🔗 Share this article

After Microsoft's latest announcement of Game Pass membership changes, including a cost hike for the top tier to $30 monthly, many subscribers are looking for fresh methods to maximize their membership. For those holding onto their subscription or thinking about joining, here are our latest picks.

Our selected titles include a acclaimed Japanese role-playing game, a charming independent adventure, and a superb puzzler set to leave the service soon.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

One of the top methods to get your money's worth from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, engaging role-playing game — and Persona 4 Golden matches that bill perfectly. Players take on the role of a teenager who has just moved to the sleepy countryside of Inaba. By day, your objectives include forming friendships, working part-time jobs, and keeping up with schoolwork. At night, you work to solve a disturbing string of murders by exploring unique dungeons themed around your companions' inner fears.

With a memorable group of heroes, strategic turn-based combat, flawless visuals, and a storyline packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is considered a classic for good reason. It also features a highly engrossing gameplay loop that will have you playing late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major titles like Ninja Gaiden IV are a primary attraction for Game Pass, the subscription also showcases lesser-known indie gems. A perfect instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by the animated classic, this enchanting independent adventure is a magical realist journey rooted in South American traditions. You follow Miho, who, after helping his grandma make soup, is transported to a vibrant world populated by potato-nabbing frogs and other eccentric creatures.

Sopa plays out like an learning-focused PC game from the 1990s, as Miho tackles challenges and helps the world's residents by collecting an assortment of objects. Even if it's a bit unpolished, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a sweet little experience that openly celebrates its love for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is scheduled to exit Game Pass on October 15, giving you only a short time to play it via your membership — and you absolutely should. Developer Geometric Interactive crafted one of the best puzzlers of recent years in 2023's Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its central puzzle mechanic focuses on transitioning among worlds inside other worlds, and frequently you'll carry those worlds, in the shape of vibrant orbs, alongside you.

While it doesn't have explicit instructions, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's challenges is built in a very natural manner, yet they can challenge you as well. 2023 was a big year for video games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was a bit missed by the masses. We should correct that now.