Best Fantasy Games on Xbox Game Pass

The best fantasy games on Xbox Game Pass depend on the world you want to enter. Start with Avowed for strange landscapes and companions, Skyrim for self-directed exploration, Ori for wonder, or Hollow Knight for a mysterious kingdom. Fable II adds fairy-tale humor, while Sea of Thieves turns a fantasy voyage into a shared adventure.

These six picks span role-playing games, platforming adventures, and multiplayer sailing. The focus is on setting and experience, with U.S. plan and platform availability checked on October 17, 2026.

Avowed and Skyrim for inhabiting a fantasy world

Start with these two games if your ideal fantasy involves being a person inside an unfamiliar world. Both give you places to explore and a character to develop, but they encourage different kinds of curiosity. Avowed draws attention to a strange frontier and the people traveling with you. Skyrim makes it easy to treat a distant destination as the beginning of an entirely different plan.

The choice is less about which game offers the strongest character build and more about what you want to remember afterward: conversations and discoveries during a guided adventure, or the detours you chose for yourself.

Avowed for strange landscapes and companion-led exploration

Avowed takes place in the Living Lands, part of Eora, the setting introduced by Pillars of Eternity. You arrive as an envoy investigating a spreading plague. Its current Standard Edition listing includes Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass, and Ultimate, with native Xbox Series X|S and PC versions.

The setting is the main reason to put it on a fantasy shortlist. Obsidian describes an island with distinct environments and ecosystems, while companions bring their own abilities and personal quests to your journey. That combination suits a reader who wants the world to feel strange but also wants recognizable people to help give the adventure shape.

Choose Avowed if you enjoy asking why a place looks and behaves the way it does. Give discoveries some room to breathe before heading toward the next objective. A striking landscape can be a reason to explore a nearby route, while a companion's reaction can make a location feel connected to a larger story. This is a recommendation for that sense of travel and context, rather than a promise that every player will enjoy the same combat setup.

It is also the more straightforward hardware decision for Series X|S and Windows players: select the included Standard Edition. The game's Premium Edition is a separate product name from the Game Pass Premium subscription. Having one should not be read as an automatic entitlement to the other. Xbox One owners should note that the listing does not include a native Xbox One installation.

Skyrim Special Edition for choosing your own direction

Skyrim Special Edition fits the classic desire to enter a land of dragons, magic, and competing possibilities, then choose a direction. The console edition is included with Premium and Ultimate and supports Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Its separately listed PC edition includes PC Game Pass among its subscriptions.

Its appeal is the permission to pursue your own curiosity. If a fantasy novel makes you wonder what lies beyond the main characters' route, Skyrim is the sort of game to consider. You can give your character a simple motivation and let that determine which opportunities feel relevant. The resulting adventure can be more personal than a plan built around seeing every available activity.

For a first visit, avoid turning the world into a list of obligations. Pick one thread that interests you and follow it until another destination genuinely attracts your attention. If you spend more time planning an ideal playthrough than enjoying the current one, simplify. You are allowed to leave possibilities unexplored.

Special Edition includes the original game's add-ons, while the Anniversary Upgrade is separately listed. You can begin with the included edition before considering extra purchases. Choose Skyrim over Avowed when self-directed wandering is the main attraction; choose Avowed when the personalities and mysteries surrounding a particular journey sound more compelling.

Fable II for a fairy tale with a mischievous streak

Fable II is the pick for a fantasy world that leaves room for ordinary relationships and ridiculous behavior alongside heroism. You explore Albion with a dog, meet its residents, and make choices that affect your character's life. The official Xbox listing includes it in Premium and Ultimate and supports Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

The fairy-tale description is about atmosphere, not a promise of innocent family entertainment. Fable II is rated Mature, and the series is known for irreverent humor. Xbox's historical introduction to Albion describes a magical setting with a distinctly comic streak. If solemn prophecies and relentlessly serious heroes wear you down, that change in tone is a good reason to try it.

What makes this kind of world appealing is the chance to imagine a life between adventures. A heroic destination matters differently when you also care about the people you meet along the way. The Store describes friendships, romance, and starting a family as part of the experience. For a fantasy reader who enjoys towns and character interactions as much as grand quests, those details can matter more than the scale of a landscape.

Go in with the expectations of an older game. Its design and presentation come from the Xbox 360 era; the recommendation is based on the personality of Albion rather than a claim that it behaves like a newly released adventure. Let the opening establish its rhythm before deciding whether you want to spend more time there. Trying to optimize every decision immediately can get in the way of discovering what kind of hero you want to play.

This recommendation is specifically for Lionhead's Fable II. It should not be confused with the newer game titled Fable, whose product page and requirements are separate. Windows players also need to distinguish the available cloud version from a native PC download: the Fable II listing does not offer a native Windows installation. If downloading directly to a PC is essential to you, Avowed, Skyrim's PC edition, or another supported Windows option is a better starting point.

Fantasy adventures built around movement and discovery

You do not need a character sheet or a branching conversation to feel transported into a fantasy world. Ori and Hollow Knight use landscapes, creatures, sound, and the act of moving through a place to build that feeling. They are useful alternatives when you want an imaginative setting but do not want your next game to revolve around choosing dialogue or managing an RPG character.

Both require active participation. Their attractive art is a reason to be curious, but enjoying the worlds also means enjoying exploration and learning how to move through danger. Choose according to the kind of atmosphere and uncertainty you want to spend time with.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps for a luminous, emotional world

Ori and the Will of the Wisps places a small spirit inside a vivid fantasy landscape. The story involves the owlet Ku, a separated family, and a damaged land. The official listing describes a solo platforming adventure with puzzles, new abilities, and escape sequences, and includes Essential, Premium, PC Game Pass, and Ultimate.

This is the choice when your attraction to fantasy begins with wonder and emotional connection. A world can feel large because its inhabitants seem vulnerable within it, not only because a map contains many destinations. Ori's scale and visual presentation make that a different invitation from playing an armored hero who expects to dominate every encounter.

It is worth separating that mood from difficulty. A beautiful setting does not promise an effortless trip through it. Give yourself permission to practice a sequence and enjoy the growing confidence that comes with understanding the controls. If your main goal is to watch a story while doing very little, this is a less natural choice than it first appears.

Ori supports native Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC play. Among this shortlist, it is also the clearest starting point for an Essential subscriber who wants a fantasy adventure immediately. Its smaller protagonist and more intimate emotional premise offer a useful alternative to another world-saving role-playing epic.

Hollow Knight for a kingdom you gradually understand

Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition moves the mood toward melancholy and mystery. Hallownest is an interconnected kingdom of caverns, ancient places, and unusual insect inhabitants. Team Cherry's description emphasizes discovery, challenging encounters, and the remains of a civilization. The fantasy comes from piecing together a place that feels as though it existed long before you arrived.

Choose it if you like gradually replacing confusion with understanding. A route that initially seems intimidating can become familiar, and a newly understood connection can change your sense of the wider world. Let that process be part of the reward. A guide that supplies every destination immediately may solve your navigation problem while taking away some of the discovery you came for.

That recommendation depends on your patience for challenge. If repeatedly attempting an encounter or wondering where to go sounds exhausting, start elsewhere. If curiosity tends to pull you through those moments, the setting gives you a strong reason to keep investigating. You do not need to understand every piece of background lore before you begin.

The Voidheart Edition listing includes Premium, PC Game Pass, and Ultimate, with Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC support. This edition contains the original game and four content packs. It is a different product from Hollow Knight: Silksong, so select the exact title when installing.

Sea of Thieves for a fantasy voyage with friends

Sea of Thieves broadens the list beyond forests, kingdoms, and underground ruins. Its pirate fantasy involves treasure, sea monsters, and voyages that can become memorable because of what your crew does together. The 2026 Edition listing includes Premium, PC Game Pass, and Ultimate, with native Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC support.

This is the strongest choice here when you want friends inside the fantasy with you. A crew can turn an ordinary journey into a story through mistakes, discoveries, or a narrowly recovered situation. The attraction is partly the shared activity of operating a ship and deciding what to pursue. If your ideal fantasy adventure involves everyone doing separate things until the next boss, make sure the group is also interested in the travel between objectives.

Before setting sail, choose how much unpredictability you want from other players. High Seas includes other crews. Safer Seas provides a world for your own crew, as described in the official mode announcement. That distinction matters for a group interested in atmosphere and discovery: you can prefer a shared voyage without necessarily wanting every distant sail to become a possible confrontation.

Safer Seas is still an adventure with dangers, rather than a guarantee that nothing will attack you. The developer's mode FAQ describes threats such as skeleton ships and sea creatures. Choose it to remove rival player crews from the equation, then learn how your own crew wants to handle the world. High Seas suits friends who find the possibility of an unexpected encounter exciting in itself.

For an opening session, agree on one modest objective and make time for the journey. Let everyone take part in the tasks that keep the ship moving, and avoid having the most experienced player turn the entire evening into instructions. The fantasy works better when each friend has something to notice or contribute. A spectacular destination can be less memorable than the moment your group finally starts working together.

Sea of Thieves supports crews of up to four in its standard adventure modes, and solo play is also possible. I would choose it for a social evening rather than as the first recommendation for someone seeking a self-contained solo narrative. For that mood, Avowed or Ori provides a clearer starting point. For friends who want to come away with a story they helped create, a pirate voyage has a different appeal.

Pick the kind of fantasy you want to spend time in

The best choice depends on what you want to do inside the setting. A beautiful kingdom can invite conversation, patient exploration, difficult platforming, or a shared adventure. Looking only at screenshots can hide those differences. Use the activity that sounds appealing tonight as the final filter.

If you are unsure, choose one primary game and one contrasting alternative. Avowed and Hollow Knight give you different ways to explore an unfamiliar place. Skyrim and Sea of Thieves separate your solo wandering from a group's shared plans. Ori is a useful first choice when you want a visually distinctive world without beginning another role-playing character. The broader best Game Pass games guide can help if your preferred activity turns out to matter more than the fantasy theme.

Match the game to your plan and device

For console subscribers, the U.S. product pages checked on October 17, 2026 include Ori in Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. Avowed, Skyrim Special Edition, Fable II, Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition, and Sea of Thieves are included with Premium and Ultimate. Essential's ability to stream certain purchased games should not be confused with supplying those games through its catalog.

For native Windows play, Avowed, Skyrim's PC edition, Ori, Hollow Knight, and Sea of Thieves have PC listings included with PC Game Pass. Fable II is the exception in this shortlist: its cloud availability does not create a native Windows version. On console, Avowed also differs from the other selections because its native Xbox version requires Series X|S.

Open the exact edition in the official Game Pass catalog with your plan and device selected. Availability can vary by region and change over time. The plan comparison guide is useful if the game you want sits outside your current membership, but make that decision after choosing the game. A larger library is most useful when it gives you access to an experience you actually want to spend time with.

Finally, let your first session answer one simple question: do you want to see more of this world while doing what the game asks of you? Admiring the setting and enjoying the activity are both necessary. When those line up, the next destination usually becomes easier to choose.