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3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (August 2-4)

Key art for the console release of Valorant.
Riot Games

While leaks suggest that August will be a good month for Xbox Game Pass, it will take a little bit of time for Microsoft to get the ball rolling on that. As such, this is your last chance to play some of the great new titles that came to Xbox Game Pass throughout the month of July ahead of this wave of new titles. If you’re wondering what you should play this weekend, check out at least one of these three games, and you’ll have a fantastic time.

Valorant

Xbox gameplay of Valorant.
Riot Games

Valorant is now widely available on Xbox Series X/S with full controller support and cross-play with PlayStation 5. No beta access is required. While Valorant is technically a free-to-play game you don’t need Game Pass for, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get a lot of helpful bonuses within Valorant. Namely, subscribers immediately unlock all Agents and get a 20% match XP boost from playing. If you enjoy ultra-competitive games, the Xbox port of Riot Games’ 5v5 hero shooter is worth playing if you have Xbox Game Pass. You can also play Valorant on PC and PS5 now.

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Journey to the Savage Planet: Employee of the Month Edition

Journey to the Savage Planet by Typhoon Studios
505 Games

Journey to the Savage Planet hit Xbox Game Pass in early July, and it’s a fun, satirical first-person game where players explore a weird alien planet for a megacorporation that couldn’t care less about them. The adventure has hues of Metroid Prime as players spend a lot of time scanning odd flora and fauna on the planet, although it’s a bit more active than those games in terms of the delivery of its narrative, exploration, and combat. Journey to the Savage Planet: Employee of the Month Edition is available through Xbox Game Pass across PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It’s also on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5.

The Case of the Golden Idol

A man is on fire in The Case of the Golden Idol.
Playstack

For fans of indie games, The Case of the Golden Idol is a hidden gem on Xbox Game Pass worth trying out if you haven’t already. In it, players have to solve murders by piecing together context clues in the environment. Players find keywords by surveying each scenario point-and-click adventure style, and can then use those to stitch together the criminal, victim, location, weapons used, and more for each case. It’s the kind of game that makes you feel very smart while playing it because it’s full of “aha” moments. You can try The Case of the Golden Idol via Xbox Game Pass on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and the cloud. It’s also on Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, iOS, and Android.

Tomas Franzese
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
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