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After Microsoft's latest announcement of Game Pass membership updates, featuring a price increase for the Ultimate Tier to $30 per month, many subscribers are looking for fresh ways to get the most from their membership. For those holding onto their subscription or thinking about signing up, here are this week's recommendations.

Our selected titles feature a beloved JRPG, a charming independent journey, and a brilliant puzzler scheduled to depart from the platform soon.

Persona 4 Golden

One of the best methods to get your money's worth from Game Pass is by immersing yourself in a lengthy, engaging role-playing game — and Persona 4 Golden fits that bill perfectly. You step into the role of a high school student who has relocated to the sleepy countryside of Inaba. By day, your goals include forming new friends, working part-time jobs, and keeping up with studies. At night, you work to solve a chilling string of murders by venturing into unique dungeons based on your companions' inner fears.

With a memorable cast of characters, tactical battle system, impeccable art design, and a plot full of twists, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is considered a classic for many reasons. It also features a highly addictive cycle that will have you playing late into the night, night after night.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although big releases like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a key attraction for Game Pass, the platform also showcases lesser-known games. A great instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by the animated classic, this enchanting independent game is a fantasy journey rooted in Latin American culture. You follow Miho, who, after assisting his grandma prepare soup, is pulled into a colorful realm filled with potato-nabbing frogs and various eccentric creatures.

Sopa unfolds similar to an learning-focused PC game from the 90s, as Miho tackles challenges and helps the realm's residents by collecting an inventory of objects. Though it's a little unpolished, Sopa is a sweet little experience that proudly showcases its appreciation for the region's culture.

Cocoon

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is scheduled to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, leaving only a short time to play it via subscription — and you absolutely must. Studio the creators designed one of the finest puzzle games of recent years in 2023's Cocoon. Its central gameplay element revolves around transitioning between realms within additional worlds, and often you'll carry those realms, in the shape of colorful orbs, alongside you.

While it doesn't have explicit instructions, everything about Cocoon's challenges is built in a highly intuitive way, though they will challenge you as well. 2023 was a massive year for video games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was a bit overlooked by many players. Let's correct that while we can.