One of the most interesting Xbox Game Pass titles of the last year will soon be free to play for anyone with a Netflix account

Annapurna Interactive is on a roll. Over the past few years, the publisher has proven itself as the place to look if you’re after innovative, interesting, and slightly irreverent games – curated and presented by developers all over the globe.

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the fawning coverage of games like Donut County, Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, What Remains of Edith Finch, Telling Lies, Neon White and Stray over the last few years. And with good reason.

But one of the best examples of Annapurna’s recent output is 2023’s Thirsty Suitors, a narrative action-adventure game about culture, relationships, family pressures and food. The game feels like a South-Asian spin on Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, by way of Persona (yes, it’s quite unique). Very early on, you get a taste for what Thirsty Suitors is trying to do, wherein you decide your "Thirstsona" via online quiz, eventually landing as a Heartbreaker, Star, or Bohemian. Just like real life.

A big part of the game’s USP is in how Jala, star of the show, deals with everyday life and navigates a very modern world, filled with very modern problems. But for you, as a player, the small 14-person dev team put a lot of effort into how people expressed themselves – both in narrative choices, and how you progress through the RPG elements. It’s a small, fun, and interesting little game, and I urge everyone to give it a chance.

And that’s easier to do now, since it’ll be available to play for free for everyone with a Netflix account soon. Given that most people (that is, 1% of Netflix’s 200 million users) don’t even know you can play games via Netflix, this is even more of a boon to the service.

Thirsty Suitors launched on PlayStation, Xbox (and via Xbox Game Pass), Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam in November 2023, and I don’t think it got as much attention as it deserved (despite being critically acclaimed). So, if you’re hungry for a game in which you “battle your exes, disappoint your parents, and find yourself”, simply boot up the Netflix app on your phone and get started. It’s surreal, it’s story-driven, it's a breakup simulator; what’s not to like?

The publisher hasn’t shared an exact release date yet (we’ve been in touch to ask), but it’s coming ‘soon’. So keep your eyes peeled whenever you open the app.

If you’re eager to learn about what other games can be played via Netflix, completely for free, check out our list of best Netflix games. To find Thirsty Suitors via Netflix, hit the ‘Games’ tab on your mobile app home screen and follow the instructions from there.