Assassin's Creed Valhalla and one of the best horror games ever made headline Xbox Game Pass this month

Resident Evil 2
(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil 2, one of the best horror games ever made, is coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month on January 16.

Capcom's stellar 2019 remake headlines the next batch of games joining Xbox Game Pass across both PC and consoles later this month. It's got some stiff competition this month though, namely from Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which joins the service a week earlier on January 9. Start it now, and you might just finish Valhalla by the time the year is out.

Resident Evil 2 marks the first time any of Capcom's ace horror remakes have joined Xbox Game Pass. It's also arguably the best of the trio - it's so good that it kicked off a wave of horror game revivals with Resident Evil 3 and 4, EA Motive's Dead Space, Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2, and Alone in the Dark. Resident Evil 2 Remake might just go down as one of the most influential modern horror games to date.

What's more, Capcom isn't done with horror remakes after the success of the Resident Evil trilogy, stating as much late last year. Just look at the anticipation for Resident Evil 4 remake's Separate Ways DLC to see the appetite among fans for more remake horror. Unfortunately we could be getting a Resident Evil 5 remake down the line, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Elsewhere in the monthly update for Xbox's subscription service, steampunk narrative indie Close to the Sun is out right now, and multiplayer shooter Hell Let Loose joins the action tomorrow on January 4. Action-adventure game Figment debuts next week on January 9, before Super Mega Baseball 4 and We Happy Few roll up two days later on January 11. Finally, Those Who Remain brings another horror game to Xbox Game Pass the following week on January 16.

Keep a tab open for our Resident Evil 2 guns guide, for a full look at where you get every weapon if you're planning on playing the remake later this month.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.