Xbox Game Pass ends February on a lighter note (unless you’re big into Madden or Warhammer)

The back half of this month is EA Play-heavy

Sorry, Xbox Game Pass subscribers, but the back half of February is lighter than usual — unless you’re a PC player who’s all-in on Total War: Warhammer III, in which case, that might be all you need. Or maybe you’re partial to Madden every so often, and this year feels right. For annual sports releases in particular, the subscription appeal is strong.

Some of us sunk time into Xbox Game Pass inclusions like Contrast, Skul: The Hero Slayer, and Infernax earlier this month, and next up, Game Pass is adding Lawn Mowing Simulator, Madden NFL 22, and Super Mega Baseball 3, to name a few. Again, I feel like we’ve often been spoiled by Game Pass, so anything less than “oh hell yeah!” stands out.

What’s new on Game Pass in mid/late February

• Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Cloud) EA Play — February 15
• Lawn Mowing Simulator (Xbox One) ID@Xbox — February 17
• Madden NFL 22 (Console and PC) EA Play — February 17
• Total War: Warhammer III (PC) — February 17
• Roboquest (Game Preview) (PC) ID@Xbox — February 22
• Galactic Civilizations III (PC) ID@Xbox — February 24
• Super Mega Baseball 3 (Console) EA Play — February 24
• Alice: Madness Returns (PC) EA Play — February 28

As a refresher, especially since some of the best stuff on this list is gated: if you’re subbed to Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, then you’ve got EA Play access packed-in.

I was unironically pumped to hear about Lawn Mowing Simulator — I’m all for the dadification of the please-just-let-me-wind-down-in-peace sim genre — but this isn’t a wholly new addition. Game Pass is getting the Xbox One version of Lawn Mowing Simulator on February 17, but it was already playable with Game Pass on other platforms.

Play these games before they leave Game Pass

On February 28, Xbox Game Pass will shed several games from its library, all of which are actually worth highlighting. If you can squeeze them in, I would try to.

• Hypnospace Outlaw (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Killer Queen Black (Cloud and Console)
• Stealth Inc 2 (Cloud and Console)
• Touhou Luna Nights (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Special shout-out to Touhou Luna Nights (who???) — it’s the kind of metroidvania that’s worth Game Pass-ing, much like Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth.

Killer Queen Black is an arcade phenom that brought its sneaky, shouty competition to home consoles, Hypnospace Outlaw is a wonderfully silly internet simulation with heart, and Stealth Inc 2 is a puzzle-platformer that’s getting on in years but may still be worth a last-minute looksie. We’ve only got two weeks left, so choose accordingly.

Titanfall is peacing out soon, too; it’s going away on March 1, and it’s not coming back.