I recently finished up everything I want to do in Mario Maker 2.  I've played the latest Destiny expansion to death. Death Stranding will probably get a shot, but I'm waiting for my friend to finish up with it so I can borrow it.  So, considering that I've been a Gamepass subscriber for a couple of months, I figure it's time for me to really make use of the service and try out a new, big game.  

I've never played a Gears game before. I'm more of a first-person shooter guy. But, since this one's had great reviews, and it's available for me without any additional out-of-pocket expense, I want to give it a try.  I've owned every Xbox system, so I sometimes feel like I'm missing out, having not played one of their biggest franchises.

Outer Worlds wasn't even on my radar until it made a little news for somewhat unexpectedly landing on Gamepass. I've heard good things, and it is in a genre that I generally like.  It's also about time for me to get into an action RPG.  I have an infant son at home that's been eating up my time though, so I haven't been in a position to sink dozens or hundreds of hours into one. My understanding is that Outer Worlds is a more manageable length. That appeals to me right now.

I took a nice nap this afternoon. I have a full tank of gas and should be able to stay up late. That gives me some good gaming time.  So, which game should I play?

You should think about playing some earlier Gears Of War games before you start on 5. If that isn't at all something you'd consider doing, go with Gears 5. It'll likely be a quicker play through, and you can get to The Outer Worlds relatively soon. If you do go with The Outer Worlds, check out this thread, which has some useful tips for fast-travel.

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=241160&page=8#3

The last 6 posts specifically should shed some light on how to more effectively fast-travel. Haven't played it myself.

The Outer Worlds

Yes because he said he never played a Gears game before so I figured the new IP would be a better fit than jumping into Gears. 

Both amazing games.
Id start with Gears 5 as its campaign isn't as long however one of the best going around.
The Outer Worlds is a much longer game and to get through it all will take time.

I've played through the outer worlds and played all gears up until 5.

I'd recommend either start with gears 1 ultimate or play outer worlds. They're all on game pass. 

Outer Worlds looks a lot more interesting. Another title I plan to purchase when it goes on sale!

Playing Gears 5 without Gears of War 4 might be weird. All new characters were introduced there so you would definitely miss out on story. Just like someone else said, start with Gears Ultimate. 13 years old but plays and feels timeless.

The Outer Worlds is indeed quite short for an RPG. Think Mass Effect 1 in terms of length. I got through the story, completing most side quests in 18 hours (according to in game tracker). Do me the favour and start the game on hard though. It's too easy on normal. The first two hours might be tough but it's getting pretty easy later on.

So, I ended up falling asleep super early last night without playing either game. But, I woke up at 4:30am today, a few hours before the rest of the family, and started on Gears. I'm into the beginning of Act II. So far, I'm very favorably impressed.

I do feel like there's a lot of story context that I would benefit from if I played the older games first. But, I just ain't interested in going back to play games from a decade ago.

I'm pretty late but if you did play Gears 5, there were a couple of videos in the options that bring you up to speed on the story (more or less).