Game Pass

Microsoft is poised to add the newest Call of Duty series entry to Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft plans to release the coming installment of the "Call of Duty" videogame to its subscription service, in a departure from its longtime practice of only selling the title independently, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to put the unannounced 2024 game on from day one. The move is supposedly meant to shakeup Microsoft’s videogame sales strategy and is expected to be announced at the Xbox Games Showcase held next month.

may not have been the silver bullet Microsoft hoped for. However, it’s still a way for subscribers to play several free games every month. The second half of May sees the arrival of twelve more games, including a major new release.

Microsoft has announced the second wave of titles coming to Game Pass in May, starting with the original Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, available today for cloud, consoles and PC. On May 15th, subscribers can check out the acclaimed puzzle adventureChants of Sennar. May 16th sees the arrival of EA Sports NHL 24 on the cloud and Immortals of Aveum for cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Following rumors about Microsoft debating whether Call of Duty should come to Game Pass, Xbox president Sarah Bond reiterated that all first-party titles from the publisher arrive on day one for the service. That includes Activision’s titles, but she didn’t discuss rumors about Game Pass potentially receiving a price hike. Nevertheless, it seems to be happening.

Amid reports of Microsoft internally debating future Call of Duty titles coming to Game Pass, Xbox president Sarah Bond has reiterated that all Xbox games will launch on day one for the service.

Former Microsoft senior PR lead Brad Hilderbrand has blogged about the recent closure of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, making a familiar case that Microsoft’s gaming division are now expected “to cut expenses to the bone” in the wake of the wildly expensive acquisition of Activision Blizzard and amid slowing growth of the Game Pass subscription business. In Hilderbrand’s view, Game Pass will likely never be sustainable or profitable. Microsoft’s only chance on this front, he says, is “to put all the world's biggest games on the service” – namely, Call of Duty, which still earns hundreds of millions annually in direct sales, or GTA 6, which, hahahaha.

Microsoft’s closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin and Alpha Dog Studios (with Roundhouse Studios folded into ZeniMax Online Studios) proved shocking for the industry, especially after its layoffs earlier this year. While it has plenty to look forward to, including the next Call of Duty, it’s reportedly debating whether it – and future releases in the series – should go to Game Pass.

CI Games and Microsoft have agreed to bring Lords of the Fallen and Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 to Game Pass. The exact dates for their arrival are unknown, though the former was rumored for late May.

A new batch of games have been announced for Game Pass in May, including five that are playable on PC. There are siblings, felines, reapers, and a Croft. I'm struggling to identify a theme.

Microsoft has announced the first wave of titles coming to Game Pass in May. It’s kicking things off early with Have A Nice Death, a 2D action rogue-like available today on console, PC and the cloud.

As was previously leaked, the critically-acclaimed 2023 action-adventure game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Thursday, April 25. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate features a number of exclusive perks to help justify its higher cost compared to the other Game Pass tiers, with one of the big selling points being its access to the EA Play library of games.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the action-adventure title from Respawn Entertainment, is heading to EA Play subscription service. The game is confirmed to be available on the service via Xbox and PC Game Pass starting April 25. Additionally, Jedi: Survivor has been spotted as being included with the EA Play subscription on PlayStation Store in some regions. The acclaimed Star Wars title is joining EA's subscription service almost exactly a year after its release across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Yesterday’s Indie World Showcase may have led to disappointment (yet again) for Hollow Knight fans, but the announcement of SteamWorld Heist 2 is still noteworthy. Thunderful’s sequel retains the turn-based tactical shooting of the original, but with a pirate setting, naval combat, free exploration and a new Job system to customize crewmate abilities in new ways.

Thunderful’s SteamWorld Heist 2 is the next title in the critically acclaimed series, venturing to Carribea as Captain Leeway and his crew investigate a mysterious crisis. The classic precision-based turn-based combat returns, but it also features a Job system for equipping characters with any weapon and mixing and matching abilities.

It’s not Hollow Knight: Silksong, but today’s Indie World Showcase ended on a high note with the announcement of SteamWorld Heist 2. As a follow-up to Image and Form Games’ 2016 turn-based strategy, the sequel takes to the high seas with a more pirate-themed setting. Check out the first trailer below.

Seven new games are joining in the second half of April, including four new releases. Xbox also announced three games coming to Game Pass Core. However, six games will leave Microsoft’s subscription service at the end of the month.

Microsoft has revealed the lineup of games that will be added to the Game Pass catalog over the next couple of weeks, and subscribers have some notable titles to look forward to. Most prominent among them is probably Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Rabbit and Bear Studios’ long-awaited Suikoden spiritual successor, which launches April 23 and will also be available with Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud at launch.

Microsoft is limiting Xbox Game Pass subscription extensions in certain countries to deter players from stacking their membership at a cheaper rate.

It wouldn’t be an indie showcase without Thunder Lotus, and sure enough, the studio showcased some new gameplay for its upcoming co-op rogue-like 33 Immortals. Check it out below and marvel at the game’s art style and frighteningly opposing bosses.

has a pretty respectable but not totally consistent catalog. While certain staples are there to stay, games come and go regularly. Six games are leaving on April 15th, with half of them from Amnesia developer Frictional Games.

Microsoft have announced April's new arrivals for the Game Pass subscription service, and it includes a cute game about being an alligator, a cute game about gardening, a cute game about fleeing a doomed planet in search of a new home among the stars, and also EA Sports PGA Tour, I guess.

The first games coming to during April 2024 have been announced, and they’re a mix of day-one releases, older faces, and even some returning games. Following a stint in the Xbox Free Play Days, Lego 2K Drive joins the lineup alongside known additions like Harold Halibut and Botany Manor.

The first wave of Game Pass titles for April has been announced with Superhot: Mind Control Delete is out now for cloud, console and PC players. Tomorrow sees the arrival of LEGO 2K Drive, Visual Concepts’ take on an open-world LEGO racing title.

Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft’s game-streaming platform, finally lets you actually use a keyboard and mouse to play on PC. There’s a bit of a catch for now, though, in that it’s only a beta test for now with a small selection of games supported. Still, it’s something!

Microsoft has announced the second wave of titles coming to Game Pass in March, starting with Lightyear Frontier on Game Preview for PC, Xbox Series X/S and the cloud, and MLB The Show 24 for cloud and consoles. Both titles are available today for subscribers.

Stealth platformer Ereban: Shadow Legacy recently resurfaced with a new trailer, with developer Baby Robot Games announcing that the game will be launching for PC in April. It was announced at the same time that the game would no longer be published by Raw Fury, while the status of its Game Pass launch was also unclear.

Baby Robot Games’ stealth platforming adventure Ereban: Shadow Legacy launches on April 10th for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Check out the latest trailer below.

Frostpunk 2 is set to launch on July 25th, 11 bit Studios announced via today’s Xbox showcase. The upcoming sequel to the survival title will release first on PC and will be a day one Game Pass release.

While 11 bit Studios had announcements for Frostpunk 2 and The Alters at the Xbox Partner Showcase, it also revealed a new title –Creatures of Ava. Developed by Inverge Studios, it’s coming to PC and Xbox  Series X/S while launching day one on Game Pass. Check out the announcement trailer below.

Atlus has announced an Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload, which is going to bring Persona 3 FES’ The Answer as part of its third wave in the form of the DLC titled Episode Aigis -The Answer-. And similar to the base game itself, it turns out is DLC is also going to be available at no additional cost to Game Pass subscribers- well, some of them, at least.

During the latest Xbox Partner Preview, 11 bit Studios released a new trailer for The Alters, outlining its gameplay and story. As Jan Dolski, players find themselves stranded on a planet with a burning sun and must survive at all costs to return home.

Capcom closed the Xbox Partner Preview showcase with a new gameplay trailer for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. The supernatural hack-and-slash title is also confirmed to launch in 2024. Check out how it plays below.

It's a new month, which means a new set of games arriving on Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service. The arrivals begin today with stompy, old school shooter Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and will continue before the advent of spring with the mechs-and-plants craft 'em up Lightyear Frontier and telekinetic adventure Control Ultimate Edition, among others.

The first games coming to during March 2024 have been announced, and there are a few surprises to go with the expected day-one games. We already knew about the impending release of MLB The Show 24 and Lightyear Frontier, but there are a couple of older faces and others to keep the kids occupied.

Microsoft has announced the first wave of titles coming to Game Pass subscribers for March, starting with Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun for cloud, PC and consoles. PAW Patrol World arrives for the same platforms on March 7th, followed by SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated on March 12th.

Palworld, the action-adventure survival title that broke player count records on Steam at launch, has sold 15 million copies on Valve's platform. Developers Pocketpair announced Thursday that the game's total player count had gone past 25 million, with 15 million players on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox. Since its release last month, Palworld has become a phenomenon, becoming one of the most played games in Steam history even as it has attracted plagiarism accusations over its Pokémon-style in-game creatures that players can capture, train and utilise in combat.

Update:

Surprise! Dead Island 2 has popped up as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription, despite not being listed by Microsoft when it revealed a list of late February Xbox Game Pass titles earlier this week.

With Diablo 4 becoming the first Activision Blizzard game to launch for Game Pass on March 28th, the door is seemingly open for other titles to follow. Speaking to Game File’s Stephen Totilo, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the company intends that “the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard and XGS – Xbox Game Studios – will be on Game Pass, day one.”

With Activision Blizzard now officially part of Xbox, it was obviously going to be only a matter of time before its games started appearing on Game Pass. That process is set to kick off on March 28, with Diablo 4 being the first game to join the service– but though the action RPG is joining the service’s catalog, it turns out not all subscribers are going to be able to dive in.

Microsoft has shared updated Game Pass membership figures for the first time since January 2022, saying the on-demand gaming service now has 34m «fully paid» subscribers, with «significant growth» coming from PC and cloud.

Diablo 4 is coming to Game Pass this March.

In a recently uploaded special episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft Gaming’s leadership team made some key announcements about select first-party Xbox titles that are headed to PlayStation and Switch (which doesn’t include the likes of Starfield or Indiana Jones, contrary to recent reports), what that means for Microsoft’s future first-party plans, and more. And of course, with first-party being the focal point of the discussion, during the podcast, they also spoke about Game Pass.

Microsoft has confirmed that four of its Xbox/PC titles will be coming to other platforms. These don’t include Starfield or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which will remain exclusive. However, what about Game Pass, which has reached 34 million subscribers since launching in June 2017?

Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Game Pass on March 28th, marking the first of the Activision Blizzard titles to make the migration to Xbox's subscription service since the acquisition last year.

The lineup of games being added to Game Pass’ library over the course of February was revealed earlier in the month, and though it was already looking quite strong with the likes of Resident Evil 3, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and more, another major title has now been confirmed to be joining the service’s ranks.

Update:

The first games coming to during February 2024 have been revealed a little later than anticipated, but now we know what to expect up until the last week of the month. As well as day-one releases, the list also includes a new game for EA Play.

Ore is one of the most important resources in Palworld and it’s a little rare — you’ll need a ton of ore to build and ore fields aren’t exactly common. If you want to load up on resources, you’ll want to create a secondary base that mines endlessly. Do that and you’ll have more than enough ore and coal in Palworld. And you can do that by exploring specific locations on the map. These large ore deposits are always found in the same places, so here’s where you’ll want to look.

Lucky Pals are the Shiny Pokemon of Palworld — rare creatures with a slightly different color palette. But Lucky Pals aren’t just cosmetic. These immensely rare critters can have unique traits you won’t find on all those normal, non-shiny Pals. If you’re looking to catch the very best version of your favorite Pals, here’s a few tips to actually track down one of these rare Shiny variants. Don’t worry, they’re not nearly as rare as Shiny Pokemon, and there’s a method you can use to spot them so, so much faster.

A new update for the PC Game Pass and Xbox versions of Palworld has fixed some of its many, many known issues today, but those hoping for some fixes to its online multiplayer options will sadly have to wait a little longer. Currently, those playing on Game Pass still don't have the ability to join or create dedicated servers for up to 32-player multiplayer like their mates on Steam can. Instead, they remain limited to just 2-4-player co-op via the use of friend codes, meaning that Game Pass players aren't having quite the same experience as their Steam counterparts.

Pocketpair’s Palworld has sold over two million copies within 24 hours of launching into early access. It crossed one million copies sold in its first eight hours or so.

Pocketpair has announced that Palworld, its survival crafting creature collection title, has sold more than one million copies within eight hours of launch. It entered early access recently for PC and Xbox Series X/S and is also playable on Game Pass. Thus far, the title has hit 462,632 peak concurrent players on Steam.

Fans who were eagerly awaiting new information to emerge on the MachineGames Indiana Jones title were finally treated to a deep dive yesterday. We got our first look into the upcoming title during the Xbox Developer Direct. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle had a decent showcase where we got our first look into the gameplay and even some narrative storyline premise. While we’re still waiting for the official release date to be finalized, the new website hosted under Bethesda unveils more details on what we can expect from this game. 

Pocketpair’s Palworld is available in early access, amassing nearly 300,000 concurrent players on Steam (now at 358,867). In a new Steam post, the developer revealed that the project started with only four developers, gradually growing over its three-year development period.

It’s no secret that Palworld is hotly anticipated – right from the very first trailer, many were curious about this so-called “Pokemon with guns.” As it turns out, Pocketpair’s survival-crafting adventure isn’t a scam, and is very much playable in early access for PC and Xbox Series X/S. On Steam alone, it’s notched up an astounding 298,012 concurrent players (and rising) within just a few hours per SteamDB.

Pocketpair’s Palworld, a survival crafting title meets Pokemon-style creature collector, is now on PC via Steam Early Access and Xbox Series X/S via Game Preview. It’s also playable on Game Pass. Check out the launch trailer below.

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Microsoft announced the second wave of titles coming to Game Pass in January after starting the month with two big additions in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Resident Evil 2. Horror game Those Who Remain is playable now on cloud, consoles and PC, while Turnip Boy Robs a Bank and F1 23 (available via EA Play) arrive on January 18th.

11 bit studios has finally released the first gameplay trailer for Frostpunk 2, its follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2018 post-apocalyptic city-builder. After confirming a release in the first half of 2024 for PC, it announced PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions launching later. The sequel will also launch on PC Game Pass and later on Game Pass.

The denizens of Frostpunk are, understandably, quite grumpy so-and-sos a lot of the time, but through their cries of "More heat!" and "Please can we not with the human waste hothouse jobs!", I reckon even they'd be quite pleased to hear that Frostpunk 2 will be heading to PC Game Pass on its day of release (with Xbox Game Pass following when it arrives on consoles). Alas, we still don't know exactly when it's coming out yet, but in the mean time, why not gather round the burning barrel of 11 Bit's very first gameplay trailer for it while we wait?

After announcing a release date for Palworld, which arrives in early access, developer Pocketpair has published an FAQ. It confirmed that player vs. player (PvP) won’t be available initially, but it’s currently testing the same internally and “experimenting with different approaches.

Pocketpair’s Palworld is finally launching this month, albeit in early access. Announced for PC via Steam, the “Pokemon with Guns” survival crafting title will also be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass on January 19th.

The next Xbox Developer_Direct is confirmed for January 18th at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET. As indicated by recent rumors, it will feature an “inside look” at several first-party titles for Xbox Series X/S, PC and Game Pass.

The first games coming to during January 2024 have been revealed as we enter into the new year. Due to the small number of new releases over the next couple of weeks, the list consists of older games, including some that are returning to the service for another stint.

The year is coming to a close and Microsoft may have one more surprise up its sleeve as it seems that may leave soon. Some players have received notifications that the game will be one of three due to leave the service on December 31, but only two of those have been confirmed by Microsoft.

If you’ve been holding out hope that Baldur’s Gate 3 might find its way onto PC Game Pass in the future, I’ve got some bad news for you: it’s very unlikely to happen.

is finally available for the line of VR headsets. While Cloud Gaming is still in beta, users can download the app from the Meta Quest Store. No TV or console is required, but users will need to sign up for a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

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With Game Pass being as central to Xbox’s strategy as it has become over the years, it goes without saying that Microsoft has pumped a massive amount of money into the service, especially given how many third party titles the service features in its catalog (many of which launch day and date). How much money exactly, though?

Earlier this week, a different Xbox executive said Microsoft's mission was to bring Game Pass to PlayStation and Nintendo.

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Microsoft has announced the first two new games to be added to the library and they’ll be arriving in December 2023. After promising to update the list of games two or three times a year, this will be the first update since the program launched in September.

Though Microsoft generally makes it a point to announce new additions to Game Pass’ ever-expanding library with as much fanfare as it can muster, the company seems to have added to solid titles to the catalog in rather understated fashion.

Immortals of Aveum didn’t get nearly as much traction as developer Ascendant Studios had hoped it would – something that had pretty disastrous consequences for the studio in the form of significant layoffs – but it looks like the developer is looking to put the game on PlayStation and Xbox’s subscription services in an effort to attract a larger player base.

The final few Wave 2 games coming to during the remaining weeks of November 2023 have been revealed. There aren’t many titles to choose from seeing as only three games will be joining the service in the next two weeks, but the highlight of the selection is the day one release of Persona 5 Tactica.

Shiro Games’ Dune: Spice Wars, a 4X strategy game based on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel, is coming to Xbox Series X/S. It launches on November 28th for consoles and Game Pass (with the PC version currently available on the service).

It looks like Dune: Spice Wars will be available on Xbox Game Pass for console and cloud later this month.