The ID@Xbox Mega Sale is Live: These Are the Best Games to Grab From the Microsoft Store

Right as the Steam Summer Sale and a bunch of other digital deals were set to wrap up, Xbox has kicked off its own new promotion on the Microsoft Store. The ID@Xbox Mega Sale went live yesterday and runs until Wednesday, July 16, with quite a few great deals to grab as part of the promotion. While it might not be quite as stacked as some of the other sales we’ve had over the last two weeks, there are still some really great games to highlight with deep discounts you should take advantage of if you’ve considered adding any of them to your library.

• Release Date — March 26, 2024
• Developer — Game Arts
• Publisher — Gung Ho Online
• Genre — JRPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 70% (Mixed or Average)
• Price — $19.99 (Normally $39.99, 50% off)

Xbox consoles have really been in a bit of a drought for good JRPGs for multiple generations, but recent years have seen several classics finally make their way to the platform en masse. One of the more underrated inclusions that’s available on Xbox and currently on sale as part of the ID@Xbox Mega Sale is the Grandia HD Collection, which includes not one but two excellent HD remasters of some beloved JRPG classics. These are great “comfort food” JRPGs that many fans of the genre would consider essential pick-ups, and the collection is currently half off for just $20.

• Release Date — September 18, 2020
• Developer — Crytek
• Publisher — Crytek
• Genre — FPS
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $12.49 (Normally $49.99, 75% off)

Another collection that’s absolutely worth grabbing if you don’t happen to already have it in your Xbox library is the Crysis Remastered Trilogy. Thankfully, you don’t have to ask “can it run Crysis?” when it comes to the Xbox Series X/S, and all three games in the collection look and play spectacularly well given their age. These are some great FPS titles that were each ahead of their time, and it’s amazing to see how influential the first Crysis was (and continues to be) on the FPS genre as a whole. For less than $13, you’re getting three of the best modern shooters available.

• Release Date — September 30, 2016 (Axiom Verge); July 11, 2023 (Axiom Verge 2)
• Developer — Thomas Happ Games
• Publisher — Thomas Happ Games
• Genre — Metroidvania
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% – Axiom Verge; 76% – Axiom Verge 2 (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $12.24 (Normally $39.99, 65% off)

Thomas Happ’s Axiom Verge series is at least partially responsible for the ongoing Metroidvania renaissance, proving that a solo-developed indie title was just as capable of capturing a mass audience as a major AAA release nearly 10 years ago and inspiring plenty of other indie devs to start on their dream games — Hollow Knight‘s Team Cherry included. The sequel might not be quite as cohesive as the first game, but both of the Axiom Verge titles are excellent Metroidvanias that each feature a different focus. While the first is very akin to the Metroid half of the Metroidvania portmanteau, its sequel is more of a “Metroidbrania”, with a heavy focus on puzzles and exploration over combat.

• Release Date — December 8, 2022
• Developer — Matthias Linda
• Publisher — Deck 13 Spotlight
• Genre — JRPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $17.49 (Normally $24.99, 30% off)

Another fantastic JRPG that fans of the genre should definitely check out is Chained Echoes. This indie gem came out just ahead of the launch of other similarly minded titles like WrestleQuest and Sea of Stars, but it’s way better than the former and possibly even beats out the latter as the greatest indie JRPG in recent memory. Chained Echoes features a fantastic story, some great combat, and more than a passing resemblance to classics like Xenogears, and it’s currently 30% off its normal $25 asking price.

• Release Date — June 6, 2023
• Developer — Frictional Games
• Publisher — Frictional Games
• Genre — Survival Horror
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $7.49 (Normally $24.99, 70% off)

First-person horror games have carved out a unique place within the genre, acting as a sort of subgenre that continues to impress with its immersion and genuinely frightening scares. The Amnesia series is a progenitor of the modern first-person horror subgenre, and its latest entry, The Bunker, may be the most terrifying game in the franchise yet. Frictional Games really knocked it out of the park with The Bunker‘s visuals and sound to make it a truly unnerving experience, and its current 70% discount makes it an essential pick-up for any survival horror fan with an Xbox console.

• Release Date — November 10, 2020
• Developer — Hello Games
• Publisher — Hello Games
• Genre — Action-Adventure, Survival
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $23.99 (Normally $59.99, 60% off)

The gulf between the state of No Man’s Sky at the time of its original release and now is miles wide, and players can currently grab the best version of this impressive open-world space exploration simulator for 60% off. No Man’s Sky is perfect for when you want to get out and explore, and the sheer variety of activities you can engage in means it rarely ever gets old. Hello Games also continually supports the title with free updates, so you can rest assured that the game will stay interesting, even if you think you’ve seen everything it has to offer.

• Release Date — August 10, 2023
• Developer — BlueTwelve Studio
• Publisher — Annapurna Interactive
• Genre — Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $17.99 (Normally $29.99, 40% off)

It needs to be said: if you’re a cat person, you have to play Stray. BlueTwelve Studio’s feline-fronted adventure game is both a tonally gripping dystopian cyberpunk tale and a loving homage to our magical feline friends. The moment-to-moment gameplay does a great job of capturing the “feel” of playing as a cat, with plenty of nimbleness and agility in how players move throughout the environments, and the story is surprisingly heartfelt and moving, both because and in spite of its more bleak moments. It’s worth grabbing Stray at full price, so you shouldn’t miss the chance to pick it up at 40% off.

• Release Date — October 17, 2024
• Developer — Shared Memory
• Publisher — Bigmode
• Genre — Metroidvania, Puzzle
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Price — $19.99 (Normally $29.99, 20% off)

When it was first released, a lot of players were claiming Animal Well to be one of the best Metroidvanias ever made. While I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, I will say that Animal Well has some of the most rewarding and intuitive exploration of any modern game in the genre, and its puzzles are second-to-none. Every inch of Animal Well‘s world feels like it’s hiding something sinister just beneath the surface, and it’s surprisingly effective at getting under the skin despite its seemingly charming atmosphere and pixel art visuals.

• Release Date — September 29, 2017
• Developer — Studio MDHR
• Publisher — Studio MDHR
• Genre — Run ‘n Gun
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $13.99 (Normally $19.99, 30% off)

Is Cuphead the best run ‘n gun game since the heyday of titles like Contra and Gunstar Heroes? Yes. Yes, it is. Is it also incredibly frustrating and one of the hardest games of the last decade? Also yes. Jokingly referred to as Cup Souls by those who have played through all of its grueling challenges, Cuphead is not a game for the faint of heart, but it is an almost perfectly balanced run ‘n gun with some incredible boss fights that have to be seen to be believed. Together with its gorgeous and wonderfully animated “rubber hose” animation art style, Cuphead is a game that looks as good as it plays, making it easier to hop back in when you’ve died to the same boss over a hundred times.

• Release Date — December 7, 2023
• Developer — Larian Studios
• Publisher — Larian Studios
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 99% (Universal Acclaim)
• Price — $55.99 (Normally $69.99, 20% off)

If, for whatever reason, you’ve held off on buying Baldur’s Gate 3, the Xbox Mega Sale is giving you more incentive than ever by discounting it down to just $56. It’s rare for Baldur’s Gate 3 to get any discount, much less a sizable 20% one, and it doesn’t hurt that it also happens to be one of the greatest video games ever made. The first playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 is an incredible experience on par with the best RPGs of all time, and it somehow only gets better the more you play and attempt to make different choices, recruit different allies, and try different tactics/builds in battle. I hesitate to call any game “perfect”, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is pretty dang close.