Xbox Game Pass adds a 2023 game with an 89 critical score

The Talos Principle 2 is now available at Xbox Game Pass. This is the 14th addition to Microsoft's subscription service in January 2026, with four more titles joining Xbox Game Pass before the end of the month.

The Talos Principle 2 is a first-person puzzle game created by Croatian studio Croteam and published by Devolver Digital in November 2023. Like its predecessor, players are tasked with exploring a tropical environment filled with a wide variety of puzzles and obscure mysteries while asking themselves some burning philosophical questions. This premise resonated with many reviewers, as seen in the game's rating of “Mighty” on OpenCritic, based on an average score of 89 and a 99% recommendation rate, placing it in the top 2% of all titles in the aggregator's database. purely by average score, The Talos Principle 2 is among the top 20 rated games of 2023.

The Talos Principle 2 joins 3 tiers of Xbox Game Pass

The critically acclaimed puzzler is now available on Xbox Game Pass, having joined the service in the early hours of January 27th. Like most other titles that don't come out on day one, The Talos Principle 2 is available on all Game Pass tiers except Essential. This arrival marks the first time ever that XGP members can play a 2023 title as part of their subscription. Although the official Xbox Wire announcement from The Talos Principle 2 when it came to Game Pass it didn't mention cloud support as a puzzle, which seems to be an oversight is streamable via Xbox Cloud Gaming. The game is expected to be part of Microsoft's rotating catalog of content for around 12 months, which is exactly how long the first The Talos Principle remained on Game Pass after reaching it in November 2019.

While its core puzzle mechanics differ significantly, The Talos Principle 2 is often recommended to fans Portal for its constant barrage of brain-teasing challenges presented in a first-person perspective combined with a sci-fi setting and a dash of humor. Compared to its predecessor, the sequel has a significantly different tone, trading solitude for a more pronounced group dynamic. A typical playthrough takes between 20 and 30 hours, although it can take considerably longer to discover everything the game has to offer, partly because The Talos Principle 2 has no shortage of highly obscure secrets.

Busy days ahead for Xbox Game Pass

In the last days of January 2026, four more titles will come to Xbox Game Pass. They are scheduled to arrive in pairs: Anna: By mutation and Drop Spirits they will come on January 28 and subsequently MySims: The Cozy Pack and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines 2 a day later.

All upcoming Xbox Game Pass games (confirmed release dates only)

Date	Game	Level(s)	Platforms	Comment
January 27th	The Talos Principle 2	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S
January 28th	Anna: By mutation	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, console, PC
January 28th	Drop Spirits	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, console, PC
January 29	MySims: The Cozy Pack	Ultimate, PC	pc
January 29	Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines II	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S
February 2nd	India	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S
February 3rd	Final Fantasy 2	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S
February 5th	Threat	Ultimate, PC	pc	Game Preview; first day of release.
February 13	High on Life 2	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	First day release.
February 26	Towerborne	Insurance premium	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	First release 1.0. Available in Game Preview on XGP Ultimate and PC GP from April 2025.
March 12	Exchanged	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	First day release.
March 26	Nova Roma	Ultimate, PC	pc	First day release.
May 19	Forza Horizon 6	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	First day release.

In addition, Xbox Game Pass already has five confirmed titles for February 2026, as well as seven confirmed departures for January 31st. Next month's Wave 1 lineup will likely be formally announced on February 3rd. Final Fantasy 2 will join the service.