Good Friday and Easter Monday aren't federal holidays in the US, but a solid chunk of workers still get at least one of those days off. That means a three or four-day weekend for a lot of people, and Xbox Game Pass has a surprisingly strong lineup sitting right there waiting for you.
Here's the lowdown on three games worth actually loading up this weekend, including one that's about to disappear from the service.
GTA 5 is leaving again, so now or never
Grand Theft Auto 5 has a habit of cycling in and out of Game Pass, and it's doing the disappearing act again soon. If you've somehow never played it through the service (or any other platform, which at this point is statistically unlikely), this is the window.
The timing matters more than usual right now. GTA 6 has a confirmed November 19 release date, and once that drops, nobody is talking about anything else for months. Getting a feel for Los Santos before Rockstar's next open world takes over the conversation is genuinely worth the time investment. The story still holds up, the chaos still delivers, and the sheer density of things to do hasn't aged badly at all.
GTA 5's removal date from Game Pass hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but the game has already been flagged as leaving soon. Check the Game Pass app for the exact date before it disappears.
Why Arkham Knight still deserves another run
The next Lego Batman game is almost here after its Gamescom reveal last year, but if you need a Batman fix right now, Batman: Arkham Knight is the answer. Rocksteady's final entry in the Arkham series gets unfairly knocked for its Bat-Tank sections, and fair enough, those sections do overstay their welcome. But the core of the game, gliding across Gotham at night and stringing together fluid, rhythmic combat combos, remains some of the best superhero gameplay ever made.
What most players miss on a replay is how well the city itself holds up. Gotham in Arkham Knight is dense and atmospheric in a way that Rocksteady hasn't matched since, given that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League took the studio in a very different direction. With Gotham Knights having landed with a thud back in 2022, Arkham Knight is still the high-water mark for open-world Batman games.
Gotham's skyline at night
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is the weekend-sized Metroidvania you need
Tales of Kenzera: Zau from Surgent Studios is the kind of game that fits a long weekend almost perfectly. The whole thing clocks in at around 10 hours, which means you can start and finish it before Monday without rushing.
The game follows Zau, a young warrior navigating a world built on Bantu mythology, trying to resurrect his father by defeating three beasts for the God of Death. Surgent Studios founder Abubakar Salim drew directly from his own grief after losing his father, and that emotional weight comes through in every story beat. The combat runs on two distinct fighting styles tied to the sun and moon, and the exploration opens up steadily in the way Metroidvania fans expect.
For context on what's coming to the service next, Game Pass already has seven titles confirmed for April, including Final Fantasy 4 on April 7 and Hades 2 on April 14. But this weekend, before that wave arrives, these three are the ones worth your time. Make sure to check out more:
