2024. Launching between now and the start of June, the upcoming Game Pass line-up includes heavy-hitters like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, which is a day-one launch on Microsoft’s monthly subscription service. The long-awaited Hellblade sequel will be joined by other big-budget game releases, such as entertaining Souls-like Lords of the Fallen, indie hit Chants of Sennaar and personal favourite EA Sports NHL 24 (don’t ask me why). It all kicks off today (May 14) with the release of the superb adventure game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which is playable on cloud, consoles and PC.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons will be joined by the aforementioned Chants of Sennaar on May 15, followed by EA Sports NHL 24 and Immortals of Aveum on May 16.
Business really starts to pick up on May 21, when Xbox exclusive Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 joins Xbox Game Pass (via cloud, consoles and PC).
Developed by Ninja Theory, Hellblade 2 can actually be pre-loaded ahead of launch, which means you can start playing the moment the game goes live.
“Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland,” reads the official description. “Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without.”
More games will join Xbox Game Pass on May 23, when Galacticare and Hauntii join the line-up. Galacticare is a light-hearted strategy game where the aim is to build interstellar hospitals in a bid to cure aliens of their bizarre illnesses.
Hauntii, meanwhile, is a stylish adventure game with a hand-crafted art style and unique premise. Playing as a brave yet naive ghost, users must solve puzzles and explore environments in a quest to solve mysteries.
A busy few weeks of new content continues when Moving Out 2 joins the line-up on May 28, followed by Humanity and Lords of the Fallen on May 30.
While it’s not perfect, I really enjoyed what I played of Lords of the Fallen, which features a world-shifting gameplay mechanic where you switch between realms. (I haven’t actually finished the whole thing, but it’s on my gaming backlog for this year, so watch this space.)
It’s a massive improvement on the original Lords of the Fallen from 2014, featuring a much superior combat system, more interesting enemies and some excellent visuals. It’s definitely worth a play if you’re waiting for the release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Finally, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to download and play Firework and Rolling Hills on June 4.
We’ll see if the May 2024 PS Plus line-up can match Game Pass when Sony announces the Extra and Premium games on May 15.
