GTA 5 is rotating out of Game Pass soon—again—so this long weekend is a rare window to binge a blockbuster, revisit a genre-defining superhero sandbox, and polish off a soulful Metroidvania in one sitting. If you've got an extra day off, you can make all three count.

GTA 5: One Last Free Ride

Grand Theft Auto 5 has a habit of cycling in and out of the Game Pass library. If you somehow missed it up to now, this is the moment to see why Los Santos still pulls players back more than a decade later. Sampling it on Game Pass costs you nothing extra, and you’ll walk away understanding the chatter before the next entry dominates conversation.

Even a short session shows off what Rockstar nailed. The rapid character-swapping between Michael, Franklin, and Trevor keeps missions snappy, heists escalate cleanly, and the city itself rewards aimless cruising as much as focused goals. It’s easy to lose an hour just chasing a radio track over the Vinewood Hills or lining up a daring stunt jump.

Longer stretches pay off too. The campaign remains a slick mix of setups, payoffs, and spectacular chaos, while side activities—street races, bounties, impromptu robberies—serve as bite-size palate cleansers. If you only have a few hours, treat it like a tasting menu: knock out a couple story beats, try a heist, then free-roam until something weird finds you.

Batman: Arkham Knight — Glide, Grapple, Brawl

Craving capes instead of crime sprees? Batman: Arkham Knight still stands tall as one of the best open-world superhero games around. Gliding over rain-slick rooftops, perching above a patrol, and dropping into a flawless, rhythmic brawl just hits. Chaining counters into a 30-hit combo never gets old, and predator arenas reward patience as much as precision.

Yes, the "Bat-Tank" shows up more often than you might expect. Those stretches can crowd the spotlight, but Gotham’s stealth and melee sandboxes still do the heavy lifting. Predator rooms let you stalk and dismantle squads piece by piece, while set-piece missions deliver big-budget spectacle with that distinctive Arkham snap.

A long weekend is the right canvas. You can push deep into the main story, tick off a batch of "Most Wanted" side cases, or just roam and respond to whatever lights up the scanner. For returning players, slipping back into the cape feels almost reflexive: glide, grapple, strike, vanish. For newcomers, it’s a clean primer on why Arkham combat became the template everyone chased.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau — Short, Moving, Metroidvania

For something more focused, Tales of Kenzera: Zau packs a lot into a tight runtime. Surgent Studios builds a Bantu legends–inspired world and grounds it in a story about grief drawn from founder Abubakar Salim’s personal loss. You play as Zau, a young warrior striking a bargain with the "God of Death": defeat three mighty beasts and earn a chance to bring his father back.

It’s a classic Metroidvania at heart, but the details make it sing. Two distinct stances—"sun" and "moon"—shape your combat and traversal, with new abilities opening fresh paths in earlier zones. Encounters snap between precise platforming, quick reads on enemy patterns, and satisfying ability swaps. The art and score underline the mood without dragging the pace.

Best of all for a holiday break, it respects your time. You can see the credits in about 10 hours or less without rushing, and the checkpoints are fair. That makes it an ideal weekend promise: a complete adventure with a clear emotional arc and just enough postgame cleanup if you want to chase 100%.

How To Spend The Extra Day

If your schedule is tight, start with GTA 5 while it’s still in the library, even if you only sample a few missions and cruise the city. When you want tighter structure, pivot to Arkham Knight for a meaty night in Gotham—its story chunks and side cases break neatly across sessions. Save Tales of Kenzera: Zau for when you want a full journey in a single push.

Game Pass changes constantly, which is exactly why weekends like this matter. One giant closing its tab, one classic that still nails the superhero fantasy, and one heartfelt newcomer you can actually finish before Monday—stack them right, and you’ll wring every hour out of that extra day.