Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Stardew Valley and more indies are coming to Xbox Game Pass

By

Today’s ID@Xbox stream was packed with indie games galore, but the highlight of the show came from Stardew Valley developer Concerned Ape. During an interview on the stream, Eric Barone, the sole developer of Stardew Valley announced that the game will be coming to Xbox Game Pass.

Stardew Valley was originally released in February 2016 but has since exploded in popularity. The game, heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon franchise, gives players a farm to call their own, and a small town to live in. The game is currently available on PC, Switch, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox consoles, and will arrive on Xbox Game Pass later this fall. A concrete release date for the game on Xbox’s subscription service was not announced.

Chopping down a tree in Stardew valley.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Along with Stardew Valley, a decent number of other indie titles are coming to Xbox Game Pass. Aragami 2 hits the service on September 17, Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous arrives on March 1, 2022, Evil Genius 2 is set to launch on Game Pass in fiscal Q4 of this year, and Pupperazi is rolling onto the service sometime soon.

Related

The ID@Xbox stream wasn’t just about the indie games coming to Xbox Game Pass though. You can find a list of every game that appeared during today’s showcase down below.

  • Lightyear Frontier
  • Lab Rat
  • the Legend of Wright
  • OlliOlli World
  • Inked
  • Sam & Max Save The World Remastered
  • Aeon Drive
  • The Big Con
  • The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
  • Aragami 2
  • Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous
  • Pupperazi
  • Evil Genius 2
  • Stardew Valley
  • Library of Aruna
  • Spacelines from the Far Out
  • The Artful Escape

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Otto Kratky
Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
Xbox Game Pass has its own Super Mario Odyssey, and it’s a delight
A giant ghost is wrapped in chains in Hauntii.

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have a lot of advantages over the Switch, but there's one advantage Nintendo never loses: games. While Sony and Microsoft struggle to put out consistent exclusives, Nintendo always manages to put out fairly high-quality games on a monthly bases (even if some recent releases have felt like filler). The fact that you can only play Super Mario Odyssey on a Nintendo console will always be the company's ace in the hole.

Thankfully, enough developers have been influenced by Nintendo's design that it's not hard to find a great title that scratches the same itch as a Nintendo classic on competing platforms. Just look at games like the Pikmin-inspired Tinykin. Xbox has been especially smart about seeking out games like that over the years and adding them to Xbox Game Pass. It's done that once again with one of its newest additions, the delightful Hauntii.

Read more
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch
A soldier squats in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 key art.

After days of speculation, Xbox confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will come to Xbox Game Pass at launch. Xbox has not specified which platforms it will come to, though.

When Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was officially announced last week, fans immediately began speculating about its Game Pass status. It's the first Call of Duty title released since Microsoft successfully acquired Activision Blizzard, so a Game Pass launch seemed likely. While the announcement was initially leaked by a Game Pass notification, Xbox has now officially confirmed that the game is bound for the service.

Read more
3 Xbox Game Pass games to play over Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27)
Senua carries a torch in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

This was a big week for Xbox as it received its first console-exclusive first-party game of the year in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. We're also approaching a holiday weekend where you'll have a lot more time to play video games if you so choose. As such, there's one really easy recommendation I can make to people looking for what to play this weekend. Hellblade 2 is a very dark and mature game that depicts what it's like to have psychosis, though, so my other recommendations are a little more lighthearted.

The first is an indie game that launched in Xbox Game Pass earlier this month, where players control a cat exploring a city. The other is a collection of classic Pac-Man games that is leaving Xbox Game Pass very soon. Those two are worth checking out if you want some more relaxing, gameplay-focused fun this weekend after the intense experience Xbox Game Studios' latest offers.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Read more