Xbox Game Pass enters 2026 with a familiar rhythm: new games are dropping in throughout the month, a small group is cycling out, and a long list of 2026 additions is already locked in. On top of that, the library is now split across four plans, which makes it harder to see at a glance what you actually get with each tier.
This breakdown covers three things: the January 2026 schedule of new and leaving games, the big slate of titles already announced for the rest of the year, and a structured view of what’s included in the Essential, Premium, and Ultimate catalogs.
New Xbox Game Pass games in January 2026
Microsoft’s first wave of 2026 Game Pass titles brings a mix of smaller releases and big-name franchises. These are the games confirmed for January so far, along with where you can play them.
| Date | Game | Platforms | Included with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available now | Brews & Bastards | Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S | Ultimate, Premium, PC Game Pass |
| Available now | Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition | Cloud, Handheld, PC, Xbox Series X|S | Ultimate, Premium, PC Game Pass |
| Jan 7 | Atomfall | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC | Game Pass Premium and above |
| Jan 7 | Lost in Random: The Eternal Die | Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, PC | Game Pass Premium and above |
| Jan 7 | Rematch | Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S | Game Pass Premium and above |
| Jan 7 | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition | Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S | Game Pass Premium and above |
| Jan 8 | Final Fantasy (2D Remaster) | Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC | Ultimate, Premium, PC Game Pass |
| Jan 13 | Star Wars Outlaws | Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Jan 15 | My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC | Ultimate, Premium, PC Game Pass |
| Jan 20 | Resident Evil Village | Cloud, Console, PC | Ultimate, Premium, PC Game Pass |
| Jan 20 | Mio: Memories in Orbit | Cloud, Handheld, PC, Xbox Series X|S | Ultimate, PC Game Pass (day one) |
| Jan 22 | Nova Roma | PC | PC Game Pass |
Two games originally highlighted for January, MIO: Memories in Orbit and Nova Roma, are now part of this broader slate. Mio launches as a day-one metroidvania on January 20, while Nova Roma follows on January 22 for PC.
Games leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 15
Five titles are on the way out in mid-January. They remain playable until their removal date, and Game Pass members can buy them at up to 20 percent off before they go.
| Leaving Jan 15 | Platforms on Game Pass |
|---|---|
| Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn | Cloud, Handheld, PC, Xbox Series X|S |
| Neon White | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC |
| Road 96 | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC |
| The Ascent | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC |
| The Grinch: Christmas Adventures | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC |
Once your subscription lapses or these games leave the library, you lose access, but your save data persists. If you later renew Game Pass or buy the game outright, you can pick up where you stopped.
Big 2026 Xbox Game Pass titles already announced
Beyond January, 2026 already has a long list of announced Game Pass additions. Some of these are day-one releases, others are catalog additions with more flexible timing. Dates are not locked down here; think of this as a roadmap for what will show up across the year.
| Upcoming 2026 Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Menace | Turn-based tactical RPG about an elite strike force facing an alien threat. |
| High On Life 2 | Sequel to the comedy FPS, with expanded movement and returning talking weapons. |
| Aphelion | New Game Pass title planned for 2026. |
| Armatus | Third-person roguelike shooter set in a demon-infested Paris. |
| At Fate’s End | Action-forward narrative game from the creators of Spiritfarer. |
| Awaysis | Announced 2026 Game Pass addition. |
| Beast of Reincarnation | New IP from Game Freak with a heavier, mythical tone. |
| Beastro | Planned 2026 catalog addition. |
| Buckshot Roulette | Tabletop-style spin on Russian roulette, already a cult hit on PC. |
| Clockwork Revolution | First-party Xbox title slated for the year. |
| Crowsworn | 2D action platformer coming to Game Pass. |
| D-topia | Planned 2026 arrival. |
| Darkwood II | Survival horror sequel. |
| Denshattack! | High-speed arcade game built around tricking a train like a skateboard. |
| Echo Generation 2 | Follow-up to the voxel-styled RPG, leaning harder into sci-fi. |
| Echo Weaver | Another 2026 addition in the same broader slate. |
| Erosion | Roguelike set in a shifting post-apocalyptic wild west, with destructible environments. |
| Fable | New entry in the Fable series from Playground Games, planned for Game Pass. |
| Forza Horizon 6 | Next Horizon title, heavily anticipated, coming to Game Pass. |
| Freestyle Football 2 | Football game planned for the catalog. |
| Gears of War: E-Day | Series prequel focused on Emergence Day. |
| Mixtape | Narrative vignettes from the studio behind The Artful Escape. |
| Nirvana Noir | Expansion of the Genesis Noir universe with added color and a richer plot. |
| Outbound | Upcoming 2026 release. |
| Persona 4 Revival | Remake of Persona 4 Golden, slated as a 2026 Game Pass day-one release. |
| Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf | Sequel that pushes deeper beneath the surface of Novo. |
| Raji: Kaliyuga | Future Game Pass addition. |
| Replaced | Cinematic pixel art action game finally targeting a 2026 window. |
| Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy | Set 15 years before A Plague Tale: Innocence, following Sophia on Minotaur’s Island. |
| Roadside Research | Co-op alien “research” sim at a roadside gas station. |
| Sledding Game | Cozy multiplayer “friend game” with proximity chat and sledding. |
| Sleight of Hand | Planned 2026 Game Pass title. |
| Snap & Grab | Announced for Game Pass this year. |
| Subnautica 2 | Co-op survival sequel heading into Game Preview on Game Pass. |
| Super Meat Boy 3D | 3D take on the classic platformer, launching day one into Game Pass. |
| Tanuki: Pon’s Summer | Upcoming addition for 2026. |
| TCG Card Shop Simulator | Management game centered on running a card shop. |
| There Are No Ghosts At The Grand | Story-driven renovation game set in a seaside hotel over 30 in-game days. |
| Tropico 7 | Next entry in the city-builder series. |
| Vampire Crawlers | First-person, card-driven spin on Vampire Survivors’ formula. |
| Vapor World | 2.5D soulslike ARPG with heavy parry-focused combat. |
| Wildekin | Planned Game Pass arrival. |
| Witchbrook | Magic-school life sim coming to the service. |
| OD | Announced 2026 title. |
| State of Decay 3 | Next mainline State of Decay entry, bound for Game Pass. |
On top of these, there is a wider group of day-one Game Pass projects discussed for 2026, such as Manorlords’ console release, Vampire Crawlers, and others, but the list above captures the core slate already called out under the Game Pass umbrella.
Game Pass libraries by subscription tier
The Game Pass library is now organized around three console/PC tiers — Essential, Premium, and Ultimate — plus a separate PC-only plan. Essential is the base catalog; Premium adds a much larger library and PC-heavy strategy and RPG titles; Ultimate layers EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, Riot benefits, and a long EA back catalog on top.
Essential: base cross-platform library
Essential covers a curated set of cross-platform games that work on Xbox consoles and PC. It includes a mix of evergreen indies, older first-party titles, and co-op staples. A few representative entries:
- Among Us (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Dead Cells (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Deep Rock Galactic (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Psychonauts 2 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Hades (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Stardew Valley (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- State of Decay 2 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Vampire Survivors (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
For many players who mainly want a rotating set of strong indies, older Microsoft first-party releases, and a few co-op hits, Essential is enough.
Premium: expanded catalog plus PC-focused series
Premium includes everything in Essential and then adds a very large second tier of games, heavily weighted toward PC-first strategy, CRPGs, and full back catalogs. The scale of this tier makes it a de facto “main” Game Pass library for a lot of people.
Highlights include:
- Age of Empires I–IV: Definitive / Anniversary Editions (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Age of Mythology: Retold (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Aliens: Dark Descent (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Another Crab’s Treasure (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- ARK: Survival Ascended and ARK: Survival Evolved (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Crusader Kings III (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Diablo, Diablo III, Diablo IV (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Dishonored: Definitive Edition, Dishonored 2, and Death of the Outsider
- DOOM, DOOM 3, DOOM 64, and the DOOM + DOOM II bundle
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Dredge (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Dungeons Of Hinterberg (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Motorsport (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Frostpunk 2 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Galacticare (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Gears of War 1–4, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and Gears Tactics
- Ghostwire: Tokyo (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Halo Infinite and Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Hogwarts Legacy (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Manor Lords (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Mass Effect and Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Mortal Kombat 1 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Minecraft, Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends
- Palworld (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Persona 4 Golden (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Planet of Lana (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Prey (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Quake, Quake II, Quake III Arena, Quake 4
- Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3
- Sea of Thieves (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Starfield (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Techtonica, Terra Invicta, and Wartales for strategy and management fans
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim Special Edition
- Wasteland (remaster), Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut, and Wasteland 3
- Watch Dogs 2 and Watch Dogs: Legion
- Wolfenstein 3D, The New Order, The Old Blood, The New Colossus, and Youngblood
Premium is effectively the “you get almost everything” option if you play on both console and PC but do not care about EA Play, Riot bonuses, or Ubisoft+ Classics.
Ultimate: full library plus EA, Riot, and Ubisoft integrations
Ultimate folds in everything from Essential and Premium, then adds several more layers on top: EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics on console, and premium benefits in games like League of Legends, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics. It also includes cloud gaming and the Fortnite Crew perk.
Additional Ultimate-only games span older EA titles, Ubisoft back catalogs, and a handful of new releases. A non-exhaustive slice:
- Assassin’s Creed II through Syndicate, including The Ezio Collection and the Chronicles spin-offs
- Avowed (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Battlefield 1, 3, 4, V, and Battlefield 2042
- Burnout Paradise Remastered
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025’s GOTY winner in the Game Pass marketing narrative)
- Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
- Crysis, Crysis 2, Crysis 3
- Dead Space, Dead Space 2, Dead Space 3, and Dead Space Ignition
- Doom: The Dark Ages (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- F1 23 and F1 24
- FC 24 and FC 25
- Football Manager 26 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Gears of War: Reloaded (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Genshin Impact on Xbox Series S/X
- GRID Legends
- Grounded 2 (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (PC, Xbox Series S/X)
- Immortals of Aveum
- It Takes Two
- League of Legends and Legends of Runeterra with unlocked champions and bonuses via Riot linking
- Madden NFL 24 and Madden NFL 25
- Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, and the Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Need for Speed, Heat, Most Wanted, Payback, Unbound, and more from the series
- Overwatch 2 with in-game benefits
- PGA Tour
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on Xbox Series S/X
- SimCity 2000, 3000 Unlimited, 4 Deluxe, and the more recent Complete Edition
- Skull and Bones
- Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront II, plus Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor
- The Sims 3 and The Sims 4
- Titanfall 2
- Valorant with Game Pass-linked bonuses on PC
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (original)
- Wild Hearts
For players who want every first-party Xbox release, EA’s catalog, Ubisoft’s older hits, and Riot’s benefits, Ultimate is the only plan that includes it all in one place.
PC Game Pass: a parallel, PC-only option
PC Game Pass sits alongside these three console/combined tiers. It is priced near Premium, includes many of the same games, and adds a number of PC-only titles and early access or Game Preview projects. It does not include console play, but it does integrate EA Play and Ubisoft Connect through the Xbox app on Windows.
Step 1: To browse the current catalog for any tier, open the official Game Pass library on Xbox’s site at xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass/games. Use the filters to select your subscription and platform.
Step 2: On Windows, install the Xbox app from aka.ms/xboxinstaller. Sign in with the same Microsoft account you use for Game Pass to see the PC library, including EA Play and Ubisoft Connect titles where supported.
Game Pass pricing and how discounts work
Pricing is now broken out into four plans, with quarterly and annual options:
| Plan | Monthly | Quarterly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC Game Pass | $16.49 | $49.47 | $197.88 |
| Essential | $9.99 | $24.99 | $99.96 (quarterly) / $119.88 (monthly) |
| Premium | $14.99 | $44.97 | $179.88 |
| Ultimate | $29.99 | $89.97 | $359.88 |
Essential and Premium often drop to $1 for the first month or first two weeks as an onboarding promotion. Essential also carries a small discount on the quarterly plan compared with paying month-to-month for the same period.
All plans share some baseline perks: cloud saves, progress retention when your subscription ends, the ability to buy leaving games at up to 20 percent off before they rotate out, and Rewards points you can earn through quests and Microsoft Store purchases.
What happens to saves and access when your Game Pass ends
Game Pass keeps your save data independent of your subscription status. Progress is stored under your Xbox profile and syncs via the Xbox network for supported titles.
- When a game leaves the Game Pass catalog, it is no longer playable through your subscription, but it remains installed on your device.
- If you buy the game (with or without the member discount) or if it returns to Game Pass later, your existing save works as normal.
- If your subscription expires entirely, your installed Game Pass games stop launching until you either renew or purchase them individually.
To cancel, you go through your Microsoft account’s subscriptions page and disable auto-renew. In most cases, you keep your benefits until the end of the already-paid term. Some subscriptions qualify for immediate cancellation with a prorated refund under Microsoft’s Consumer Subscription Prorated Refund Policy.
For January 2026, the most time-sensitive decisions are simple: if you care about Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Neon White, Road 96, The Ascent, or The Grinch: Christmas Adventures, prioritize those before mid-month. After that, the rest of the year is about watching a steady stream of additions — from Star Wars Outlaws and Resident Evil Village to projects like Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Gears of War: E-Day — land in whichever Game Pass tier fits your hardware and budget.
