A former Game of the Year winner is currently only $8 on Xbox Series X for a limited time, courtesy of the Microsoft Store, as well as GameStop and Walmart. There is no information on when the deals at GameStop and Walmart expire, but we know the Microsoft Store offer is set to expire on January 8. Of course, the physical retailers are selling physical copies at this price, while the digital storefront, the Microsoft Store, is selling digital copies at this price.
The Xbox Series X game in question — which is also available on Xbox One — hails from 2021, where it won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, beating Deathloop, Metroid Dread, Resident Evil Village, Psychonauts 2, and Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart. More specifically, the mystery game is It Takes Two from developer Hazelight Studios and publisher EA. The latter needs no introduction, but for those unfamiliar with the former they are a Swedish studio founded by well-known game director Josef Fares in 2024. In 2018, they debuted with A Way Out, and then followed it up with It Takes Two in 2021. Their third and most recent game, meanwhile, is 2025’s Split Fiction, which is as great as It Takes Two, but not as popular.
One of the All-Time Great Co-Op Games
As you can tell by the Game of the Year nominee list, 2021 was an underwhelming year. In fact, in the modern era, one of the worst years on record when it comes to video game releases. This isn’t particularly uncommon for the first full calendar year after new consoles launch. This isn’t to take away from It Takes Two, though. While the majority of years in gaming history, it doesn’t win Game of the Year — not often a game with a Metacritic score of 89 wins — this doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s one of the greatest co-op games ever made, hence why it has sold over 20 million copies to date. That said, it should be noted that it is co-op only. There are both local and online options, but no single-player option.
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It Takes Two Has Never Been Cheaper
In its almost five years on the market, It Takes Two has never been cheaper, and it probably won’t be for a while. That said, it should be noted that it is free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Best yet, you only need to buy one copy to play it with somebody. So if you are playing with an online friend, they do not need to buy it, and if you play it locally with a child, parent, or spouse, you don’t need to buy it twice, like most co-op games. If you are splitting the bill, then you are effectively paying $4 for a Game of the Year winner.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.
