Xbox Game Pass February 2023: Atomic Heart, Madden NFL 23, and More

Xbox Game Pass is adding six new titles during the first half of February, which includes Atomic Heart as a day-one title. In it, you’re transported to a steampunk-ish utopian world where man and robot once used to live in harmony. A technological error caused the metallic beings to gain a mind of their own and wage war against humans. Armed with a power glove and cutting-edge weaponry, players are pitted into explosive encounters in search of the greater truth. Atomic Heart releases February 20 on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Just in time for the Super Bowl LVII event, Xbox is also bringing Madden NFL 23 to Game Pass. It will be available for free as part of the EA Play subscription, which is included in the Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

Atomic Heart isn’t the only gory addition to Xbox Game Pass this month, as Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition slashes into Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One, and PC, on February 16. This off-beat FPS deploys you onto a mythic Asian land, infested by demonic Yokai from Japanese folklore, in order to recapture an ancient dragon. Kitted with a katana and an arsenal of heavy firearms, you are set free onto the lands to slay enemies in a Doom-like, high-octane fashion. A bit before that, set forth on an epic, medieval adventure in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, as you build a party of soldiers, complete quests, raid camps, and command and engage in all-out battles against enemy troops. It will be available February 14, on cloud, console, and PC.

Cities: Skylines is coming to current-gen consoles by way of a ‘Remastered’ tag, which essentially takes advantage of their horsepower to show more tiles on screen — on par with the standard PC version. Arriving February 15 on cloud and the Xbox Series S/X, this city-building simulator puts you in the shoes of a mayor, as you design structures and streets, in addition to balancing basic public requirements such as education, law enforcement, healthcare, and more. It also features a day and night cycle, where once the sun goes down, traffic gets realistically slower. For the mecha heads out there, this month, Xbox is bringing SD Gundam Battle Alliance later tonight. In it, you acquire mobile suits and relive the greatest moments from Gundam history, which are getting tarnished by a mysterious phenomenon.

Beyond that, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers gain early access trial to EA’s response to the Monster Hunter franchise, Wild Hearts. Gates to the fantasy landscape of Azuma will open three days earlier on February 13, offering limited access to the game. If you decide to buy the game on launch, all progress and save data will be carried over, and you get a 10 percent discount for being an EA Play member.

Earlier this month, Xbox also brought the gothic roguelike Darkest Dungeon and the motorsport title Grid: Legends to Game Pass.

February 9
Madden NFL 23 — PC and console
SD Gundam Battle Alliance — PC, cloud, and console

February 14
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord — PC, cloud, and console

February 15
Cities: Skylines – Remastered — cloud and Xbox Series S/X (PS5 too)

February 16
Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition — PC, cloud, and console

February 20
Atomic Heart — PC, cloud, and console

Additionally, Microsoft has confirmed some titles to be leaving the service. On February 15, you can say goodbye to the Besiege preview, CrossfireX, Infernax, Recompile, Skul: The Hero Slayer, and The Last Kids on Earth.

And as usual, before they disappear from the service, you can choose to buy them at a 20 percent discount.


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Battlefield 2042 Coming to EA Play, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in Time for Season 3

Battlefield 2042 is coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In a development update blog post, EA confirmed that starting with Season 3, its multiplayer shooter will be included as part of its own subscription service, which also comes packaged with Xbox’s high-tier gaming subscription plan. The publisher has not unveiled a release window for the next chapter, but hopes to rope in wary players, who’ve avoided the game since its troubled launch in late YEAR. In December, EA has planned free access periods across all major platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

“We’re proud of the work that we’ve done over the past 12 months and so if you haven’t jumped in yet, starting in Season 3 we’ll be introducing Battlefield 2042 into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and making the game available for subscribers with EA Play,” the post reads.

With Season 3, developer DICE will reintroduce Classes to Battlefield 2042, placing Specialists within defined roles that see them equipped with a unique set of gadgets, suited to specific situations on the field. Similar to past entries in the franchise, Classes are divided into four types: Assault is equipped with a med pen, the Engineer has a repair tool, Recon players carry an insertion beacon, and the Support types have a defibrillator at the ready, for quick revivals. This will be deployed as part of Update 3.2, scheduled for the early part of 2023, which falls during the latter half of the aforementioned Season 3 multiplayer component.

For those who can’t bothered with EA Play or Game Pass Ultimate, EA has also confirmed a free trial period across all platforms, hoping to bring boost the player base for Battlefield 2042. The game was received poorly by fans and critics alike at launch, due to the slew of glitches, rendering issues, and underuse of map segments. EA cut down development costs on several iconic aspects such as destructible environments and a campaign segment, while not bothering to iron out bugs before launch.

Here are the details for the free Battlefield 2042 trial period:

  • PC (Steam): From December 1, at 11:30pm IST/ 10am PT through to December 5, 11:30pm IST/ 10am PT
  • PS4, PS5: From December 16, at 9:30pm IST/ 8am PT through to December 23, 9:30pm IST/ 8am PT
  • Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X: From December 1, at 1:30pm IST/ 12:01am PT through to December 5, 1:29pm IST/ December 4, 11:59pm PT

EA also plans to introduce a new Specialist soon, alongside a new battle pass, events, changes to the Battlefield Portal, and several quality-of-life improvements. Battlefield 2042’s “Manifest” and “Breakaway” maps are also getting reworked in season 3, with the latter receiving a “massive overhaul.”

In September, EA established Ridgeline Games, a new studio dedicated to the Battlefield franchise, that will focus on creating a proper campaign experience. The component has been lacking in recent entries, but will see a positive shakeup under Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto’s direction, who will lead the new Seattle-based team, composed of industry veterans. The publisher first spoke about building a new campaign-focused team for Battlefield, merely weeks after 2042’s launch, completely revamping their management. At the time, Vince Zampella, CEO, Respawn Entertainment — known for Titanfall and Apex Legends — was put in charge of the series, aiming to build a “connected Battlefield universe,” exploring new experiences and stories.

Currently, there is no launch window for Battlefield 2042 Season 3, but it will be out on EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate once that happens.


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FIFA 22 Is Coming to EA Play, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on June 23

FIFA 22 is coming to the Play List later this month, Electronic Arts announced on Tuesday. EA’s latest entry its popular FIFA series will be available at no extra cost with an EA Play or an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. FIFA 22 is the last of EA Sports’ titles from 2021 — including F1 2021, Madden NFL 22, and NHL 22 — to become part of the Play List. Meanwhile, the publisher also announced recurring member-only benefits for subscribers while playing FIFA 22.

In a post on Microsoft’s Xbox blog, EA revealed on Tuesday that FIFA 22 is coming to the Play List on June 23. EA’s Play List includes a list of several popular titles including It Takes Two, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Star Wars: Squadrons, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, as well as other 2021 EA Sports titles such as F1 2021, Madden NFL 22, and NHL 22.

EA Play, which is included as part of an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, will offer member-only challenges and in-game rewards on FIFA 22 later this month, according to the publisher. These rewards include Volta Apparel, coins, Ultimate Team Seasonal XP Boosts, and Stadium Sets. Members also have access to 10 hours of free playtime for new releases, and can purchase EA digital content at a 10 percent discount.

FIFA 22 Review: More Arcade Than Ever

Last month, EA announced that FIFA 23 would be the last FIFA-branded game from EA Sports — following titles will switch to EA Sports FC from next year. EA parted ways with world football governing body FIFA which it had partnered with nearly three-decades ago, after they failed to strike a new licensing deal. The first EA Sports FC title after FIFA 23 will be unable to include FIFA-specific content such as the World Cup.

EA also began testing cross-play — also known as cross-platform play support — for multiplayer matches for current generation consoles last month. This means that gamers on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and Google Stadia can play Online Seasons and Online Friendlies modes with others across these devices. EA Sports could be working on adding support for cross-play on other game modes for the upcoming FIFA 23 title, which expected to release later this year.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — including EA Play, Xbox Live Gold/ Xbox network, as well as game streaming in select markets — is priced at Rs. 499 per month, or Rs. 5,999 per year on PC and console in India. EA Play is priced at Rs. 315 a month, or Rs. 1,990 a year, while EA Play Pro is priced at Rs. 999 a month, and Rs. 6,499 a year. Gamers can subscribe via the EA App, stores for PlayStation and Xbox, and Steam.


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