Images courtesy of Shiny Shoe/Good Shepherd Entertainment
One of our favorite roguelike deckbuilding games, Monster Train, is back on Game Pass, available now for PC and Xbox subscribers at no extra cost.
Having previously been available on Game Pass a few years ago, Monster Train was sadly removed in late 2023. Given that its sequel (unsurprisingly named Monster Train 2) is due to release in 2025, it’s a no-brainer to have the first game back. Of course, it’s now likely to be played by a wider audience, who are undoubtedly going to fall for its hellish charm and be properly pumped up for the second game.
I’m very eager to jump back on board, but if you haven’t played Monster Train before, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Grab your one-way ticket out of the depths of the underworld, and let’s take a look!
What Is Monster Train?
Slay the Spire’s success, after launch in Early Access in 2017 ahead of its official release in 2019, inspired lots of game developers to create their own twists on the compelling and addictive roguelike deckbuilding formula. Monster Train, which arrived in 2020, was one of the few titles which could arguably have been said to exceed the quality of Slay the Spire itself (in fact, we placed it at the very top of our best Steam card games list, above Slay the Spire!).
In Monster Train, Hell has frozen over, and the last Pyre is being kept aflame on the titular locomotive. Players take control of two factions from the underworld, and are tasked with protecting the Pyre from the forces of Heaven. Players must defend each level of the train from the heavenly assailants, with the angelic hordes ascending vertically towards the Pyre to attack it directly if they’re not defeated.
Each faction (shown in the screenshot above) has their own specific deck, with a huge amount of unlockables, and even just testing the pairs of different factions on a run through the game is a great deal of fun. Being a roguelike, it is very challenging, but unlocking new cards, discovering different synergies and finding the faction combinations and card upgrades to fit your playstyle is incredibly addictive.
How Long Will Monster Train Be On Game Pass?
Though we don’t how long Monster Train will be on Game Pass for this time, it’s definitely worth playing as soon as possible if you’re a subscriber, whether or not you have an Xbox console or a PC. We suspect that it’ll be around for a while, leading up to the launch of Monster Train 2. It’s definitely worth bearing in mind that with Game Pass, you do get a warning of at least a few weeks when a game is due to leave the service, and a 20% discount on the game while it’s still part of your subscription.
While you’re here, why not check out our review of Slay the Spire: The Board Game, which adapts the roguelike deckbuilder to the tabletop. Take a look at our coverage of poker-based roguelike Balatro too, which has also recently been added to Game Pass.
