Subscribers to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate level of Microsoft’s service can expect a new day one game on December 8.

 

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will add Against the Storm on Friday, December 8th, which will be available to anyone with a gaming PC capable of running the game. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, but it gives subscribers a significant bang for their buck. In addition to giving users access to Xbox Live and all the games available in the vanilla Game Pass library, it includes cloud games and everything available to PC Game Pass subscribers.

PC Game Pass is self-explanatory – it’s Xbox Game Pass, but for PC games. In most cases, there is parity between regular Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, but there are times when a game is only available on one service or the other. This makes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate a great deal for anyone who owns both an Xbox console and a gaming PC. The next game coming to PC Game Pass but skipping console Game Pass is city builder Against the Storm.

Against the Storm was first released on Steam Early Access in November 2022 and has proven to be a major success on the platform. Thousands of user reviews have boosted Against the Storm’s Steam rating to “Overwhelmingly Positive,” making it a big “get” for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate when it exits Early Access on December 8th. And while there isn’t much to read at the time of writing, Against the Storm’s critical reviews are similarly positive, with significant praise for the city-building mechanics.

 

What is Against the Storm?

 

Against the Storm tasks players with rebuilding civilization after an apocalyptic event wipes it out. Players build and manage multiple cities, and the added roguelite elements make future runs easier and easier. The roguelite elements seem to be particularly popular, giving Against the Storm even more replay value than a typical city-building game. The game’s fantasy setting also makes it stand out from the rest of the genre, so it goes without saying that city builder fans should keep an eye on it. Its imminent availability on PC Game Pass/Xbox Game Pass Ultimate makes it easy for those interested to try it out without having to buy the game.

Against the Storm is one of two Xbox Game Pass games confirmed for December 2023 so far. The other is SteamWorld Build, the social city-building game that is scheduled to be added to the service on December 1st. While Against the Storm is a PC-only Game Pass game, SteamWorld Build will only be available to console Game Pass players.