Xbox Game Pass - Timeline
Thursday9th May 2024
News 'Galacticare' Brings Its Intergalactic Hospitals To Xbox Game Pass This Month
Save the (literal) Galaxy
It was all the way back at the 2023 Xbox Extended Showcase that we first learned of Galacticare heading to Xbox Game Pass, and now it's got a date! The game will arrive for Xbox Series X, Series S and PC on May 23rd, 2024. In Galacticare, it's your job to "build, manage and optimise" intergalactic hospitals - either in t
News Former Microsoft Exec Gives 'Two Reasons' Why Xbox Closed Bethesda Teams
"Neither of them have anything to do with Bethesda"
It's been a tumultuous time in Xbox land as of late, with news breaking throughout the week about job cuts - including four studio closures within Xbox's Bethesda division. At the time of writing Microsoft hasn't released a statement about all of these reports, but one former executive thinks he...
News Xbox Game Pass's Dead Island 2 'Isn't Over Yet', Vows Developer Dambuster
"We know a lot of you are wondering what's next"
After years and years of development delays, Dead Island 2 finally launched in April 2023 - with an Xbox Game Pass arrival following up last month. It seemed that after this Game Pass drop, and the team's second story DLC release, Dead Island 2's time was up - but that's not going to
Review Little Kitty, Big City (Xbox) - A Purrfect Addition to Xbox Game Pass
Cats are cute, Humans should have faces.
Little Kitty, Big City is the inaugural release for indie developer Double Dagger Studio. It’s a fun and silly venture centering around a mischievous little kitty trying to find their way back home. We were interested to understand where the makers of such wholesome content had been, and let us tell you, we...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (May 9-12)
Included with Game Pass Core and Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox's Free Play Days selection for this week is now live, with four games in total playable for free this weekend. Crime Boss: Rockay City is probably the highlight of the bunch here, with 505's star-studded FPS only launching last summer. Here's your full Xbox Free Play Days lineup for the...
News Little Kitty, Big City Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 9)
Find your way back home
Today marks another day one arrival on Xbox Game Pass in the form of Little Kitty, Big City, in which you'll embark on a "whimsical adventure" within an open-world playground as a "curious little kitty with a big personality". The release time for Little Kitty, Big City on Xbox Game Pass is 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST. We've...
Wednesday8th May 2024
News Xbox Reportedly Considering Game Pass Price Hike To Accommodate Call Of Duty
Multiple options are seemingly on the table
Just when we thought the slew of megaton Xbox news was starting to die down, multiple new reports hit the web, including one from The Verge that talks about Microsoft's internal struggles regarding its Game Pass subscription. According t
News Subscription Services Like Xbox Game Pass Appear To Have 'Stalled' In The US
The figures are barely moving
We've heard for a while now that Xbox Game Pass growth is slowing down these days - Microsoft has said that the service has struggled to expand numbers-wise since at least late 2022. Well, the overall US numbers seem to be backing that up, and that's across gaming subscriptions in general. Circana's Mat Piscatella (NPD...
News Xbox Appears To Be Getting Ready For Crash Bandicoot On Game Pass
Alongside Spyro and whatever else
Let's have some good news, shall we?! If you've been looking forward to a massive drop of Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass, it sounds like we're getting pretty close now. Recently, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy was spotted getting a PC version on the Xbox PC app, and now the same thing has happened to the...
News Tango Gameworks Founder Responds To Xbox Shutting Down Studio
"Sad"
It's another tough period for the video game industry this week with Xbox announcing the immediate closure of four teams - including its Japanese studio Tango Gameworks, responsible for Hi-Fi RUSH and multiple other IP over the years. Past and present developers have been sending their messages to these teams and now the studio founder, who...
Tuesday7th May 2024
Reaction Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
The price of ever-expanding growth
It's been a wild few years over at Team Xbox, with the brand being marked by vast change since the launch of Xbox Series X and S back in late 2020 - which is starting to feel like a lifetime ago now. Huge acquisitions like that of both Bethesda and Activision Blizzard have massively changed how the team now...
News Kona 2: Brume Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 7)
Explore the Canadian wilderness on Game Pass
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass library update! Today, developer Parabole welcomes you to the Canadian wilderness in Kona 2: Brume, the recent sequel to 2017's Kona; which is already in the Game Pass library. Here's a quick look at Kona 2, which is now live on Xbox Game Pass: Kona 2: Brume...
News Hades 2 Gets A Surprise Early Access Release, Initial Impressions 'Overwhelmingly Positive'
A console release is on the way
Following some previews in April, the highly anticipated roguelike Hades 2 has now got an early access launch. Unfortunately, it's only for PC right now, but it could be a sign that an update about the Xbox version of Hades 2 is nearby. Supergiant's official website notes how the title is expected to be in "early...
Monday6th May 2024
News Xbox Fan Helps Bromley FC Achieve Greatest Success In 132 Years
A dream come true
Last year, Xbox and Football Manager held a competition to give one lucky Xbox fan a job at Bromley FC as a "Support Performance Tactician", and it was ultimately won by Nathan Owolabi who has become the star of a mini documentary. If that wasn't cool enough, Owolabi played a part in Bromley's biggest success in their 132 years as...
News Microsoft & CI Games Strike Deal For Two New Xbox Game Pass Additions
One was already rumoured to be coming!
Following a rumour about Lords of the Fallen coming to Xbox Game Pass this month, we seem to have confirmation of that particular title and another from publisher CI Games joining the library soon. As picked up by Polish business site Bankier, Microsoft appears to have agreed to bring t
Saturday4th May 2024
News Here's What Might Be Leaving Xbox Game Pass In June 2024
Some early predictions!
Update (Mon 3rd Jun, 2024): Microsoft has now begun revealing the games leaving Xbox Game Pass in June 2024, so we'll be updating the table below with any confirmed departures over the next few weeks. <related ids="166900,167693"> Original story (Sat 4th May, 2024): What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in June 2024? Well,...
Friday3rd May 2024
Pick One What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Game In April 2024?
Ark? Star Wars? Fallout 4? Tell us!
April 2024 ended up being another really busy month for Xbox Game Pass, finishing off earlier this week with the final two releases of The Rewinder and Have A Nice Death - so let's take a look back at some of the highlights! There have been some major AAA additi
News Diablo 4's New Season 'Loot Reborn' Launches On Xbox This Month
"Season 4 is going to be the biggest update"
Following its debut on Xbox Game Pass in March, Diablo IV will soon be getting its "biggest update" since launch in the form of the Season 4: Loot Reborn update. This update will roll out on May 14th, 2024 and promises to overhaul many "core game systems" to refresh how items are earned, how they...
News Lords Of The Fallen Is Apparently Bringing Its Soulslike To Xbox Game Pass In Late May
According to a new report
We just got our first Xbox Game Pass roundup for May 2024, which breaks down the service's early May additions, but we're already starting to hear about a title that could be included in the late May lineup as well. According to outlet eXputer, 2023's soulslike Lords Of The Fallen will be coming to the
Thursday2nd May 2024
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (May 2-5)
Included with Game Pass Core and Game Pass Ultimate
Update: Microsoft has since revealed that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's inclusion in Free Play Days only features a five-hour gameplay trial. As mentioned below though, the game is available in full on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play. Original Story: Xbox's Free Play Days titles are now live for...
Soapbox The Best Modern Tomb Raider Is Well Worth Your Time On Xbox Game Pass
The island of Yamatai awaits
May 2024's very first Xbox Game Pass update has brought Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition to the service more than 10 years after it launched on Xbox One, however, don't let the game's age put you off trying it out. This Tomb Raider reboot may have originated as an Xbox 360 game way back in 2013, but it's easily the best...
News Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 2)
A top-tier Tomb Raider title
Your first Xbox Game Pass title for May 2024 is officially here! Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is now live on the service, as Crystal Dynamics brings the Xbox One version of its Tomb Raider reboot to Game Pass. To this day we reckon this is one of the best Tomb Raider games ever, so if you've not tried it yet, we...
Wednesday1st May 2024
News 'HUMANITY' Was A Huge Hit On PS5 Last Year, And It's Coming To Xbox Game Pass This May
"A unique blend of puzzle-solving and action-platforming"
Hidden deep within Xbox's April Indie Showcase was the reveal of HUMANITY; a unique puzzle-platformer that's been out on PlayStation and PC for a year-or-so at this point. It felt as though the ID@Xbox livestream glossed over this one a little bit, but it probably shouldn't have - given how...
News Team Behind Former Xbox Game Pass Title 'Deliver Us The Moon' Lays Off Staff
"We’ve unfortunately exhausted all our possible options"
Deliver Us The Moon and Deliver Us Mars creator KeokeN Interactive has failed to secure a deal for publishing its next game, resulting in massive layoffs at the Dutch developer. To put it simply, the two studio leaders have had to lay off the entire team, having "exhausted all possible...
Tuesday30th Apr 2024
News Eight Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Early May 2024
The first batch of departures for May
The first six games leaving Xbox Game Pass in May 2024 have been revealed today, and sadly we've got a few big ones in the mix! The most notable example is Just Cause 4 Reloaded - Square's latest Just Cause title has been on the service for just over five years, until it leaves this month. Here's the full list...
News These Four Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (May 2-14)
The latest official roundup of new titles
Microsoft has just confirmed the first batch of Xbox Game Pass titles for May 2024, which includes the previously revealed Little Kitty, Big City along with the likes of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Brothers: A Ta
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 30)
Including a surprise drop late last night!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We initially thought we'd have just the one title to tell you about today, but a surprise addition from Xbox's April indie showcase means we now have two new Game Pass arrivals. So, here's a quick introduction to the both of them: Have A Nice Death
News Starfield's Shattered Space Expansion DLC Launches On Xbox This Fall
A large update is also coming soon
Starfield got off to a strong start on Xbox, breaking all sorts of records for Bethesda, and now the development team is looking ahead to the future with the upcoming Shattered Space Story Expansion. During an appearance on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, the game's director Todd Howard mentioned how the expansion DLC...
Monday29th Apr 2024
News 12 Xbox Game Pass Titles Get New Reveals At April's Indie Showcase
Including a surprise that's out today!
Today's ID@Xbox April 2024 Showcase treated us to some fresh Xbox Game Pass reveals for the likes of Dungeons Of Hinterberg and Immortals 33 - and we also learned of some brand-new
News Stylish Action-RPG 'Dungeons Of Hinterberg' Secures July Release Date For Xbox Game Pass
Colourful dungeons await
We already locked eyes on Dungeons Of Hinterberg last year, with a lovely developer update dropping in December, and today brings fresh news on the Xbox Game Pass RPG - including a proper release date! Yep, this stylised, colourful adventure officially joins the Game Pass
Rumour 'Two Brothers' Tease Hints At Possible Xbox Game Pass Addition For This Week
"Two Brothers will visit Game Pass this week"
We're yet to get our official Xbox Game Pass roundup for early May 2024, but a new tease is doing the rounds that hints at a pretty big addition to the library coming soon. Well-known leaker 'eXtas1s' is teasing that "two brothers" will be coming to the Game Pass service this week. Now, we don't know...
News Manor Lords Debuts To Amazing Player Numbers Ahead Of Planned Xbox Launch
This game is really taking off!
Late last week, medieval strategy title Manor Lords made its PC Game Pass debut, and it's safe to say that the game has gotten off a blistering start so far. The team has been posting all over social media this weekend about its incredible player number feats, just a few days after launch. On Saturday, publisher...
Saturday27th Apr 2024
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In May 2024
The full list of confirmed games so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in May 2024? It can be pretty difficult to keep track of all the comings and goings in the world of Xbox Game Pass every week, so we've put together this handy guide to provide an overview of what's coming to Xbox Game Pass in May, as well as the...
Friday26th Apr 2024
Reminder Six Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass Early Next Week
Including one that's endorsed by Phil Spencer!
As we head into the weekend, we wanted to bring your attention once again to six games that are leaving Xbox Game Pass in just a few days' time - if you want to play them with your subscription, you haven't got long left to do so! There's plenty to enjoy here, but Ravenlok is perhaps one of the biggest...
News Stalker 2's Open World Looks Mighty Impressive In New 'Not A Paradise' Trailer
Be careful where you tread
GSC Game World has today dropped a brand-new trailer for Stalker 2, ahead of the game's much-anticipated release on Xbox Game Pass. It's a short clip this time around, but the team's new 'Not a Paradise' trailer shows off some impressive technical details powering its open-world FPS. The landscape itself seems rich with...
News Steam's Most Wishlisted Game Is Available Today On PC Game Pass (April 26)
Lead your people into battle
Today marks the final Xbox Game Pass arrival of April 2024 - although this one isn't actually on Xbox just yet, but rather is a PC Game Pass exclusive until the Xbox version arrives at some point in the (hopefully) not too distant future. The game we're talking about is Manor Lords, which is currently the top wishlisted...
News Xbox's Gaming Revenue Is Up 51% YoY Following Activision Blizzard Acquisition
The FY24 Q3 results are in
Microsoft has today released its financial results for Q3 2024 and its Xbox gaming revenue growth is up by more than 51% year-over-year. Once again, this is mostly credited to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was closed on October 13, 2023. This latest figure factors in 55 points of net impact from...
Thursday25th Apr 2024
News Dead By Daylight Gets Huge File Size Reduction On Xbox Series X|S
And it's still on Game Pass!
A-list horror title Dead by Daylight has undergone a pretty major overhaul on Xbox this week, resulting in a big benefit for current-gen players. As a result of the team's switch to Unreal Engine 5, Dead by Daylight is now almost 20GB smaller on Xbox Series X and S. On our Xbox Series X console we're now seeing a 49GB...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 25-28)
Included with Game Pass Core and Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Free Play Days is officially a-go! We've got three Xbox titles up for grabs this week, including 2023's TramSim: Console Edition for Xbox Series X|S. Here's the full Free Play Days lineup for this weekend: Prison Architect: Xbox One Edition Railway Empire TramSim: Console Edition
News Xbox Game Pass's Texas Chain Saw Massacre Gets Free DLC Promotion
But you (maybe?) have to own the game outright
Back in November The Texas Chain Saw Massacre dev started adding new DLC characters to the game at $10 a pop, which seemed like a fairly controversial move at the time. Well, several months & DLC packs later, and the team is starting to bundle them in with the base game as part of a special...
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 25)
Including Fallout 4 next-gen!
It's a big day for Xbox Game Pass, folks! We have three additions to the library in total today, including Bethesda's Fallout 4 next-gen update and a pretty hefty addition to EA Play. Here's an introduction to what's coming to Xbox Game Pass today: Another Crab's T
Wednesday24th Apr 2024
News Another Crab's Treasure Brings Its Soulslike Adventure To Xbox Game Pass This Week
"Embark on an epic treasure hunt"
Xbox Game Pass is benefiting from a pretty massive set of additions this Thursday (April 25th), with Fallout 4's next-gen update and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor both landing around the same time. Sandwiched amongst them is a brand-new day one addition that might
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Ultimate Members (April 2024)
Fallout, Exoprimal, NHL 24 and more!
It's time for another batch of Xbox Game Pass Perks for April 2024! The month has been fairly quiet so far (compared to a very busy March), although Bethesda fans will find some nice Perks to take advantage of in particular. Also, don't forget that if you're an Amazon Prime member, you can claim Fallout 76 for...
Tuesday23rd Apr 2024
Talking Point Two Years Later, Did LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Live Up To The Hype?
Was it the greatest LEGO game of all time?
This month marks two years since LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga finally arrived after years and years' worth of anticipation, with many fans back then expecting it to become the biggest and best LEGO game of all time. Now, as we look back in 2024, it definitely feels like the "biggest" to us. The...
News Xbox Game Pass Adds A 'Day One' RPG Today, Plus Three New Titles For Core Members
Another busy day for XGP!
Today marks the arrival of another big Xbox Game Pass addition for April 2024, plus three new Core titles! The new JRPG that's available on all versions of Xbox Game Pass aside from "Core" is Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which we just gave a "Great" 8/10 to in our Pure Xbox review earlier this week. The game isn't...
Monday22nd Apr 2024
Poll What Do You Think Of Harold Halibut On Xbox So Far?
The most recent "day one" Game Pass release
It's been almost a week now since Harold Halibut made its debut on Xbox Game Pass back on April 16th, and ahead of release we were extremely intrigued by what this unique stop-motion adventure had to offer. Here at Pure Xbox, we ended up giving Harold Halibut a "Great"
Friday19th Apr 2024
News Cities: Skylines 2 Console Edition Delays Its Xbox Game Pass Launch
"We want to address the pending Console release"
Cities: Skylines 2 made its PC Game Pass debut last October, with the promise of a console release to come in Spring 2024. Well, we're now in Spring 2024, and the team at Paradox Interactive has an update for us regarding Cities: Skylines 2 on Xbox Series X|S. In short, the team is delaying its...
Thursday18th Apr 2024
News Here Are All The Xbox Reveals From April's Nintendo Indie World Showcase
Yes, there were plenty of them!
In case you missed it, Nintendo held a new Indie World Showcase for April yesterday, and following the event, plenty of the games were also confirmed for Xbox - including three of them for Xbox Game Pass! We've already mentioned about those Game Pass games here at Pure Xbox, including SteamWorld Heist 2: <related...
News Xbox One Call Of Duty Title Shows Up As Cloud Gaming Compatible
But is it an error?
Since Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, there's been lots of speculation about the team's library and how it'll work with Xbox Game Pass / Xbox Cloud Gaming. The details aren't exactly clear right now, but work relating to some of ActiBlizz's biggest series' could be going on behind the scenes. As posted over on
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 18-21)
Included with Game Pass Core and Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Free Play Days is back for the coming weekend, with three main titles and one very nice bonus up for grabs this week. That bonus is Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Mirage, which is undergoing a longer free trial period right now on Xbox. Here's the full list of games this week: Assassin's Creed...
