Microsoft outlined the last batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass this year in a post earlier this week, and many of those titles got added to the service later in the week. One surprising trend in this final Game Pass game batch of 2024 is that three great racing games came to different subscription service tiers. Running (or I guess driving) the gamut from extremely cartoonish to overtly simulation-focused, fans of racing games have many new options to choose from this weekend on Xbox Game Pass.
In the wake of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy’s success, Activision had its studio Beenox remake Crash Team Racing for modern gaming platforms. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is undeniably the king when it comes to the best cartoon kart racers available nowadays, but Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is the closest any game has come to taking that crown. The wacky world and characters of Crash Bandicoot are a perfect fit for a Kart Racer, and this game even features some crossover content featuring Spyro the Dragon and extras from Crash Team Racing games other than the PS1 original. Its adventure mode also gives it a meatier single-player offering than most racing games, so there’s a lot for Game Pass subscribers to sink their teeth into here.
The Xbox One version of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is available now across Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Standard, and Game Pass Core. It’s also on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
If you’d prefer to play a simulation racer, then you’ll be glad to hear that EA Sports WRC 24 also came to Game Pass this week. It’s an officially licensed World Rally Championship video game based on the foundation Codemasters laid in its Dirt Rally series. Rally racing games are unforgiving but can also be immensely gratifying once you learn how to perform a rally race nearly flawlessly. There might be a bit of culture shock if you’re going right from Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled to EA Sports WRC 24, but a certain sector of racing game fans will adore how this Codemasters racing game challenges them.
EA Sports WRC 24 is available across PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. You can also buy the game on PS5.
Forza Motorsport was a day-one Xbox Game Pass release when it launched in October 2023 but was relegated to only be available in the Game Pass Ultimate tier when Microsoft split its subscription service into different tiers earlier in the year. This week, Microsoft made Turn 10’s latest racing game available to Game Pass Standard subscribers as well. For racing game fans who are still looking for more after playing the previous two titles, Forza Motorsport is the next game you should play. It’s a simulation racing game like EA Sports WRC 24, but not quite as hardcore. If you got into the genre with Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, Forza Motorsport is a solid pick for your first “serious” racing game.
Forza Motorsport is now part of the Game Pass Standard tier on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.