Four games have been added to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate lineup, including three blasts from the past. The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service includes all content available in other tiers, including titles in the EA Play library and PC Game Pass games.
The new games include:
- NHL 24 (Console)
- SimCity 3000 Unlimited (PC)
- Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack (PC)
- Populous: The Beginning (PC)
Released in October 2023, NHL 24 is the newest game in the long-running series. An improvement over its predecessor, it boasts improved physics, a new exhaust system and passing system, and new total control skill moves. It also includes full crossplay for Hockey Ultimate Team and World of Chel, something missing from NHL 23.
First released in 1999, SimCity 3000 was rereleased under different names in different regions in May 2000, becoming SimCity 3000 Unlimited in North America. The third major installment in the SimCity series, it was nominated for PC Strategy Game of the Year at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Notably, it lost to another game listed above: Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri.
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack includes both the original Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire, an add-on that introduces five new human and two non-human factions, as well as additional facilities, technologies, secret projects, and more. The game is similar to the Civilization series and is set in the 22nd century in a sci-fi setting.
The third entry in the real-time strategy series Populous, Populous: The Beginning was first released in 1998 on the PC and was the first in the series to use 3D graphics. The player acts as a shaman leading their tribe against different opponents, utilizing magic to achieve godhood.
All four titles are available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers now.