In numerous discussions, fans keep sounding the funeral bells for Microsoft's gaming division. The platform was lately surpassed in sales by a relatively obscure console. Platform-specific outlets have started writing about PlayStation for the first time. 2025 was an era of significant turmoil for the tech giant's gaming arm. But if we're going solely off what's coming to Game Pass in 2026, it's evident that Xbox continues to plan to engage players with quality releases on its premier subscription.
The duo of games currently accessible at this moment, Brews & Bastards and Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition, are not the headliners. The true anticipation is for the upcoming titles to Game Pass over the next few weeks that's deserving of attention.
Come mid-January, the platform will add the underrated Star Wars Outlaws, an open-world game that deviates from the standard Ubisoft formula with a cosmic robbery tale. Another big get is Resident Evil Village featuring the towering Lady Dimitrescu, which our 2021 review called "an ideal blend of terror and combat."
Yet, the less-hyped additions set to join the catalog deserve recognition. Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, the criminally overlooked roguelike that is incredibly fun, drops on Jan. 7th ā and it merits a playthrough whether or not you experienced the first Lost in Random game.
The British post-apocalyptic game from last year could captivate you in about 15 minutes flat.
Atomfall, the stealth survival game by the developers behind Sniper Elite, also warrants your attention. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers also have Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine ā Master Crafted Edition to get excited about.
All in all, these titles aren't industry-shaking releases to Game Pass, nor are they first-party juggernauts that validate the subscription by themselves. But Microsoft's additions here are rock solid. There's a good mixture of old games you might have missed and new-ish games that failed to receive the spotlight they were due initially ā transforming them into perfect candidates to find a new audience on Game Pass.
You might need to brace yourself to say goodbye to The Grinch Christmas Adventures, though.
A passionate gamer and strategy expert with years of experience in competitive gaming and content creation.