The backyard in Grounded was just the beginning. Announced during the Xbox Games Showcase, and shown off as a surprise in The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2 Direct, welcome to Grounded 2, which enters Game Preview on Xbox and Early Access on Steam on July 29, 2025. Two years after the events of the first game, the teens return in an all-new setting for a game that promises to be bigger, bolder, and built with your help from the very beginning.

Welcome to Brookhollow Park
Brookhollow Park is a vibrant, nostalgia-soaked suburban wilderness set in 1992, with the starting zone alone nearly matching the scale of the first game's entire backyard map. As a first- or third-person co-op survival adventure, Grounded has always been about teamwork, creativity, and the thrill of surviving while tiny—and with over 25 million players having joined us so far, we're thrilled to keep growing this universe in Grounded 2. Whether you're returning from the first game or starting fresh with Grounded 2, there's never been a better time to jump in. Two award-winning teams, Obsidian and Eidos Montréal, have joined forces to bring you the next chapter with even more depth, danger, and discovery to experience.

If you thought Halcyon was bad, just wait until you visit Arcadia. In the The Outer Worlds 2 Direct, we provided a closer look at The Outer Worlds 2—Obsidian's signature satire and storytelling cranked to eleven. From branching chaos to faction-fueled futures, everything unfolds across Arcadia: a lawless new frontier where your choices cut deeper, the stakes hit harder, and the corporations somehow got even worse. Bigger choices, weirder science, stranger weapons, and even worse decisions. Just the way we like it. Cut off from Earth, Arcadia is a colony cracking under pressure, torn apart by space-time rifts, shifting alliances, and three power-hungry factions locked in a war for control. It's louder, riskier, and more unpredictable than anything the Halcyon system ever threw at you.

You've been sent in as an Earth Directorate agent, but how you handle the mission—who you help, hinder, or exploit—is entirely your call. Build your character with expanded traits, flaws, and backgrounds that shape every decision and unlock new ways to fight, sneak, talk, or blow things up. Arcadia isn't just bigger. It's meaner, messier, and more reactive than ever. The only thing standing between it and total collapse? You. Probably.

We're getting close to the Xbox Games Showcase, so you still have a little more time to download and play these games before we throw more at your "to be played" wishlist! For now, we have more updates, some day ones, and a few blasts from the past. Let's get to it!

Available Today:
Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Editions (Cloud and Console) - June 5
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Standard
Gather your party; the RPG saga returns. Immerse yourself in an epic RPG series where every choice matters. Play over 100 hours of adventure in enhanced editions of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II!

Shuhei Yoshida, the former head of Sony Entertainment, has decried the outsized impact of game subscription services, essentially saying that they had the potential to stifle innovation and put too much emphasis on AAA and first-party games and make it even more difficult for indie developers to break into the scene. In an interview with Game Developer, Yoshida shared his concerns about the rise of subscription services, adding that Sony's approach was less harmful than Xbox Game Pass, specifically because Sony wasn't trying to launch AAA titles straight to the subscription model like Xbox is.

Yoshida's implication is that Sony's model of allowing games to have a traditional release before going to PlayStation Plus is likely a healthier approach than the day-one AAA launches that became popular on Xbox Game Pass. His concerns boil down to the aforementioned issues with innovation, saying that "what [type] of games can be created will be dictated by the owner of the subscription services," and adding that "the big companies dictate what games can be created, I don't think that will advance the industry," however he also takes issue with the financial side of things, implying that, if gamers have day-one access to games on subscription services, they won't want to pay up-front for games. This last point has implications for innovation as much as his former thought, because if game developers depend on subscription services for launches, it might make them more averse to trying new things. These comments seem all the more relevant in a modern gaming landscape, where indie developers seem to be largely responsible for pushing the envelope. You simply need to look at the popularity of games like Hades, Terraria, or the roguelike and survival-craft genre in general for evidence of such.

Make some space on your calendar—the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 will be livestreamed on Sunday, June 8, starting at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK time. Following in the footsteps of the 2023 Starfield Direct and 2024 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct, this year we will again have a double feature, with the Xbox Games Showcase immediately followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct.

It all begins with our annual Xbox Games Showcase, bringing you a look at upcoming titles from across our first-party studios, in addition to incredible new titles from our third-party partners across the globe. This year, the show will be digital-only—our livestream will bring you everything you'll need to know about what's next for Xbox, no matter where in the world you're watching.

MechWarriors, the time for waiting is over. We're thrilled to tell you that our first MechWarrior 5: Clans DLC—Ghost Bear: Flash Storm—is launching later today for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. You'll be able to experience the continuation of the Operation Revival story from the perspective of one of BattleTech's most storied Clans. The Ghost Bear is currently at a historic low point after a catastrophic start to the invasion. But a new set of Bear Khans have a daring plan to get the Ghost Bears back in the game. We launched MechWarrior 5: Clans last October for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and day one with Game Pass, and we're extremely proud of what our team at Piranha Games accomplished. In retrospect, our goal was pretty wild: delivering a game that provides a jumping-on point for new players while simultaneously honoring decades of complex, interfactional lore. All the while, we needed to ensure that players felt like they were in the cockpit of a towering 'Mech.

The Clans campaign followed the Smoke Jaguar Clan, a faction whose aggression and obsession with leading the Children of Kerensky out of exile made them notorious among rival Clans—the Ghost Bears are a completely different beast. Where the Smoke Jaguars were obsessed over what they saw as their manifest destiny, the Ghost Bears know the power of patience; its "ambush predator" mantra perfectly attuned to the Strana Mechty Ghost Bear, whom the Clan took as their namesake. That approach hasn't served them well as of late, however. Clan Ghost Bear has fallen far behind their fellow Clans during the opening events of the Clan Invasion due to poor preparation and leadership. But newly elected Khans (Clan leaders) Bjorn Jorgensson and Aletha Kabrinski look to put that past behind them and take their rightful place among the other invading Clans.

By Azura, by Azura, by Azura—I hope you're getting some good time in with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered—this adoring fan has been loving it. And when you do get a break from your time in Cyrodiil, we have long list of games for you to get pre-installed, including day ones like DOOM: The Dark Ages and more. Let's get to the games!

Available Today
Dredge (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard—Dredge is a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. Sell your catch, upgrade your boat, and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets. Explore a mysterious archipelago and discover why some things are best left forgotten.

Xbox players worldwide are facing sticker shock this week as Microsoft quietly implemented significant price increases across its latest hardware lineup and select first-party titles. The standard Xbox Series X with 1 TB of storage now carries a suggested retail price of $599.99, up from $499.99. The digital-only Series X has jumped to $549.99, and the special Galaxy Black 2 TB edition now lists at $729.99, compared with its original $599.99 launch price. Meanwhile, the more affordable Xbox Series S saw its 512 GB model climb from $299.99 to $379.99. A newly introduced 1 TB version of the Series S is now priced at $429.99. European customers will pay €349.99 for the base Series S and €599.99 for the standard Series X, while in the United Kingdom, those figures are £299.99 and £499.99, respectively.

Microsoft has also raised prices on accessories. The basic wireless controller increased from $59.99 to $64.99 in the U.S., and the Xbox Wireless Headset now costs $119.99 in North America. Some specialized peripherals, such as the Adaptive Controller and Adaptive Joystick, remain at their previous prices, relieving gamers needing those devices. On the software side, specific first-party titles launching this holiday season will carry a $79.99 price tag instead of the usual $69.99. Digital buyers will continue to benefit from Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows a single purchase to cover both console and PC versions at no extra charge. Importantly, Xbox Game Pass subscription fees are unchanged for now, even though Microsoft tweaked console and subscription pricing as recently as mid-2024 and made a minor adjustment in June 2023. In a statement, Xbox leadership acknowledged that these changes will be tough on fans. Still, the leadership said rising development, manufacturing, logistics costs, and ongoing trade-policy uncertainties drove them.

Far Cry 4 (2014) will now run at 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PS5 Pro, thanks to a free update deployed this week. Whether you're wingsuiting out of a gyrocopter for an aerial incursion, or wielding a rocket launcher atop an elephant as you charge into battle—the beautiful scenery and unbridled chaos have never been so inviting on console. Far Cry 4 will be coming to Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and cloud very soon. Alternatively, you can grab it for a big discount at one of these current sales: PlayStation Store (April 23-May 7), Xbox (April 20-May 5), and Ubisoft Store Legendary Sale (April 29-May 20).

Hidden in the towering Himalayas lies Kyrat, a country steeped in tradition and violence. You are Ajay Ghale. Traveling to Kyrat to fulfill your mother's dying wish, you find yourself caught up in a civil war to overthrow the oppressive regime of dictator Pagan Min. Explore and navigate this vast open world, where danger and unpredictability lurk around every corner. Here, every decision counts, and every second is a story. Welcome to Kyrat.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the highly-anticipated debut by French independent studio Sandfall Interactive, and published by Kepler Interactive (Tchia, Sifu, Pacific Drive), is now available to purchase worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (available now with Xbox Game Pass) and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

Featuring an original, fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France, Expedition 33 delivers an emotional, cinematic story brought to life by an incredible voice cast of both video game and cinematic talent in both English and French, including Charlie Cox, Jennifer English, Ben Starr and Andy Serkis. Featuring innovative reactive turn-based battles and deep character build customization, players will embark on a journey across a world of wonder filled with stunning locations, secrets and challenging side content, connected by a fully navigable explorable world map.

LG Electronics (LG) has announced the arrival of the highly anticipated Xbox app on LG Smart TVs this week, allowing users to stream Xbox games on the big screen at home. LG Smart TV owners in over 25 countries are now able to play the latest indie hit to the biggest AAA titles directly through the Xbox app on their LG Smart TVs.

Conveniently accessible from the Gaming Portal and the LG Apps, the Xbox app enables LG TV owners to jump straight into gameplay from day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, launching hundreds of titles from Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, Mojang, Xbox Game Studios and more - with just a compatible controller. The Xbox app is available on LG TVs and select smart monitors running the latest webOS 24 and newer versions, and it will soon be available on StanbyME screens.

If you've ever wondered what the Venn diagram of Bikini Bottom, Los Santos, mysterious archipelagos, and a few other locations looks like - the center is "Places You Can Visit Soon with Game Pass" (not many people have wondered that before now, but at least I could give you that answer!). We have updates on games, benefits, Perks, and some launches you might have caught in some previous Xbox Showcases. Let's get to it!

Available Today
Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Grand Theft Auto V returns to Game Pass today. Experience entertainment blockbusters Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online with Xbox Game Pass on console, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), or the newly enhanced version on PC with Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass.

South of Midnight is available now globally on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam, Cloud, & Game Pass! As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and—if she's lucky—find her way to a place that feels like home. From the entire Compulsion Games Team: Thank you for your support, and happy playing!

Deep in the heart of the bayou, something stirs. Bigger than any gator you've ever seen, Two-Toed Tom is a legend of scales, survival, and insatiable hunger. More than double the size of the world's biggest recorded alligator, Tom is an unstoppable force of nature. To celebrate the launch of South of Midnight, in which Tom makes a very big appearance, Xbox has brought this monstrous gator to life in the gator-infested waters of Marrero, Louisiana, a location chosen for its haunting resemblance to the game's Southern-inspired setting. Murky swamps, ancient cypress trees, and the distant splash of unseen creatures make it the perfect place to step into Hazel's world and experience the bayou's dark magic first-hand.

Today we have our final Do & Don't Comic—with only one more day to go until the release of Commandos: Origins arrives. Consider it done! We—at Claymore Game Studios and Kalypso Media—thank you for sharing your excitement for Commandos: Origins with us and we wish you lots of fun when you finally get your hands on the game from tomorrow onwards. Commandos: Origins is gearing up for digital release on April 9th, 2025, and will be available on Steam, on day one with Xbox Game Pass for console and PC and on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

ALARM! You have been selected for a mission which will shape the fate of the entire world. Witness the very beginning of the legendary elite WWII force in Commandos: Origins. The long-awaited sequel to the Commandos series brings you right back to the foundation of the real-time tactics genre.

If you've been missing the streets of Los Santos, I'm excited to share that Grand Theft Auto V is making its way back to Game Pass on April 15! And for those of us who play on PC, I'm even happier to announce that GTAV Enhanced will be playable with PC Game Pass, and includes the latest features, like Hao's Special Works Vehicles and more. Ultimate, PC, and Standard players—keep an eye on @GamePass and @XboxGamePassPC on April 15 for our favorite "available today" reminder!

GTA Online Features
Everyone playing GTAV Enhanced on PC will have access to new vehicles and modifications, Chameleon Paints, and a bunch more all in Hao's Special Works. When playing GTA Online, you'll need to make sure you and your friends are all playing in the same edition so you can squad up—the good news is that Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Standard players have access to all console and PC editions so you can download to play whatever your friends are on. And PC Game Pass players, both editions are available for you to download and play, even if your friends are on Steam or Epic Games.

It's time to confront some magical creatures (or maybe just your backlog) with these games coming soon! Some surprise benefits and announcements you might have missed, day one games (with some amazing music; looking at you South of Midnight), and more. Let's get to it!

Coming Soon
Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) - April 3
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition packs bazillions of guns and is a mayhem-fueled adventure, featuring the base game plus all four campaign add-ons, Director's Cut content, and all cosmetic packs! Blast through worlds and enemies as one of four Vault Hunters, each with deep skill trees, abilities, and customization. Play solo or join with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot, and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy.

Starting this week, we're rolling out even more value to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members with in-game benefits for free-to-play games. Members will get items like cosmetics, characters, in-game currency, and more for additional games, including Heroes of the Storm, Naraka: Bladepoint, Smite 2, and The Finals. Plus, we're adding even more benefits starting in April 2025, like Call of Duty: Warzone and Enlisted. With seasonal content drops, members always have new benefits to look forward to.

These new additions expand upon existing in-game benefits, including unlocking the full roster of champions in League of Legends, six skins in Overwatch 2, all Agents in Valorant, and more. Whether it's customization, personalization, or progression, players get even more from Game Pass. To access all these in-game benefits, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members just need to log in with their Xbox profile or link their Xbox profile with each game's account. Then, simply launch the game with Xbox on PC or console and your extra benefits will be available in-game. For Game Pass Ultimate members, these benefits will be available when playing with Xbox across cloud, console and PC.

The power of Xbox is now in your hands—anywhere, anytime. The new Designed for Xbox: Backbone One Xbox Edition transforms your phone into the ultimate companion for gaming on mobile. Enjoy your games with an enhanced D-pad for precise control and magnetic adapters that secure your phone in place, even with your phone case on. Quickly access your Xbox dashboard with a single press of the Xbox button and jump straight into games like Halo Infinite and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. All this, with a look that captures the classic Xbox design, featuring a stunning translucent green inspired by the original Xbox.

Stream with cloud gaming and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, play natively, or use remote play from your Xbox console or PC—wherever you are. Designed for low-latency and responsive controls, Backbone One Xbox Edition keeps you in the game. The Backbone app unifies your gaming experience, connecting your favorite titles, streaming services, and social features into one intuitive hub. And to kickstart your adventure, each purchase includes one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no cost (for new members only), unlocking hundreds of games ready to play on the go.

At Xbox, our mission is clear: bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We believe that gamers should be able to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want. Central to this vision is empowering game creators to deliver exceptional content across all platforms seamlessly. Our goal is simple: to make every screen in the world an Xbox.

Since the original Xbox debuted as the first game console equipped with a built-in hard drive, this kernel of innovation has been at the core of our identity. With Xbox Live, we reshaped multiplayer gaming, establishing an industry standard for online connectivity, community building, and digital distribution. Furthering our commitment to accessibility and choice, Xbox Game Pass introduced a subscription model that redefined how players discover and engage with games, creating new opportunities for developers to connect with audiences worldwide. Since our earliest explorations in the console space, we're proud to have led the way in ensuring that hardware and services can best meet the changing needs of the gaming audience.

We're back with more day one games for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, more games for Game Pass Standard, and more games for Game Pass Core! There is a little bit of everything, including co-op battles, classic console games, survival action and more. Let's get to the games!

Available Today: 33 Immortals (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! 33 Immortals is a co-op action-roguelike for 33 players. Play as a damned soul, and rebel against God's final judgment. Dive straight into epic, 33-player co-op battles with instant "pick-up and raid" matchmaking. Cooperate with your allies to survive against hordes of monsters and massive, challenging bosses. Expand your arsenal and equip powerful new relics to permanently upgrade your soul.

For those of us who joined us for the ID@Xbox Showcase at IGN Fan Fest, how's your poker game going? For everyone else, this is your "in case you missed it" announce that we shadow dropped Balatro into Game Pass—now you have another game to add to your install list. For now, we have Mullets, Monster Trains, and (33) Immortals (sound it out with me, it works), so let's get to everything else that's coming soon!

Available Today—Monster Train (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Returning to the Game Pas library, Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to roguelike deckbuilding, with three vertical playing fields to defend. Hell has frozen over and only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of heaven and restore the inferno.

For those of you that have been exploring the Living Lands in Avowed, thank you for taking a break to check out the latest Game Pass news! We have some exciting new reveals and exclusive Perks to tease your install buttons. Also, mark your calendars and check out the ID@Xbox Showcase during IGN Fan Fest 2025 on Monday, February 24 at 10am PT for even more Game Pass announcements. Let's get to the games!

Available Today
Avowed (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) - February 18. Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. Check out Xbox Wire for Starting Tips to Help You on Your Adventure in the Living Lands.

Obsidian's latest RPG, Avowed, is undoubtedly quite a challenging game to run even on capable hardware, if recent reports are anything to go by. It was previously mentioned that the game will focus on visuals and fidelity instead of fast-paced gameplay, and might be limited to 30 FPS on the Xbox Series X. For those who need a refresher, the 4-year-old Xbox Series X packs a GPU with just over 12 TFLOPS of raw performance, courtesy of its 52-CU RDNA 2 GPU. Now, however, it appears to have been confirmed that the game will indeed be able to hit 60 FPS on the Series X.

In a recent interview with YouTuber MinnMax, Avowed game director Carrie Patel confirmed that the game will be able to hit 60 FPS on the aforementioned console. Previous leaks sourced from a person who was able to play the game on Microsoft's consoles stated that the game will be limited 40 FPS on the Series S, and 60 on the Series X, the latter part of which has now been confirmed to be the case. Of course, there will be a downgrade in the quality of visuals to be able to hit the vaunted 60 FPS mark, but that is nothing out of the ordinary for consoles. UE 5-based Avowed is set to launch on the 18th of February, and will be available with the Xbox Game Pass, which has witnessed quite a delightful series of major launches lately.

Welcome back, friends! Happy to be here with more news, games, and updates. Speaking of news, we had lots of it in the 2025 Developer_Direct—with a little "everything you see is coming to Game Pass" spice. Here's what you missed (watch the presentation below, after the jump)! So many games to look forward to, plus a few surprise "you can play them right now" messages. Now let's get to even more games for Game Pass!

Available Today—Far Cry New Dawn (Cloud, Console, and PC)—February 4
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Dive into a transformed, vibrant, post-apocalyptic Hope County, Montana, 17 years after a global nuclear catastrophe. Lead the fight against the Highwaymen as they seek to take over the last remaining resources.

Thursday, January 23 was a big day for all of us at Compulsion Games. In addition to being a part of Developer_Direct, where members of our studio team shared more about the gameplay, look, and feel of South of Midnight, our third-person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South, we announced our release date of April 8, 2025, and early access beginning April 3. If that wasn't enough, we also released our brand-new story trailer, which expands on the narrative of South of Midnight, while including all-new gameplay, characters, and mythical creatures from the game. We're so excited to share more about South of Midnight, which is available now for pre-orders.

The Story of South of Midnight
In our story trailer, protagonist Hazel and her mother are preparing for the impending hurricane. The storm proves massive, causing catastrophic flooding-and causing their own home to be swept down river with her mother in it. Its aftermath shows the fictional town of Prospero, located in the southern United States, eerily calm while irrevocably changed from the hurricane's destruction. Here, Hazel undertakes a journey in search of her mother, while finding out more about herself and her family's lineage in the process. Hazel begins to see fantastical phenomena all over Prospero, including meeting Catfish, an enormous—and talking—creature in his own right, stuck in a tree following the hurricane's destruction. Catfish tells Hazel she is a Weaver, someone who possesses magical powers and can see how our threads connect to form the woven tapestry of our fates.