Sci-Fi Adventure Aphelion Arrives on Game Pass November 17: A Frozen-Planet Rescue Story Built With the European Space Agency
A frozen planet, a crash-landing and a rescue: Aphelion, the new game from French studio Don't Nod, joins Xbox Game Pass on November 17. It is new to Game Pass Premium that day and also arrives for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members, playable on cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld and PC.
Aphelion is a third-person sci-fi adventure. After her ship crash-lands on a frozen planet, astronaut Ariane must traverse harsh terrain and shifting realities to save her injured partner, Thomas. Players control both characters over the course of the story, piecing together the accident — and the rescue — from two perspectives.
What sets the game apart is its scientific grounding: Aphelion was created in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), and its story is rooted in real-world science, from the planetary environment to the details of spaceflight. In a genre that usually chases spectacle, the collaboration with a real space agency is the game's defining label.
Don't Nod is known for narrative-driven games, including the climbing adventure Jusant and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Aphelion follows that tradition — characters, emotion and story first — with the stage moved to an ice field at the edge of the solar system.
Aphelion is part of Xbox's third November wave for Game Pass, arriving the same day as Paw Patrol: Dino World. Members can play from November 17 at no additional cost.
(Source: Xbox)
Source: Xbox
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 木卫二「欧罗巴」的冰原表面（资料图），与游戏中冰冻星球的意象呼应。图片：NASA，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The icy surface of Europa (file photo), echoing the frozen planet of the game. Image: NASA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
