These are the absolute best Game Pass games that you can play on your phone - Android

Android gamers have a whole new world open to them when playing video games on their mobile devices thanks to cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, formerly known as Project xCloud. Right now, if you look at the full list of every game you can play, you'll notice that you can choose from over 100, which might feel a bit overwhelming.

Luckily, we have your back, and we've picked some of the best ones of the bunch that we think you should check out first. This is by no means an exhaustive list — Microsoft has an impressive cloud gaming library full of excellent games.

You'll see some games come and go; such is the nature of Game Pass. But we'll be sure to update this when we can so that you always know which games to play on your phone. We also rounded up the best phones for Game Pass. And you'll need a controller for basically all of the games (save a few) before you can dive in, so be sure to check out our picks for the best controllers for Game Pass on Android, too!

The games

• A Plague Tale: Innocence
• Celeste
• Dead Cells
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Gears 5
• Grounded
• Halo: MCC
• Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
• Hollow Knight
• Minecraft Dungeons
• NieR:Automata
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Remnant: From the Ashes
• The Outer Worlds
• Undertale
• Wasteland 3
• What Remains of Edith Finch
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Yakuza Kiwami

A Plague Tale: Innocence

A bleak and grisly tale, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a gripping story of two orphans escaping the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death. It's more of a historical fantasy adventure than true historical fiction, but the way things are blended makes for an excellent game and a perfect one to kick off this list.

There's plenty of horror elements here, too, which is why I think of this game as grisly. The bubonic plague was no walk in the park, and it's interesting to see a story set right in the middle of it. You'll need to see two orphans to safety while avoiding the Black Death and enemy soldiers. This game is all about stealth, so be ready.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $50 at Microsoft

A truly gripping tale of survival in truly awful circumstances, A Plague Tale: Innocence will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Celeste

There's no genre that indie developers have perfected quite like the platformer. Celeste, with its beauty and challenge, is one of the most fun out there. You control Madeline and must help her "face her inner demons" as she climbs to the top of the imposing Celeste Mountain. As you might expect, it's not a simple hike to the summit as you jump and air-dash over obstacles that can kill Madeline with a simple touch.

It's Celeste's challenge that makes it stick in the mind -- it's been referred to as a "masocore" title. Every single section is difficult, and you will have to try them again and again to triumph. But the controls are simple, and the soundtrack is one of the best in gaming, so it's very easy to become absorbed in Celeste. If you want a difficult but enjoyable indie platformer, this is the game for you.

Celeste for Xbox One

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $20 at Microsoft

This indie platformer is beautiful to watch and listen to and a great challenge to play.

Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a game that we've praised quite often, including featuring it in our best Android games list. That's because it's a near-perfect blending of a Metroidvania and a roguelike with some Souls-like elements thrown in for good measure. It's truly a wonderful game, but it's intensely difficult.

Dead Cells features permadeath, but don't let that deter you. You'll need to learn your enemies' patterns to best them in the crazy combat. The combat itself is varied, and there are tons of different builds to suit every player. Since death is permanent in Dead Cells, you'll have to start completely over when you die. That means you lose all progress, equipment, etc., and let me tell you, it sucks to die.

Still, Dead Cells is considered by many to be one of the best indie games of the last decade, and for good reason. It presents you with a great challenge with plenty of payoff and reward when you succeed. Learning from your mistakes and failures is part of the fun.

Dead Cells

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $25 at Microsoft

Play as a failed alchemical experiment and survive an ever-changing environment in Dead Cells. It's some intense action all the way through.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

With its arrival on Android via Game Pass, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is now officially on every platform in existence. And it's not hard to see why it's become such a mainstay for gamers. As the latest in the Elder Scrolls RPG series, it offers an expansive open world and so many quests that you'll easily get distracted from the main story. Skyrim is a mainstay of the Bethesda RPG library, and the Special Edition available on Game Pass comes with all of its add-ons.

If you're looking for an RPG on Game Pass, you're in luck: Many of Bethesda's other titles have joined Game Pass alongside Skyrim. But if you're looking for a good fantasy RPG with various quests and stories, Skyrim's the go-to.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $40 at Microsoft

Bethesda fantasy RPG has it all: dragons, magic, and an expansive story with multiple side quests. It's a classic for a reason.

Gears 5

Gears of War is one of Microsoft's long-standing franchises, right there with Halo and Forza. The Gears franchise has been popular for its third-person shooting action and a grisly post-apocalyptic setting. Gears 5 came after short hiatus and reinvigorated the franchise with new life.

If you want the full breakdown, Windows Central has a comprehensive review. The gist is that Gears 5 has a decent campaign and plenty of game modes. Some of those include a lot of multiplayer content, which is awesome because Xbox Live Gold is included in the Game Pass Ultimate subscription!

Gears needed a change, in our opinion, and the fifth installment did just that. It looks incredible, it offers a ton of play options, and it's the evolution that the franchise needed. If you're a Gears veteran or want to give it a shot, Gears 5 is for you.

Gears 5

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $60 at Microsoft

Experience this fresh breath of life for the Gears franchise. This is the best Gears experience you'll find; it's the best that Gears has ever been.

Grounded

Grounded is a game from Obsidian, known widely for its fantastic RPGs, that mixes "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" with survival with some horror thrown in there for good measure. If you're an arachnophobe, beware of this game, I'll just say that. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it has been well-received so far.

This game sees you as a micro-human trying to get by in the jungle that is your backyard. You'll be pitted against spiders, poisonous mites, hungry larvae, and the usual survival staples like hunger and thirst. It's an admittedly tough game and can feel a bit difficult for new players. However, with a bit of practice and some resolve, you'll be well on your way.

Our friends over at Windows Central have done a great job putting out content for this game, so if you decide to hop into Grounded, be sure to check out their stuff. If you're just getting started, they have a beginner's guide for you.

Grounded

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $30 at Microsoft

Obsidian's latest game is less an epic RPG and more of a survival-horror game where you're shrunk down to a tiny size. You'll need to outlast the basics and the terrors in your backyard, like spiders.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo is a juggernaut of the gaming, specifically first-person shooter, space. Bungie revolutionized what a console shooter could be with excellent gameplay that got better with time, an interesting story and lore, and a thriving community. A lot of that carried over to Destiny, too.

The Master Chief Collection contains five games: Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4. Throughout most of them, you'll play as the iconic Master Chief as you fight off alien threats and save humanity. All of the games have their strengths and weaknesses, and some have special places in our hearts.

Whether you've been playing Halo for years or you want to check out what all the commotion is about, the Master Chief Collection is the premier way to experience the universe. There's an absolute ton to do with the extensive single-player campaigns, Firefight, and PvP multiplayer.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $40 at Microsoft

The definitive Halo experience, the Master Chief Collection contains Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4. Yep, it's all in one package.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an incredibly interesting game that I think everyone should experience. Not only is it beautiful and well-done, but it shows what it's like to go through life with psychosis. It's an eye-opening game and one that left me with my jaw dropped when I finished it.

Senua is a Celtic warrior who travels to Helheim to find the soul of her dead lover. Throughout her journey, she'll take on the horrors of the Norse underworld. It's a tense game, and it doesn't ever let up, making you question how much Senua is experiencing versus how much is the manifestation of her illness.

I can't recommend this game enough, especially if you want a good adventure that shines a light on life with psychosis. It's not very long, but it hits hard with beautiful vistas, intense combat encounters, and light puzzle elements.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $30 at Microsoft

Join Senua as she delves deep into Helheim to save the lost soul of her lover. This game is truly a powerful experience as you battle Senua's inner demons.

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is, without a doubt, my favorite indie game of the last decade. It's a near-flawless Metroidvania set in a world brimming with character, lore, and places to explore. It's an incredible game that I've played to completion on both PC and Switch; that's how much I love it.

It captures the solitary, lonely mood of Super Metroid. The story is incredibly engaging with its Souls-like obtuseness. It forces you to piece together what's going and what happened in the past to create current events. You play as the Hollow Knight, a lone figure armed with a sword on a quest to uncover what happened in Hallownest, a vast underground kingdom.

There are tons of things to see and do, several abilities to unlock, and a multitude of items to find to make your journey easier or to unlock previously barred-off areas. True to the Metroidvania genre, Hollow Knight is an endless treat to play.

Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $15 at Microsoft

This Metroidvania is the best of the modern bunch, and it even has some Souls-like elements thrown in, too. It's truly an indie masterpiece, and I highly recommend it.

Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons is an action RPG in the same vein as Diablo and Titan Quest. It lacks the depth and nuance of those giants, but that's okay. Think of Dungeons as a way to dip your toes into the ARPG genre with the familiarity of the Minecraft universe.

You'll be exploring, finding loot, and defeating hordes of enemies on your adventure, and there's plenty of replay value with greater difficulties (which offer better loot).

Once again, our pals over at Windows Central have extensive coverage of this game, and they've worked hard to provide everyone who plays Dungeons with solid guides. Be sure to start with the ultimate guide if you're going to try out this ARPG.

Minecraft Dungeons

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $20 at Microsoft

The Minecraft universe now has an ARPG to its name. While lacking the robustness and depth of the classics that preceded it, Dungeons is a great way to introduce yourself or someone else to the endless pursuit of loot.

NieR:Automata

At the time of writing, this is one of my two top picks for this list. Nier: Automata, stylized as NieR: Automata, is truly a wonderful game. It's difficult figuring out where to start with this one because there's so much about this game. It combines fantastic combat with a truly incredible story featuring the now iconic 2B combat android.

Nier: Automata is set thousands and thousands of years into the future. Humanity is nearly extinct from a war with alien invaders, and they send androids out to fight a new proxy war. You start as one of those androids, YoRHa No. 2 Type B, as she investigates alien machine activity at a factory. She meets up with 9S, a scout model, and together they learn the truth about the machines, the war, and their purpose.

Many people complete the playthrough as 2B and think they've finished the game. Ha, far from it! Nier: Automata contains 26 endings, one for each letter of the alphabet. Don't worry; only endings A-E are gameplay; F-Z are for some kind of failure state like self-destruction. In the second playthrough, you'll play mostly the same story as 9S, but once you finish endings A and B, which act as sort of a prologue, you get into the real meat of the game. Just play see it to the end of endings C or D (you have to choose one or the other), and you'll see why I love this game.

NieR:Automata: Become As Gods

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $40 at Microsoft

This thoughtful, engaging game is practically a perfect mix of beat-em-up gameplay and provocative storytelling. Just be sure that you keep playing even when you think you've finished the first time through.

Ori and the Blind Forest

One of the cutest games on this list, Ori and the Blind Forest came out to nearly universal praise for its platforming and Metroidvania identity. It's truly a fantastic game with tight controls, gorgeous visuals, an incredible soundtrack that is quite emotional, and a story that keeps you gripped the whole time.

We're big fans of Metroidvanias here, so Ori and the Blind Forest was an immediate pick for this list when we saw it'd be available on Xbox cloud gaming. I don't want to say too much more about this game because I don't want to spoil the experience for you. Seriously, try this game out.

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $5 at Microsoft

This emotional and beautiful journey will keep you gripped the entire time. The Metroidvania gameplay is so near perfect. This game is a gem to play.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

If you thought we gushed about Ori and the Blind Forest, then wait until you hear about its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Everything that made the first game great is even better in the follow-up, and we couldn't be happier. I haven't gotten a chance to play this game yet, but our sister site Windows Central gave it a glowing review. Considering how much I adored the first one, you can bet that I'll be giving this one a try.

Much like the first game, Will of the Wisps features utterly breath-taking visuals. I've been amazed at screenshots and videos. To accompany that and the near-flawless gameplay is a beautiful score to draw you into the world. The whole game just brings pure joy, and we heartily recommend it.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Free w/ Game Pass Ultimate, $30 at Microsoft