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12 Days of Epic Games 2024 Round Up

My 12 Days of Epic Games series is complete!

In this second season of my 12 Days series we took a look at 12 different games that I have received for free during Epic Games giveaways, trying them out for an hour or two, or a chapter or two, whichever came first. I then decided whether to continue them online as content, continue them offline for myself or to drop them, content that they are no longer part of my backlog.

Now that the challenge is over, I thought it would be nice to do a wrap up post. I recorded the videos in advance so in the time between recording and the series finishing, I managed to secretly play through a few of the games to completion.

Day 1 – Recipe for Disaster (2022)

Recipe for Disaster is a management sim that captures the fast-paced, drama-filled environment of a professional kitchen and dining room. Build your dream restaurant, create recipes, design menus and manage your staff, all while contending with demanding customers and disastrous situations!

While I thought that Recipe for Disaster was doing something interesting with its menu creator, it turned out to be a very forgettable experience for me. Despite being one of the longer videos, I did move on from it completely once the video was done. I am always on the look out for the management games that scratch the itch that I have, but unfortunately this wasn’t the one for me.

Ranking – That’s enough for me.
Current Status – Dropped.

Day 2 – Frostpunk (2018)

Frostpunk is the first society survival game. As the ruler of the last city on Earth, it is your duty to manage both its citizens and infrastructure. What decisions will you make to ensure your society’s survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process?

Oh man.. Frostpunk. Les than one week after I finished recording, I had completed the entire scenario. By then, it felt like a shame not to show how it ended so I managed to find a way to add it in to the video.

This was my favourite game in the entire 12 days and I think that is for good reason. The tension kept me on my toes throughout, every decision made me question whether I had made the correct choice. The desperation was palpable and the stress had me sweating, despite the bitter cold my colony were trying so hard to survive.

An extremely memorable experience and I am really glad I have it on video for memories sake even if it isn’t a full Let’s Play.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed the scenario and moved on. May try other scenarios in the future if I ever run out of new games to play and get the itch.

Day 3 – Transistor (2014)

Discover the world of Transistor, a sci-fi-themed action RPG from the creators of Bastion.

I am a little sad that Transistor didn’t hit for me the way it seems to have for a lot of others. I found the combat difficult to navigate and the story even more so.

I respect a game that doesn’t drown you in exposition. Naturally, when a story is set in its own world like this it will take time to learn about, but I have discovered that I like at least a little more handholding than Transistor offers. Having said all of that, since playing I have enjoyed what I heard about the story while listening to podcasts and will look forward to seeing the full game vicariously as a Let’s Play with this new context.

Ranking – That’s enough for me/watch someone else.
Current Status – Have listened to a podcast, looking for a Let’s Play to watch.

Day 4 – The Spectrum Retreat (2018)

Check-in to The Spectrum Retreat for a stay you won’t forget. Manipulate your way to the truth in this captivating narrative-driven puzzler.

I really liked The Spectrum Retreat as a first person puzzler. I went on to finish the game and I think it was the perfect length, never overstaying it’s welcome while regularly revealing more of the story as you go (it evolved after the video ended and I like where it went). The puzzle difficulty never got too much, adding in fun new mechanics each chapter to keep it fresh.

A pleasant surprise and an easy recommendation.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 5 – The First Tree (2017)

A beautiful, 3rd-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Uncover artifacts from the son’s life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree.

It is never a good feeling to not gel with a game, especially an indie and especially during recording. But there were a lot of reasons The First Tree fell flat for me. Rather than get into a critique of the game, I will report that I did finish it, and that unfortunately did not fix my issues.

Ranking – Continue playing offline/That’s enough for me.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 6 – Death Coming (2017)

‘Death Coming’ is a non-linear puzzle game where you must harvest human souls ‘Final Destination’ style. However, pesky mortals are not your only problem, as the Agents of Light will do everything they can to stop you.

I liked Death Coming for what it was, but after some time away I didn’t find myself desperate to play anymore. I booted it up one more time just to be sure, and as I got back into the swing of it, I enjoyed seeing what the remaining chapters had to offer. More than anything, I feel like the developers must have had a blast pooling together their ideas, and I am glad to have played through this game.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 7 – 20 Minutes till Dawn (2023)

20 Minutes Till Dawn is a survival roguelite where endless hordes of creatures lurk from the dark. Craft an array of overpowering builds and eradicate waves of Lovecraftian nightmares. Will you be able to survive the night?

20 Minutes till Dawn made me feel very similar to Vampire Survivors. I enjoyed trying it out but there is no magnetism for me to get back in there to try to master it. I was going to replace Vampire Survivors with 20 Minutes till Dawn on my PC, but I realized it is fine enough to keep them both installed as they take up next to no space. I think one day the genre will either click with me, or I will drop it completely, but for now, I keep trying.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Still installed.

Day 8 – Loop Hero (2021)

The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos. Wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero.

Considering how much I enjoyed this one, it is shocking how little I remember about how it played. I shelved it immediately as I knew that I could sink a lot of hours into it, but in the few weeks that have passed, I can barely remember the gameplay loop.

That doesn’t put me off continuing though, I know that it will all come back to me when the time comes and I look forward to seeing how it escalates.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Still installed.

Day 9 – Breathedge (2021)

Survive in outer space! Together with your immortal chicken, discover the truth behind your sudden spaceship crash. Craft tools, pilot vehicles, and even control space stations to survive and explore the wreckage.

Breathedge is a game I enjoyed as I was playing it, but am hesitant to say that I will definitely play the full thing through. Going out on little expeditions and gradually upgrading my equipment is fun, but I do wonder how long that fun will last.

I am so thoroughly confused as to how I am remembering this as a chill game that I could perhaps listen to a podcast to, yet we were in such a precarious situation in the most dangerous setting there is. I will find out whether the podcast idea works out when I pick it back up soon enough.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Still installed.

Day 10 – Beyond Blue (2020)

Beyond Blue is a single-player narrative adventure that takes you deep into our planet’s beating blue heart. Explore the awesome wonder and unbounded mystery that exists within the world’s ocean.

Beyond Blue is the game that I always wanted. It isn’t a huge game, but the focus on the ocean and what lives within, having an ongoing story while giving you the freedom to take your time, educating you while entertaining you, all create a Noob tailored combo that I would love to see more of. I, predictably, ended up spending a lot of time in photo mode, the results of which will be shared on the blog soon enough.

While I am most interested in the life below, I was grateful that the game took the time to acknowledge the people that work in the field. I had no idea the sacrifices they make, but their passion is clear and it is a good thing we have people like them in the world, striving to not only understand, but do so in an ethical way.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 11 – Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018)

Story-driven open-world RPG that immerses you in an epic adventure in the Holy Roman Empire. Avenge your parents’ death as you battle invading forces, go on game-changing quests, and make influential choices. Explore castles, forests, villages and other realistic settings in medieval Bohemia!

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was more difficult than I expected, but also so much more engaging. I love a dramatic story like this and I am curious to see the twists and turns that may be presented as the narrative unfolds.

I am still intimidated by the gameplay. Research has told me that you can get quite strong to make the game easier, however that is my biggest worry about continuing online. Either way, I had loads of fun and would love to see how the story continues one day, despite the game not making it to my 2025 backlog list.

Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Not on my immediate backlog but would like to play fully in the future.

Day 12 – Wilmot’s Warehouse (2019)

Wilmot’s Warehouse is a puzzle game about keeping a warehouse running in tip-top shape. Just remember where you put everything, because when the service hatch opens, you’ll need to find the things people want quickly, in order to earn the coveted Performance Stars.

Wilmot’s Warehouse is even more niche than I expected. I didn’t know 100% what to expect going in, but it is literally exactly as the description says. It is the kind of game that is satisfying when it goes well, and makes my brain itch in all of the wrong ways when it doesn’t.

I have played more since the video and appear to be exactly half way through. I am enjoying it but almost feel as though I have had my fill. I will continue as I have a feeling it is going to become absolute chaos, but I have to admit, the game running slightly long for what it is for me.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Half way through. I don’t know how I am going to do the rest 😂

Playing new games always feels nice. Even if I don’t like the game, removing it from my backlog list is satisfying in itself. Playing so many in a short space of time doesn’t really reflect a natural way of consuming games, but I think I will always enjoy it.

We had some very different results when compared to Season 1. It has been great to play through some of the ‘continue offline’ games during my holiday, and I am going to strive to finish them all up throughout the year, as well as Tunic which is the only game that remains from the Game Pass season.

Continuing online

  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance (very unlikely though)

Continuing offline

  • Frostpunk
  • The Spectrum Retreat
  • The First Tree
  • Death Coming
  • 20 Minutes till Dawn
  • Loop Hero
  • Breathedge
  • Beyond Blue
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance
  • Wilmot’s Warehouse

Thats enough for me

  • Recipe for Disaster
  • Transistor

More end of year content

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Game Service Roundup – June 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is the closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to online play. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games*. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* Occasionally there will be more or less.

June PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 6th June 2023 – Monday 3rd July 2023
  • Jurassic World Evolution 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • NBA 2K23 (PS5/PS4)
  • Trek to Yomi (PS5/PS4)
July PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 4th July 2023
  • Alan Wake Remastered (PS5/PS4)
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (PS5/PS4)
  • Endling – Extinction is Forever (PS5/PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

June 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 20th
  • Soulstice (PS5)
  • Conan Exiles (PS5/PS4)
  • DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace (PS5/PS4)
  • Elex 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • Far Cry 6 (PS5/PS4)
  • Hundred Days: Winemaking Simulator (PS5/PS4)
  • Inscryption (PS5/PS4)
  • MX vs ATV Legends (PS5/PS4)
  • My Friend Peppa Pig (PS5/PS4)
  • PAW Patrol Mighty Pups: Save Adventure Bay!(PS5/PS4)
  • Redout 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • Rogue Legacy 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition (PS5/PS4)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (PS5/PS4)
  • A Hat in Time (PS4)
  • Carto (PS4)
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4)
  • Dodgeball Academia (PS4)
  • Forager (PS4)
  • Killing Floor 2 (PS4)
  • Lonely Mountain: Downhill (PS4)
  • Tacoma (PS4)
  • Thief (PS4)
  • Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York (PS4)
  • The Wild at Heart (PS4)
June 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 20th
  • Coded Soul (PS5/PS4) (Asia Region)
  • Herc’s Adventures (PS5/PS4)
  • Killzone: Liberation (PS5/PS4)
  • Worms (PS5/PS4)
  • Game Trial – WWE2K23
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in June 2023
  • 9 Monkeys of Shaolin
  • Agents of Mayhem
  • Ash of Gods: Redemption
  • Black Mirror
  • Defense Grid 2
  • Descenders
  • Fire Pro Wrestling World
  • Gods Will Fall
  • Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf
  • John Wick Hex
  • KeyWe
  • NSR: No Straight Roads: Encore Edition
  • Party Hard
  • Redeemed
  • Red Faction
  • Red Faction II
  • Wytchwood
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in July 2023 | Dates may vary
  • Bioshock Remastered
  • Bioshock 2 Remastered
  • Bioshock Infinite
  • Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
  • Fluster Cluck
  • Marvel’s Avengers
  • Raiden V Directors Cut
  • Rogue Stormers
  • Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell
  • Stray

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

June 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • The Big Con
  • Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
  • Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer
  • Hypnospace Outlaw
  • Amnesia: The Bunker
  • Rune Factory 4 Special
  • Dordogne
  • The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales
  • Need for Speed Unbound
  • Bramble: The Mountain King
  • F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch
  • Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
July 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Wednesday 5th July – Sword and Fairy: Together Forever
  • Friday 14th July – Exoprimal
Games that left Game Pass for PC in June 2023
  • Thursday 1st June – Europa Universalis IV
  • Thursday 1st June – Evil Genius 2: World Domination
  • Thursday 1st June – Fifa 21
  • Thursday 1st June – Floppy Knights
  • Thursday 1st June – Lawn Mowing Simulator
  • Friday 16th June – Bridge Constructor Portal
  • Friday 16th June – Chorus
  • Friday 16th June – Maneater
  • Friday 16th June – Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition
  • Friday 16th June – Serious Sam 4
  • Friday 16th June – Total War: THREE KINGDOMS
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in July 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Saturday 1st July – DJMAX RESPECT V
  • Saturday 1st July – Empire of Sin
  • Saturday 1st July – Matchpoint – Tennis Championships
  • Saturday 1st July – Olija
  • Saturday 1st July – OMORI
  • Saturday 1st July – Road 96
  • Sunday 16th July – Exo One
  • Sunday 16th July – Paw Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls
  • Sunday 16th July – Spelunky 2

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free weekly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

Amazon Prime Games | June 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays
  • Thursday 1st June – Mutation Nation (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 1st June – Sengoku (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 8th June – Over Top (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 8th June – Soccer Brawl (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 15th June – SteamWorld Dig 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 15th June – The Super Spy (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 15th June – Top Hunter (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 22nd June – Autonauts (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 22nd June – Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 22nd June – Revita (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 29th June – Once upon a Jester (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 29th June – Roguebook (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 29th June – Gems of Destiny: Homeless Dwarf (Legacy Games)
  • Bonus game – Beasts of Maravilla Island
  • Bonus game – Calico
  • Bonus game – DKO: Divine Knockout (Amazon Games)
  • Bonus game – Double Kick Heroes
  • Bonus game – Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King
  • Bonus game – Tandem: A Tale of Shadows (Amazon Games)
  • Bonus game – Tiny Robots Recharged
  • Bonus game – Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Additional Prime Day Games
  • Wednesday 21st June – Prey (GOG)
  • Tuesday 27th June – Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 6th July – Shovel Knight: Showdown
  • Monday 10th July – Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for July 2023
  • Thursday 6th July – Cook, Serve, Delicious 3
  • Thursday 13th July – Nairi: Tower of Shirin
  • Thursday 20th July – Wytchwood
  • Thursday 27th July – Lunar Axe

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | June 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe
  • Midnight Ghost Hunt (June 1st – June 8th)
  • Payday 2 (June 8th – June 15th)
  • Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (June 15th – June 22nd)
  • Guacamelee! 2 (June 15th – June 22nd)
  • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (June 22nd – June 29th)
  • theHunter: Call of the Wild (June 22nd – June 29th)
  • The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk (June 29th – July 6th)
Free Epic Games | Announced for July 2023*
  • GRIME (July 6th – July 13th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month. Most of these will have been and gone already but it is interesting to see what games have been given.

Steam Giveaways | June 2023
  • Tell Me Why
  • Field of Glory II
GOG Giveaways | June 2023
  • Sunblaze
  • Sigma Theory: Global Cold War
  • Eschalon: Book II
  • Hell Division
  • Ancient Enemy
  • Beholder 2

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Game Service Roundup – May 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ The PS Plus Collection ended on May 9th.

May PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 2nd May 2023 – Monday 5th June 2023
  • Chivalry 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • GRID Legends (PS5/PS4)
  • Descenders (PS4)
June PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 6th June 2023
  • Jurassic World Evolution 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • NBA 2K23 (PS5/PS4)
  • Trek to Yomi (PS5/PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

May 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 16th
  • Ratchet & clank: Rift Apart (PS5)
  • Thymesia (PS5)
  • Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop (PS5/PS4)
  • Humanity (PS5/PS4)
  • Lake (PS5/PS4)
  • Soundfall (PS5/PS4)
  • Watch Dogs: Legion (PS5/PS4)
  • Conan Exiles (PS4)
  • Dishonored 2 (PS4)
  • Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (PS4)
  • Rain World (PS4)
  • Rune Factory 4 Special (PS4)
  • Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (PS4)
  • Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (PS4)
  • The Evil Within 2 (PS4)
  • Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (PS4)
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4)
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4)
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood (PS4)
May 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 16th
  • Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (PS4)
  • Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light (PSP)
  • Pursuit Force (PSP)
  • Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow (PSP)
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in May 2023
  • Balan Wonderland
  • Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham Asylum
  • Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham City
  • Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY!
  • Chronos: Before the Ashes
  • Deadlight: Director’s Cut
  • Dreamfall Chapters
  • FlatOut 4: Total Insanity
  • Graveyard Keeper
  • Homefront: The Revolution
  • How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition
  • Injustice 2
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance
  • Kona
  • Last Day of June
  • Left Alive
  • Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
  • Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man
  • Metro: Last Light Redux
  • Mighty No. 9
  • MX vs ATV All Out
  • NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
  • Pathfinder: Kingmaker
  • Pixel Piracy
  • Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered
  • Relicta
  • Resident Evil
  • Shenmue III trophies
  • Star Ocean: First Departure R
  • This War of Mine: The Little Ones
  • Tour De France 2021
  • TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2
  • Virginia
  • Windbound
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in June 2023 | Dates may vary
  • 9 Monkeys of Shaolin
  • Agents of Mayhem
  • Ash of Gods: Redemption
  • Black Mirror
  • Defense Grid 2
  • Descenders
  • Gods Will Fall
  • Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf
  • John Wick Hex
  • KeyWe
  • NSR: No Straight Roads: Encore Edition
  • Party Hard
  • Redeemed
  • Red Faction
  • Red Faction II
  • Wytchwood

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

May 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • Ravenlok
  • Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition
  • Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut
  • Shadowrun Returns
  • Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2
  • EA Sports Fifa 2023
  • Eastern Exorcist
  • Supraland: Six Inches Under
  • Planet of Lana
  • Railway Empire 2
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Farworld Pioneers
June 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Thursday 1st June – The Big Con
  • Thursday 1st June – Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
  • Thursday 1st June – Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer
  • Tuesday 6th June – Hypnospace Outlaw
  • Tuesday 6th June – Amnesia: The Bunker
  • Thursday 8th June – Rune Factory 4 Special
  • Thursday 8th June – Stacking
  • Tuesday 13th June – Dordogne
Games that left Game Pass for PC in May 2023
  • Monday 1st May – Tetris Effect: Connected
  • Monday 1st May – Dragon Quest Builders 2
  • Monday 1st May – Destroy All Humans!
  • Monday 1st May – Unsouled
  • Monday 1st May – Bugsnax
  • Tuesday 16th May – Umurangi Generation
  • Tuesday 16th May – My Friend Pedro
  • Tuesday 16th May – Before We Leave
  • Tuesday 16th May – Hearts of Iron IV
  • Tuesday 16th May – Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition
  • Tuesday 16th May – Her Story
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in June 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Thursday 1st June – Europa Universalis IV
  • Thursday 1st June – Evil Genius 2: World Domination
  • Thursday 1st June – Fifa 21
  • Thursday 1st June – Floppy Knights
  • Thursday 1st June – Lawn Mowing Simulator
  • Friday 16th June – Bridge Constructor Portal
  • Friday 16th June – Chorus
  • Friday 16th June – Maneater
  • Friday 16th June – Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition
  • Friday 16th June – Serious Sam 4
  • Friday 16th June – Total War: THREE KINGDOMS

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free weekly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

Amazon Prime Games | May 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays
  • Thursday 4th May – Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 4th May – Super Sidekicks (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 4th May – Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 11th May – Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 11th May – Lake (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 11th May – Robo Army
  • Thursday 11th May – Last Resort (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 18th May – Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 18th May – The Almost Gone (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 18th May – 3 Count Bout (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 18th May – Alpha Mission 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 25th May – Lila’s Sky Ark (Legacy Games)
  • Thursday 25th May – Agatha Knife (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 25th May – King of the Monsters 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 25th May – Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle (Amazon Games)
  • Bonus game – Beasts of Maravilla Island
  • Bonus game – Calico
  • Bonus game – DKO: Divine Knockout (Amazon Games)
  • Bonus game – Double Kick Heroes
  • Bonus game – Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King
  • Bonus game – Tandem: A Tale of Shadows (Amazon Games)
  • Bonus game – Tiny Robots Recharged
  • Bonus game – Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for June 2023
  • Thursday 1st June – Mutation Nation (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 1st June – Sengoku (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 8th June – Over Top (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 8th June – Soccer Brawl (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 15th June – SteamWorld Dig 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 15th June – The Super Spy (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 15th June – Top Hunter (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 22nd June – Autonauts (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 22nd June – Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 22nd June – Revita (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 29th June – Gems of Destiny: Homeless Dwarf (Legacy Games)
  • Thursday 29th June – Once Upon a Jester (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 29th June – Roguebook (Amazon Games)

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | May 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe
  • Breathedge (April 27th – May 4th)
  • Poker Club (April 27th – May 4th)
  • Against All Odds (May 4th – May 11th)
  • Horizon Chase Turbo (May 4th – May 11th)
  • Kao the Kangaroo (May 4th – May 11th)
  • The Sims 4 Daring Lifestyle Bundle (May 11th – May 18th)
  • Death Stranding (May 18th – May 25th)
  • Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition (May 25th – June 1st)
Free Epic Games | Announced for June 2023*
  • Midnight Ghost Hunt (June 1st – June 8th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month. Most of these will have been and gone already but it is interesting to see what games have been given.

Steam Giveaways | May 2023
  • Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War

If you have found this helpful please consider sharing on social media or with a friend. You could also check out my other work on the blog, YouTube and Twitch, and/or sign up to get posts delivered into you inbox below. Finally, you could consider becoming a member, where you can financially support me and stay up to date with my work as CtrlAltNoob.

Sign up now to stay up to date with the latest posts!

Game Service Roundup – April 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends on May 9th. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

April PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 4th April 2023 – Monday 1st May 2023
  • Meet Your Maker (PS5/PS4)
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5/PS4)
  • Tails of Iron (PS5/PS4)
May PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 2nd May 2023
  • Chivalry 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • GRID Legends (PS5/PS4)
  • Descenders (PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

April 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 18th
  • Bassmaster Fishing (PS5/PS4)
  • Doom Eternal (PS5/PS4)
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5/PS4)
  • Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS5/PS4)
  • Paradise Killer (PS5/PS4)
  • Riders Republic (PS5/PS4)
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5/PS4)
  • Anodyne (PS4) (4th April)
  • The Evil Within (PS4)
  • Slay the Spire (PS4)
  • Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (PS4)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PS4)
April 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 18th
  • Doom (PS4)
  • Doom II (PS4)
  • Doom 64 (PS4)
  • Doom 3 (PS4)
  • Dishonoured: Definitive Edition (PS4)
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in April 2023
  • 2Dark
  • 428: Shibuya Scramble (EU Only)
  • Croixleur Sigma
  • Gabbuchi
  • Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign
  • Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
  • Steins;Gate Elite (EU Only)
  • The Caligula Effect: Overdose
  • The Wonderful 101: Remastered
  • Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (EU Only)
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in May 2023 | Dates may vary
  • Balan Wonderland
  • Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham Asylum
  • Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham City
  • Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY!
  • Chronos: Before the Ashes
  • Deadlight: Director’s Cut
  • Dreamfall Chapters
  • FlatOut 4: Total Insanity
  • Graveyard Keeper
  • Homefront: The Revolution
  • How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition
  • Injustice 2
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance
  • Kona
  • Last Day of June
  • Left Alive
  • Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
  • Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man
  • Metro: Last Light Redux
  • Mighty No. 9
  • MX vs ATV All Out
  • NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
  • Pathfinder: Kingmaker
  • Pixel Piracy
  • Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered
  • Relicta
  • Resident Evil
  • Shenmue III trophies
  • Star Ocean: First Departure R
  • This War of Mine: The Little Ones
  • Tour De France 2021
  • TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2
  • Virginia
  • Windbound

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

April 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • Goat Simulator
  • Loop Hero
  • Ghostwire: Tokyo
  • Minecraft Legends
  • Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly
  • Homestead Arcana
  • Cassette Beasts
  • Quantum Break
  • BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
  • The Last Cast of Benedict Fox
  • Besiege
  • Redfall
  • Mass Effect 2 (2010 Edition)
  • Mass Effect 3 (2012 Edition)
May 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Thursday 4th May – Ravenlok
  • Thursday 11th May – Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2
  • Thursday 25th May – Railway Empire 2
Games that left Game Pass for PC in April 2023
  • Saturday 1st April – Cluster Truck
  • Saturday 1st April – Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
  • Saturday 1st April – Kracken Academy
  • Saturday 1st April – A Memoir Blue
  • Saturday 1st April – Chinatown Detective Agency
  • Sunday 16th April – The Riftbreaker
  • Sunday 16th April – Panzer Corps 2
  • Sunday 16th April – The Long Dark
  • Sunday 16th April – Life is Strange: True Colors
  • Sunday 16th April – The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
  • Sunday 16th April – Moonglow Bay
  • Sunday 16th April – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in May 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Monday 1st May – Tetris Effect: Connected
  • Monday 1st May – Dragon Quest Builders 2
  • Monday 1st May – Destroy All Humans!
  • Monday 1st May – Unsouled
  • Monday 1st May – Bugsnax
  • Tuesday 16th May – Umurangi Generation
  • Tuesday 16th May – My Friend Pedro
  • Tuesday 16th May – Before We Leave
  • Tuesday 16th May – Hearts of Iron IV
  • Tuesday 16th May – Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition
  • Tuesday 16th May – Her Story

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free weekly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

Amazon Prime Games | April 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays
  • Thursday 6th April – Wolfenstein: The New Order (GOG)
  • Thursday 6th April – Ninja Commando (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 6th April – Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 13th April – The Beast Inside (GOG)
  • Thursday 13th April – Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 13th April – Crossed Swords (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 13th April – Ghost Pilots (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 20th April – Beholder 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 20th April – Terraformers (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 20th April – Metal Slug 4 (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 20th April – Ninja Masters (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 27th April – Looking for Aliens (Legacy Games)
  • Thursday 27th April – Grime (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 27th April – Sengoku (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 27th April – Magician Lord (Amazon Games)
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for May 2023
  • Thursday 4th May – Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D
  • Thursday 4th May – Super Sidekicks
  • Thursday 4th May – Samurai Shodown IV
  • Thursday 11th May – Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition
  • Thursday 11th May – Lake
  • Thursday 11th May – Robo Army
  • Thursday 11th May – Last Resort
  • Thursday 18th May – Kardboard Kings
  • Thursday 18th May – The Almost Gone
  • Thursday 18th May – 3 Count Bout
  • Thursday 18th May – Alpha Mission 2
  • Thursday 25th May – Lila’s Sky Ark
  • Thursday 25th May – Agatha Knife
  • Thursday 25th May – King of the Monsters 2
  • Thursday 25th May – Kizuna Encounter

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | April 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe
  • The Silent Age (March 30th – April 6th)
  • Shapez (April 6th – April 13th)
  • Dying Light Enhanced Edition (April 6th – April 13th)
  • Mordhau (April 13th – April 20th)
  • Second Extinction (April 13th – April 20th)
  • Beyond Blue (April 20th – April 27th)
  • Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (April 20th – April 27th)
  • Breathedge (April 27th – May 4th)
  • Poker Club (April 27th – May 4th)
Free Epic Games | Announced for May 2023*
  • Against All Odds (May 4th – May 11th)
  • Horizon Chase Turbo (May 4th – May 11th)
  • Kao the Kangaroo (May 4th – May 11th)
  • The Sims 4 Daring Lifestyle Bundle (May 11th – May 18th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month. Most of these will have been and gone already but it is interesting to see what games have been given.

GOG Giveaways | April 2023
  • Under the Moon
Steam Giveaways | April 2023
  • Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

If you have found this helpful please consider sharing on social media or with a friend. You could also check out my other work on the blog, YouTube and Twitch, and/or sign up to get posts delivered into you inbox below. Finally, you could consider becoming a member, where you can financially support me and stay up to date with my work as CtrlAltNoob.

Sign up now to stay up to date with the latest posts!

Game Service Roundup – March 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends in May. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

March PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 7th March 2023 – Monday 3rd April 2023
  • Battlefield 2042 (PS5/PS4)
  • Code Vein (PS4)
  • Minecraft Dungeons (PS4)
April PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 4th April 2023
  • Meet Your Maker (PS5/PS4)
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5/PS4)
  • Tails of Iron (PS5/PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

March 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 21st
  • Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5)
  • Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5)
  • Haven (PS5/PS4)
  • Immortals: Fenyx Rising (PS5/PS4)
  • Life is Strange: True Colors (PS5/PS4)
  • Tchia (PS5/PS4)
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5/PS4)
  • Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4)
  • Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4)
  • Life is Strange 2 (PS4)
  • NEO: The World Ends With Us (PS4)
  • RAGE 2 (PS4)
  • Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (PS4)
  • Untitled Goose Game (PS4)
March 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 21st
  • Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1)
  • Ape Escape 2 (PSP)
  • Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in March 2023
  • WWE 2K22
  • Danger Zone
  • Dungeons
  • Ghost of a Tale
  • Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5
  • Override 2: Super Mech League
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
  • Velocibox
  • Victor Vran Overkill Edition
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in April 2023 | Dates Vary
  • 2Dark
  • 428: Shibuya Scramble (EU Only)
  • Croixleur Sigma
  • Gabbuchi
  • Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign
  • Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
  • Steins;Gate Elite (EU Only)
  • The Caligula Effect: Overdose
  • The Wonderful 101: Remastered
  • Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (EU Only)

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

March 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
  • Guilty Gear -Strive-
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
  • Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – The Prince’s Edition
  • Infinite Guitars
April 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Tuesday 4th April – Goat Simulator
  • Tuesday 4th April – Loop Hero
  • Wednesday 12th April – Ghostwire: Tokyo
  • Tuesday 18th April – Minecraft Legends
  • Thursday 20th April – Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly
Games that left Game Pass for PC in March 2023
  • Wednesday 1st March – Alien: Isolation
  • Wednesday 1st March – Crown Trick
  • Wednesday 1st March – Dragon Ball FighterZ
  • Wednesday 1st March – FAR: Changing Tides
  • Wednesday 1st March – Lightning Returns: FFXIII
  • Wednesday 1st March – Madden NFL 21
  • Wednesday 1st March – Octopath Traveler
  • Thursday 16th March – Goat Simulator
  • Thursday 16th March – Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
  • Thursday 16th March – Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Thursday 16th March – Paradise Killer
  • Thursday 16th March – Undertale
  • Thursday 16th March – Young Souls
  • Thursday 16th March – Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in April 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Saturday 1st April – Cluster Truck
  • Saturday 1st April – Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
  • Saturday 1st April – Kracken Academy
  • Saturday 1st April – A Memoir Blue
  • Saturday 1st April – Chinatown Detective Agency
  • Sunday 16th April – The Riftbreaker
  • Sunday 16th April – Panzer Corps 2
  • Sunday 16th April – The Long Dark
  • Sunday 16th April – Life is Strange: True Colors
  • Sunday 16th April – The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
  • Sunday 16th April – Moonglow Bay
  • Sunday 16th April – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free weekly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

Amazon Prime Games | March 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays
  • Thursday 2nd March – Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 9th March – Adios (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 9th March – I Am Fish (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 16th March – Faraway 3: Arctic Escape (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 23rd March – Book of Demons (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 23rd March – Peaky Blinders: Mastermind (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 30th March – City Legends: Trapped in Mirror – Collector’s Edition (Legacy Games)
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for April 2023
  • Thursday 6th April – Wolfenstein: The New Order
  • Thursday 6th April – Ninja Commando
  • Thursday 6th April – Art of Fighting 3
  • Thursday 13th April – The Beast Inside
  • Thursday 13th April – Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
  • Thursday 13th April – Crossed Swords
  • Thursday 13th April – Ghost Pilots
  • Thursday 20th April – Beholder 2
  • Thursday 20th April – Terraformers
  • Thursday 20th April – Metal Slug 4
  • Thursday 20th April – Ninja Masters
  • Thursday 27th April – Looking for Aliens
  • Thursday 27th April – Grime
  • Thursday 27th April – Sengoku
  • Thursday 27th April – Magician Lord

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | March 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe
  • Duskers (February 23rd – March 2nd)
  • Rise of Industry (March 2nd – March 9th)
  • Call of the Sea (March 9th – March 16th)
  • Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War (March 16th – March 23rd)
  • Chess Ultra (March 23rd – March 30th)
  • World of Warships – Starter Pack: Ishizuchi (March 23rh – March 30th)
  • Tunche (March 30th – April 6th)
  • The Silent Age (March 30th – April 6th)
Free Epic Games | Announced for April 2023*
  • Blazing Sails (April 6th – April 13th)
  • Dying Light Enhanced Edition (April 6th – April 13th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month. Most of these will have been and gone already but it is interesting to see what games have been given.

GOG Giveaways | March 2023
  • Lorelai
  • Neurodeck: Psychological Deckbuilder
  • Deep Sky Derelicts
Steam Giveaways | March 2023
  • Figment

If you have found this helpful please consider sharing on social media or with a friend. You could also check out my other work on the blog, YouTube and Twitch, and/or sign up to get posts delivered into you inbox below. Finally, you could consider becoming a member, where you can financially support me and stay up to date with my work as CtrlAltNoob.

Sign up now to stay up to date with the latest posts!

Game Service Roundup – February 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends in May. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

February PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 7th February 2023 – Monday March 6th 2023
  • Evil Dead: The Game (PS5/PS4)
  • OlliOlliWorld (PS5/PS4)
  • Destiny 2: Beyond Light (PS5/PS4)
  • Mafia: The Definitive Edition (PS4)
March PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 7th March 2023
  • Battlefield 2042 (PS5/PS4)
  • Code Vein (PS4)
  • Minecraft Dungeons (PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

February 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 21st
  • Borderlands 3 (PS5/PS4)
  • The Forgotten City (PS5/PS4)
  • Horizon Forbidden West (PS5/PS4)
  • Outriders (PS5/PS4)
  • The Quarry (PS5/PS4)
  • Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (PS5/PS4)
  • Scarlet Nexus (PS5/PS4)
  • Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4)
  • Earth Defense Force 5 (PS4)
  • I Am Setsuna (PS4)
  • Lost Sphear (PS4)
  • Oninaki (PS4)
  • Tekken 7 (PS4)
February 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 21st
  • Destroy All Humans (PS4)
  • Harvest Moon: Back to Nature (PS1)
  • The Legend of Dragoon (PS1)
  • Wild Arms 2 (PS1)
March 2023 Announced PS Plus Extra/Premium Additions | Available from various dates
  • Tuesday 21st March – Tchia (PS5/PS4)
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising (PS5/PS4)
  • Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5/PS4)
  • Ghostwire Tokyo (PS5)
  • Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5)
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in February 2023
  • Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders
  • The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition
  • Metro: Exodus
  • Pure Farming 2018
  • Rad Rogers
  • Saints Row: The Third Remastered
  • Sine Mora EX
  • SkyDrift Infinity
  • Sparkle Unleashed
  • The Turing Test
  • Whispering Willows
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in March 2023 | Dates Vary
  • WWE 2K22 (March 13th)
  • Danger Zone
  • Dungeons
  • Ghost of a Tale
  • Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5
  • Override 2: Super Mech League
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
  • Velocibox
  • Victor Vran Overkill Edition

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

February 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • Darkest Dungeon
  • HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED – Game of the Year Edition
  • SD GUNDAM BATTLE ALLIANCE
  • Madden NFL 23
  • Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
  • Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition
  • Atomic Heart
  • Merge & Blade
  • Soul Hackers 2
  • F1 22
March 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Friday 3rd March – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
  • Tuesday 7th March – Guilty Gear -Strive-
Games that left Game Pass for PC in February 2023
  • Wednesday 1st February – Donut County
  • Wednesday 1st February – Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master!
  • Wednesday 1st February – Telling Lies
  • Wednesday 1st February – Worms W.M.D
  • Thursday 16th February – Besiege
  • Thursday 16th February – Infernax
  • Thursday 16th February – The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom
  • Thursday 16th February – Recompile
  • Thursday 16th February – Skul: The Hero Slayer
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in March 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Wednesday 1st March – Alien: Isolation
  • Wednesday 1st March – Crown Trick
  • Wednesday 1st March – Dragon Ball FighterZ
  • Wednesday 1st March – FAR: Changing Tides
  • Wednesday 1st March – Lightning Returns: FFXIII
  • Wednesday 1st March – Madden NFL 21
  • Wednesday 1st March – Octopath Traveler
  • Thursday 16th March – Goat Simulator
  • Thursday 16th March – Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
  • Thursday 16th March – Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Thursday 16th March – Paradise Killer
  • Thursday 16th March – Undertale
  • Thursday 16th March – Young Souls
  • Thursday 16th March – Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free weekly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

Amazon Prime Games | February 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays
  • Thursday 2nd February – The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition (GOG)
  • Thursday 2nd February – Onsen Master (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 9th February – Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 9th February – Divine Knockout (Epic Games)
  • Thursday 16th February – One Hand Clapping (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 16th February – BATS: Bloodsucker Anti-Terror Squad (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 23rd February – Space Crew: Legendary Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 23rd February – Tunche (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 23rd February – Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (Amazon Games)
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for February 2023
  • Thursday 2nd March – Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
  • Thursday 9th March – Adios
  • Thursday 9th March – I Am Fish
  • Thursday 16th March – Faraway 3: Arctic Escape
  • Thursday 23rd March – Book of Demons
  • Thursday 23rd March – Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
  • Thursday 30th March – City Legends: Trapped in Mirror – Collector’s Edition

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | February 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe
  • City of Gangsters (February 2nd – February 9th)
  • Dishonoured: Death of the Outsider (February 2nd – February 9th)
  • Recipe for Disaster (February 9th – February 16th)
  • Warpips (February 16th – February 23rd)
  • Duskers (February 23rd – March 2nd)
Free Epic Games | Announced for March 2023*
  • Rise of Industry (March 2nd – March 9th)
  • Call of the Sea (March 9th – March 16th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month.

GOG Giveaways | February 2023
  • Alien Breed Trilogy
  • Biing!: Sex, Intrigue and Scalpels
Steam Giveaways | March 2023
  • Figment (Claim by Thursday March 9th)

If you have found this helpful please consider sharing on social media or with a friend. You could also check out my other work on the blog, YouTube and Twitch, and/or sign up to get posts delivered into you inbox below. Finally, you could consider becoming a member, where you can financially support me and stay up to date with my work as CtrlAltNoob.

Sign up now to stay up to date with the latest posts!

Game Service Roundup – January 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ Due to the first Tuesday of the month falling on the 7th, the announcement wasn’t made until February 1st.
⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends in May. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

January PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 3rd January 2023 – Monday 6th February 2023
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5/PS4)
  • Axiom Verge 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • Fallout 76 (PS4)
February PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 7th February 2022
  • Evil Dead: The Game (PS5/PS4)
  • OlliOlliWorld (PS5/PS4)
  • Destiny 2: Beyond Light (PS5/PS4)
  • Mafia: The Definitive Edition (PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

January 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 17th
  • Back 4 Blood (PS4/PS5)
  • Jett: The Far Shore (PS4/PS5)
  • Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition (PS5)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4)
  • Devil May Cry 5 (PS4)
  • Erica (PS4)
  • Just Cause 4: Reloaded (PS4)
  • Life is Strange (PS4)
  • Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (PS4)
  • Omno (PS4)
January 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 17th
  • Hot Shots Golf 2 (PS1)
  • Star Wars Demolition (PS1)
  • Syphon Filter 3 (PS1)
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in January 2023
  • Bound By Flame
  • The Council – Complete Season
  • Electronic Super Joy
  • Enigmatis: The Ghost of Maple Creek
  • Jumpjet Rex
  • The Last Tinker: City of Colors
  • Leo’s Fortune – HD Edition
  • Masters of Anima
  • Seasons After Fall
  • Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom
  • Space Hulk: Tactics
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in February 2023 | Dates Vary
  • Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders (Tuesday February 21st)
  • The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Pure Farming 2018 (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Sine Mora EX (Tuesday February 21st)
  • SkyDrift Infinity (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Sparkle Unleashed (Tuesday February 21st)
  • The Turing Test (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Whispering Willows (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Metro: Exodus
  • Rad Rodgers
  • Saints Row: The Third Remastered

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

January 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • Stranded Deep
  • Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition
  • Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
  • Persona 3 Portable
  • Persona 4 Golden
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
  • Inkulinati
February 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Darkest Dungeon (Thursday 2nd February)
  • HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED – Game of the Year Edition (Tuesday 7th February)
  • Atomic Heart (Tuesday 21st February)
Games that left Game Pass for PC in January 2023
  • Iron Harvest
  • Immortal Realms Vampire Wars
  • Tropico 6
  • Scarlet Nexus
  • Secret Neighbor
  • Outer Wilds
  • Gorogoa
  • The Pedestrian
  • Embr
  • The Anacrusis
  • Trigger
  • Nobody Saves the World
  • Pupperazzi
  • Windjammers 2
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in February 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Donut County (Wednesday 1st)
  • Worms W.M.D (Wednesday 1st)
  • Telling Lies (Wednesday 1st)
  • Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master! (Wednesday 1st)
  • Recompile (Thursday 16th)
  • Skul: The Hero Slayer (Thursday 16th)
  • The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Thursday 16th)
  • Besiege (Thursday 16th)
  • Infernax (Thursday 16th)

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free monthly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

⚠ Prime Games are being made available on a weekly basis from February 2nd rather than the usual bundle at the start of the month. They have renamed the tab on the website ‘Weekly Games’ so I presume this is their new model going forward.

Amazon Prime Games | January 2023
  • Faraway 2: Jungle Escape (Amazon Games)
  • The Evil Within 2 (GOG)
  • Beat Cop (GOG)
  • Chickon Police – Paint it RED! (Amazon Games)
  • Lawn Mowing Simulator (Amazon Games)
  • Breathedge (Amazon Games)
  • Dishonored 2 (GOG)
  • SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (Amazon Games)
  • The King of Fighters 2003 (Amazon Games)
  • Twinkle Star Sprites (Amazon Games)
  • The Last Blade (Amazon Games)
  • The Last Blade 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers (Amazon Games)
  • Metal Slug (Amazon Games)
  • Metal Slug 3 (Amazon Games)
  • Metal Slug X (Amazon Games)
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for February 2023
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition (GOG) (February 2)
  • Onsen Master (Amazon Games) (February 2)
  • Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield (February 9)
  • Divine Knockout (February 9)
  • One Hand Clapping (February 16)
  • BATS: Bloodsucker Anti-Terror Squad (February 16)
  • Space Crew: Legendary Edition (February 23)
  • Tunche (February 23)
  • Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (February 23)

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | January 2023
  • Dishonoured – Definitive Edition
  • Eximius: Sieze the Frontline
  • Kerbal Space Program
  • Shadow Tactics – Aiko’s Choice
  • Divine Knockout
  • First Class Trouble
  • Gamedec – Definitive Edition
  • Epistory – Typing Chronicals
  • Adios
  • Hell is Others
Free Epic Games | Announced for February 2023*
  • City of Gangsters (February 2nd – February 9th)
  • Dishonoured: Death of the Outsider (February 2nd – February 9th)
  • Recipe for Disaster (February 9th – February 16th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month.

GOG Giveaways | January 2023
  • Haven Park

If you have found this helpful please consider sharing on social media or with a friend. You could also check out my other work on the blog, YouTube and Twitch, and/or sign up to get posts delivered into you inbox below. Finally, you could consider becoming a member, where you can financially support me and stay up to date with my work as CtrlAltNoob.

Sign up now to stay up to date with the latest posts!