Today is a great day to be a Game Pass subscriber

November is a rather miserable month, if you ask me. For a start, it’s chucking it down right now, and my flat is freezing. There are no longer any Halloween vibes lingering around, and it’s a tad too far from Christmas to feel festive yet. That said, Xbox Game Pass is certainly coming in clutch this month and keeping plenty of us busy.

Xbox Game Pass is typically throwing out stellar offerings left, right, and centre. We’re guaranteed at least one or two solid additions to the subscription each month, and November is no different, aside from the fact we get more than just two good games.

Last week, we saw Tom Orry burn his lunch as he let Vampire Survivors sink its claws into him, and I can imagine he’s very much not alone in that sentiment. Having arrived on Xbox Game Pass on November 10, don’t be fooled by the graphically unimpressive screenshots you may have seen.

Vampire Survivors is a casual game with roguelite elements that has you taking on hordes of the undead. One look at the most popular Steam reviews of, “and people still buy COD every year,” and, “Sex is almost as fun, meth would be easier to quit,” and you know you’re onto a top-notch gaming experience.

Joining Vampire Survivors on Xbox Game Pass as of today are two — in our humble opinion — game of the year contenders. First, we have Pentiment, what our own Jim Trinca has coined a “tapestry of historical intrigue” from Obsidian. The game takes place in a small Bavarian town over the course of 25 years, employs a beautifully illustrated art-style, and takes inspiration from historical manuscripts while also being historically accurate.

As you attempt to solve crime as Andreas Maler, in an era of great religious and political change, Pentiment offers an incredibly engaging way of exchanging stories and experiencing history.

Arriving on Xbox Game Pass today alongside Pentiment is Somerville. Yet another 5/5 scoring review from Tom Orry, Somerville is a sci-fi adventure from Jumpship, which is co-founded by Dino Patti from Inside. That said, and before you start comparing the games, Tom describes Somerville as being all the grander, despite some control quirks.

Somerville is more of an interactive adventure than a full-blown gameplay experience. It immerses you in its world as you piece together the story, and in Tom’s experience, was an emotive, affecting experience in all the right ways.

This isn’t all for November, however. We also saw Return to Monkey Island added to Xbox Game Pass on November 8, alongside Football Manager 2023. Then, we had the Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary introduced on November 11, which hid away one very neat Easter egg for fans.

How do you feel about this month's line-up for Xbox Game Pass? I’m personally keen to finally check out Somerville and Pentiment, but finding the time to play alongside my concerning addiction to Pokémon TCG Online is a tricky one.