GTA 5 Headlines January 2020's New Xbox Game Pass Titles

Xbox Game Pass has kicked off the new year with a bang. While a full list of new arrivals for January has not been announced, Microsoft announced this week that it has added Grand Theft Auto V to the Xbox One edition of the service, letting you play the full campaign or jump into GTA Online if you have a Gold (or Game Pass Ultimate ) subscription. [Update: Several more games have also been confirmed for Game Pass on both Xbox One and PC in January, including Frostpunk. Specific dates for the new games have not yet been announced.]

GTA 5 received a positive critical reception including a 9/10 from GameSpot when it launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, but Rockstar's ports to current-generation platforms and ongoing support for GTA Online have kept it going strong for years. The latest update, released in December, added the Diamond Casino Heist. The sprawling multiplayer mission lets you plan a big score with various approaches. Unexpected problems appear on the fly, to boost replayability.

If you enjoy your time in Los Santos enough to buy some DLC, the Game Pass membership entitles you to 10% discounts on the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack or Shark Cash Cards. You can also save 20% on the base game to add it to your permanent collection. And if you don't have Game Pass yet, you can buy your first three months of a Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $1 through January 6.

Including GTA 5 in Game Pass is a surprise, especially given that the game is still consistently a top-seller after so many years. It even made the NPD list of top-sellers in October and November, in the midst of a busy shopping season filled with new game releases.

GTA 5 is playable now on Xbox Game Pass, and presumably there will be other games coming later this month to Game Pass. The service recently added some other notable games like The Witcher 3 and Pillars of Eternity. If you need more recommendations for games to try on the service, check out our top Xbox Game Pass picks.