Xbox Game Pass Adds Surprise Zombie Game Today

22.02.2024 - 15:43 / gamerant.com / Deep Silver / Xbox Game Pass / Pam K Ferdinand

Xbox Game Pass has added Dead Island 2 to its lineup of titles available to subscribers with no announcement from Microsoft or publisher Deep Silver. Two games were expected to become available on the service on February 22, but Dead Island 2 was not one of them. However, this wouldn’t be the first time a game was added unexpectedly, as Tales of Arise was also added to Xbox Game Pass on February 20 with no prior announcement.

Developed by Dambuster Studios, Dead Island 2 came out in April 2023 on PC, as well as last and current-gen consoles, receiving predominantly positive reviews from critics. Dead Island 2 became Deep Silver’s biggest launch to date, selling over a million copies in just three days and hitting the two million milestone by May.

Despite that, some people may not have yet played what many consider to be one of the best co-op zombie games currently on the market. Xbox Game Pass subscribers now have a chance to remedy that with Dead Island 2’s surprise release on the service on February 22. It's worth noting that, currently, it seems to be available only through Xbox Game Pass and not PC Game Pass.

It’s unknown if the game’s addition to Microsoft’s subscription service was accidental. On February 20, Xbox Game Pass confirmed six more games coming through the end of the month and into March, but Dead Island 2 was not on the list. Of the upcoming titles, Maneater and Indivisible will be returning after having already been in the Game Pass library and removed. Madden NFL 24 has been available on Xbox Game Pass but will now be playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming as well.

In addition to Dead Island 2, Xbox Game Pass added Inkulinati and Bluey: The Videogame to its constantly rotating catalog of titles on February 22. Inkulinati has been available on the subscription service in early access since January 31, but its full version 1.0 launched on February 22. A unique strategy game that was inspired by medieval manuscripts, Inkulinati is tougher and more complex than it looks at first glance. Bluey: The Videogame, originally released in November 2023 on multiple platforms, is the second video game adaptation of the popular children’s cartoon. It is a sandbox game that features a brand-new story and the voice actors from the TV show.

But for something a little more action oriented, gamers can’t go wrong with Dead Island 2. Though it offers online co-op for up to 3 players, solo players can have a blast as well. The first-person action RPG takes place in a Los Angeles overrun by zombies, about 14 years after the events of the first game. The city is under quarantine, and six survivors end up stranded on the wrong side of the fence.

Dead Island 2 is scheduled to release in February 2023, almost ten years