JRPG 'Tales of Arise' is a 'surprise' Xbox Game Pass addition, coming this February

What you need to know

• Tales of Arise, the 17th mainline entry of the Bandai Namco's Tales franchise, has been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass by Xbox Japan.
• Microsoft previously announced Tales of Arise for Xbox Game Pass a little while ago, before retracting it. 
• According to Xbox Japan's announcement, Tales of Arise will be added to Xbox Game Pass on February 20, 2024.
• Tales of Arise is an action-JRPG that follows the story of Alphen and Shionne as they travel the realm of Dahna in search of a method to cleanse themselves of curses.

Xbox Japan has recently announced on Twitter/X that Tales of Arise will soon be joining the Xbox's gigantic library of Xbox Game Pass games. According to their announcement (as translated by Google), Tales of Arise will be added to Xbox Game Pass on February 20, 2024. 

However, the tweet doesn't mention what platforms the game will be available on through Xbox Game Pass. What isn't clear just yet is whether or not it'll appear on Game Pass for PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming, however. Tales of Arise would be a great entry in Xbox Play Anywhere too, but it remains to be seen what the case may be here. 

Microsoft previously leaked the Tales of Arise announcement a little too early, it's not exactly clear why they decided to hold off, but here we are. 

Relive one of the Tales' series best games when it hits Xbox Game Pass

For those unaware, Tales of Arise is the 17th and latest mainline entry of the Tales franchise, a series of action-JRPGs created by Bandai Namco that's been around since 1995. In this game, you play as Alphen and Shionne, a pair of cursed travelers searching the war-torn world of Dahna for a means to lift their curses while getting embroiled in an epic adventure to free their world's people from tyranny. 

We reviewed Tales of Arise a couple of years ago and we deemed it one of the Xbox's best JRPGs. It's got a gorgeous graphical presentation, high production values, a cast of likable characters, and an in-depth combat system that's satisfying to master. It's also one of the most popular entries in the series, selling over a million copies in less than a week when it launched on September 10, 2021.

If you haven't had the chance to check out Tales of Arise yet, then mark your calendars for February 20, 2024, so you don't miss out on experiencing one of the best Xbox games in the Tales series when it hits Xbox Game Pass.