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After Microsoft's latest announcement of Xbox Game Pass membership updates, featuring a cost hike for the Ultimate Tier to $30 per month, numerous subscribers are looking for new methods to maximize their subscription. For those keeping their subscription or thinking about joining, we present this week's picks.

Our selected games feature a beloved JRPG, a delightful indie journey, and a superb puzzler scheduled to depart from the platform soon.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

Among the top methods to maximize value from Game Pass is by diving into a extensive, captivating RPG — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition matches that description exactly. You take on the part of a high school student who has relocated to the sleepy countryside of Inaba. By day, your goals include forming friendships, working part-time jobs, and keeping up with schoolwork. By night, you investigate a chilling string of murders by exploring unique dungeons themed around your friends' deepest insecurities.

With a memorable cast of characters, strategic battle system, flawless visuals, and a plot full of twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a masterpiece for good reason. It also boasts a highly addictive gameplay loop that will have you playing late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major titles like Ninja Gaiden IV are a primary attraction for Game Pass, the subscription also showcases smaller indie gems. A perfect example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from Spirited Away, this enchanting independent game is a fantasy tale steeped in Latin American culture. You join Miho, who, after assisting his grandma prepare soup, is transported to a colorful realm filled with potato-stealing frogs and various eccentric animals.

Sopa unfolds like an learning-focused PC game from the 1990s, as Miho tackles challenges and helps the world's inhabitants by gathering an assortment of items. Though it's a little rough around the edges, Sopa is a sweet small experience that proudly celebrates its love for South America.

Cocoon

Cocoon is scheduled to leave the service on October 15, giving you only a few days to play it via subscription — and you absolutely must. Studio the creators designed one of the best puzzle games of recent years in the 2023 release Cocoon. Its central gameplay element revolves around transitioning between worlds inside other dimensions, and often you'll carry those worlds, in the shape of vibrant spheres, alongside you.

While it lacks explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's puzzles is designed in a very natural manner, yet they will challenge you as well. 2023 was a massive year for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure was somewhat overlooked by the masses. Let's rectify that while we can.