Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Two New Games, 27 Years Apart

Summary

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate welcomes two heavy hitters today: EA Sports UFC 5 and Diablo. These titles, released 27 years apart, mark the end of Wave 1 additions for January 2025.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can jump into EA Sports UFC 5 and Diablo starting today. These are the third and fourth games added to the service this January.

Diablo, a seminal hack-and-slash RPG, needs no introduction. Released in late 1996, it redefined the genre. UFC 5, the latest in EA Sports' MMA franchise, launched in October 2023.

These two games, separated by almost 27 years, unite on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, arriving later today, January 14th. While Microsoft aims for cross-platform availability, these titles are exceptions: Diablo is PC-only, and EA Sports UFC 5 requires an Xbox Series X/S for local play. However, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers with sufficient internet speeds can stream UFC 5 via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Xbox Game Pass Now Boasts Over a Dozen Activision Blizzard Titles

With Diablo's arrival, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate now offers 13 Activision Blizzard titles (counting Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy as three games each). This averages nearly one new Activision Blizzard title per month since Microsoft's acquisition in late 2023. While many more Activision Blizzard games await their debut, the addition rate is clearly accelerating.

Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games

GameDate AddedGame Pass Tier(s)Platform(s)NotesEA Sports UFC 5Jan 14UltimateCloud, Series X/SDiabloJan 14Ultimate, PCPCEternal StrandsJan 28Ultimate, PCCloud, PC, Series X/SDay-one release.Sniper Elite: ResistanceJan 30Ultimate, PCCloud, Console, PCDay-one release.Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward VectorJan 31Ultimate, PCCloud, PC, Series X/SDay-one release.AvowedFeb 18Ultimate, PCCloud, PC, Series X/SDay-one release.AtomfallMar 27Ultimate, PCCloud, Console, PCDay-one release.Football Manager 25Mar ??Ultimate, PCCloud, Console, PCDay-one release; exact release date TBA.Commandos: OriginsMar ??Ultimate, PCCloud, Console, PCDay-one release; exact release date TBA.

EA Sports UFC 5 and Diablo conclude January 2025's Wave 1 additions to Xbox Game Pass. Wave 2 is anticipated soon, possibly January 21st, aligning with Microsoft's usual Tuesday announcements.

Further Xbox Game Pass announcements may arrive before month's end, given the January 23rd Xbox Developer Direct. Microsoft confirmed this event will showcase Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, South of Midnight, and Doom: The Dark Ages, all slated as day-one Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titles for 2025, though release dates remain unannounced. Before the Developer Direct, six games leave Xbox Game Pass on January 15th, including Insurgency: Sandstorm and Those Who Remain.

$42 at Amazon $17 at Xbox