Indie games are a wonderful way of experiencing art outside of the norm. There are plenty of titles that take troops to foreign lands in a military or otherwise competitive setting, or even fantasy titles set in a fictional universe, employing the use of healing, offensive, and defensive spells. But not many AAA titles turn the romance of a visual novel into psychological horror like inDoki Doki Literature Clubor allow players to perform mundane tasks in a relaxing setting like inMoonglow BayandUnpacking. Those experiences are typically reserved for indie games.
But oftentimes, indie games are criticized for being “too expensive.” Whether or not this is actually true is widely up for debate, is a complicated and broad topic, and can’t be used as a blanket term for all independently developed video games. Still, there are many frugal indie gamers out there who can’t afford to spend up to $40 on a single title that may not last more than a handful of hours. This is whyXbox Game Passis a great option for folks who enjoy playing a variety of indie games.
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The Affordability of Xbox Game Pass
Steam is a staple for many indie gamers who may choose to play them via PC over console. This is because many indie games aren’t extremely graphically demanding—though not all, such asValheim, for example—which means they’re more accessible to a wider variety of people because most adults have access to a laptop or desktop computer these days. But unfortunately, Steam doesn’t have any kind of subscription service that makes its catalog more consumer-friendly.
But Xbox Game Pass has a broad variety of indie games that players can toy with. Currently on its catalog are several indie titles that have been huge hits in the last decade such asUndertale,Celeste, andHollow Knight,as well as some that have become popular enough to sometimes lose that indie label on a holistic level, such asNo Man’s SkyandDead By Daylight. And then there are several others that have been big in the niche scene likeBoyfriend Dungeon,Carrion,Ikenfell,Unpacking, Spiritfarer,andSubnautica, meaning there’s something there for everyone. More games get added with each month, and some of them are even available the day they release, or Day One on Game Pass.
Unfortunately, despite how massiveXbox Game Pass’s rotating selectionmight be, it doesn’t encompass every indie game out there; in fact, it misses out on many indie games that get released, especially the ones made by the smallest developers. Still, Xbox Game Pass has a growing catalog, and even if the majority of indie games isn’t available through the service, it still allows gamers to play a slew of titles for just $9.99 a month, many of which cost well more than, making it an exceptionally consumer-friendly option.
