Day one launches onto Xbox Game Pass are one of the subscription service’s biggest attractions, and Xbox is looking to kick the year off strong in that regard with the likes of Palworld. However, one of February’s day-one games, Open Roads, has been hit with a short delay of five weeks. That means those on the green team, as well as those on PlayStation, will have to sit tight a little longer.
Open Roads follows teenager Tess Devine and her mother on a stunning road trip, which they’ve embarked on to uncover stories and mysteries surrounding their family. Publisher Annapurna is renowned for delivering amazing, critically-acclaimed indie hits – some of its best games include Thirsty Suitors, Stray, and Cocoon – so many are expecting this to be another hidden gem. For XGP subscribers, it could be one of the best Xbox Game Pass games of the year – even with big first-party titles like Avowed and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle dropping in 2024.
Along with many other Game Pass subscribers, I’m sure, my heart was in my mouth when I first saw the news that it was getting delayed, which was confirmed via a statement to Engadget. However, I was immediately calmed when I saw it was just a short five-week delay. The Open Roads release date will now arrive on Thursday, March 28, 2024 instead of February 22. This applies to all platforms the game is set to release on.
Annapurna pushed the game back to “ensure the most polished experience for players,” according to its statement.
Don’t go thinking though that February will now be dry for new Game Pass games to play – there will be the usual drop of older titles, and there are still some other day-one releases as well. The most notable is Persona 3 Reload, the latest release in the iconic RPG game series. This is a highly-anticipated remake of 2006’s Person 3, and it launches on PC and Xbox Game Pass (and PlayStation consoles too) on February 2.
Plus, subscribers can continue (or start) to sink their teeth into overnight sensation Palworld – while it’s absolutely amazing, it’s not without severe performance issues. Luckily, developer Pocket Pair is dropping some big updates to make it more stable on Xbox consoles.