On March 24th, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will finally be added to the service for Ultimate, Premium and PC subscribers. Guard Crush Games’ Absolum follows on March 25th, which also marks the acclaimed rogue-lite beat ’em up’s debut on Xbox Series X/S.

Nova Roma, a city-building title from Lion Shield, will premiere in Game Preview for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers, coinciding with its early access release. Survival crafting fans can look forward to The Long Dark becoming available on March 30th for Premium, PC, and Ultimate. Finally, Resident Evil 7: biohazard will be playable on March 31st, joining the Resident Evil Village.

But wait, there’s more. Barbie Horse Trails kicks off next month alongside Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the latter finally available to Premium subscribers. If that wasn’t enough, Square Enix’s march to include every single mainline Final Fantasy title on Game Pass seemingly continues with Final Fantasy 4 on April 7th.

Surprisingly, only two games will be leaving the service on March 31st. Check them out below:

• Peppa Pig World Adventures (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Mad Streets (Cloud, Console, PC)

Other notable releases for the first wave of Game Pass in March include Final Fantasy 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, both out today on Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass. to a T, a new adventure from Katamari Damacy’s creator is next on March 4th, though it’s currently playable for Premium subscribers.

EA Sports F1 25 arrives on the same day for Ultimate and PC Game Pass, followed by Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf on March 5th (which also marks the day of its launch on all platforms). And if you’re not keen on exploring Night City and becoming a legend as V, there’s also Construction Simulator, which drops for all three tiers on the same day.

For those who didn’t venture into Pharloom last September, Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available for Premium subscribers on March 12th. It’s followed by DreamWorks Gabby’s Dollhouse: Ready to Party on March 17th for all three tiers.

Of course, several titles will also be leaving the service on March 15th. Check them out below and finish them while they’re still available.

• Bratz Rhythm & Style (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Enter the Gungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• F1 23 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• He is Coming (PC)
• Lightyear Frontier (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island (Cloud, Console, and PC)

What about the here and now? Well, today sees the arrival of Aerial_Knight’s DropShot and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Premium subscribers can also finally go hands-on with Avowed, which is getting a meaty new Anniversary Update today alongside its PS5 port.

Death Howl, a Souls-like deck builder, follows on February 19th for all three tiers, along with EA Sports College Football 26 for Ultimate subscribers. However, the standout addition is undoubtedly The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition for Ultimate and Premium. Right on time for that rumored new DLC.

TCG Card Shop Simulator arrives on February 24th, though it’s still in early access, with Dice A Million joining on February 25th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Towerborne’s 1.0 release is also out on February 26th and will be available for all three tiers. And for those who don’t care that Henry has come to visit us on March 3rd, they can experience Final Fantasy 3 instead.

Check out all the titles that will be leaving on February 28th (available to purchase at a 20 percent discount for Game Pass members):

• Monster Train (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Injustice 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Middle Earth: Shadow of War (Cloud, Console, and PC)

The Verge’s Tom Warren reported sources who said that Microsoft was allegedly in the “early stages of exploring ways” to “expand” Game Pass. It may involve merging Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass (with Windows Central’s own sources corroborating the same). It’s also looking to add even more tertiary services from third-party publishers, not unlike what happened with Game Pass Ultimate.

Originally, the tier offered Ubisoft+ Classics and EA Play alongside access to hundreds of games on day one. Following the revamp, it also added Fortnite Crew to the mix. “In-game benefits” for publishers like Riot Games’ titles still exist for all tiers, so perhaps further additions are incoming. Otherwise, bundling PC Game Pass with Premium (which only receives Xbox-published titles within a year of their launch) could result in the tier increasing in price.

Considering the backlash that the previous price increases caused, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft goes ahead with this. Then again, with arguably its most packed year of first-party releases yet, it may want to net as much profit from Game Pass subscribers as possible to compensate for the loss in full-game sales.

Next is Relooted on February 10th, followed by BlazBlue Entropy Effect X on February 12th, both for Ultimate and PC tiers. The latter marks the rogue-lite action side-scroller’s debut on consoles, bringing a new character, biome, and story mode.

But wait, there’s more. On the same day, both subscriber tiers can check out Roadside Research, where up to four players control aliens running a gas station, Starsand Island, an early access farming game with an anime aesthetic. February 13th sees Henry coming to visit, specifically Henry of Skalitz, as Kingdom Come: Deliverance becomes available for Ultimate, Premium and PC tiers.

If that’s not enough open-world goodness, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora also joins the service on February 17th. Obsidian’s action RPG Avowed will become available for Premium subscribers on the same day. Fortunately, there’s only one game leaving the service on February 15th – Madden NFL 24 – but considering Madden NFL 26’s arrival, it’s not the biggest loss.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a side-story set after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Having come out in February 2025, it has been a full year since its release, which makes it an ideal candidate for the Premium tier. The more expensive Ultimate tier—priced at $29.99 per month—features more than 400 titles and promises day one releases of several titles (including first-party offerings and new Call of Duty titles).

As a follow-up to Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii uses the same primary setting of Honolulu. In fact, leading up to its release, chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto had confirmed that it would feature the entire island as previously experienced in the earlier entry.

The story of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revolves around Goro Majima waking up on the beach of Rich Island with no memory of who he is, and in a state of near-death. Setting forth on a quest to regain his memories, Majima meets several new characters—friends and foes—as he gets embroiled in a strange conspiracy involving modern day pirates.

Unlike Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth—which featured Ichiban Kasuga as their primary protagonist—Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii goes back to the real-time action combat that the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise is known for. If you want to learn more, check out our review.

In the meantime, Sega and RGG Studio have also recently released a brand new trailer for Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, this time focusing on its Steam release. Among the features showcased are support for Steam’s Trading Cards, graphical options including Frame Generation, upscaling, uncapped frame rates, and ultrawide monitor support. The trailer also confirmed that it’s Steam Deck Verified.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will be coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Players can get a taste for the remake thanks to the official demo, which includes playable sections for both Kazuma Kiryu and Yoshitaka Mine. Kiryu’s part of the demo revolves around Ryukyu, Okinawa, while Mine’s part takes us back to Kamurocho. In combat, the demo includes the Dragon of Dojima: Kiwami and weapon-oriented Ryukyu styles for Kiryu, and the shoot-boxing style for Mine.

For more details about Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, here are 15 key facts that you should know. Also check out details about the day-one patch, which will address lighting issues and “other quality concerns”, as well as some of the new side-activities, like LaLaLa Loveland and karaoke tracks.

RoadCraft and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound are also coming to the same tiers tomorrow, making for an already packed week. However, January 27th sees the arrival of The Talos Principle 2 for PC and Xbox Series X/S, followed by Anno: Mutationem and Drop Duchy on January 28th. All three titles will be available for Ultimate, PC and Premium subscribers.

On January 29th, you can look forward to another heavy hitter – MySims: Cozy Bundle. Oh, and a little something called Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, one of the best third-person shooters available. Truly the Barbenheimer of our times.

February 2nd sees the addition of Indika for Ultimate and PC Game Pass, followed by Final Fantasy 2 on February 3rd. The latter follows the arrival of the first game in Squaresoft’s legendary series, so at this rate, we can probably experience Final Fantasy 16 by next year.

Unfortunately, as with every new Game Pass wave, some titles are being removed from the service’s library. From January 31st, you’ll no longer have access to the following:

• Shady Part of Me (Cloud, PC, and Console)
• Cataclismo (PC)
• Starbound (Cloud, PC, and Console)
• Lonely Mountains Snow Riders (Cloud, PC, and Console)
• Paw Patrol World (Cloud, PC, and Console)
• Citizen Sleeper 2 Starward Vector (Cloud, PC, and Console)
• Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap (Cloud, PC, and Console)

The real meat is in the rest of the month, however. Star Wars Outlaws, which has undergone numerous revamps and improvements since launch, will be added to the service for Ultimate and PC subscribers on January 13th. If you need to catch up on Resident Evil before Requiem’s launch next month, then why not play Resident Evil Village? It’s coming to the Ultimate, Premium and PC tiers on January 20th.

Premium subscribers are also eating very well this month with Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Rematch, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition arriving on January 7th. Final Fantasy – yes, the first one – makes its debut on January 8th for all three tiers, followed by My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery on January 15th.

If you’re itching for a new Metroidvania, MIO: Memories in Orbit from the creator of Shady Part of Me will arrive on January 20th for Ultimate and PC subscribers.

Of course, to ring in the new, Microsoft is also doing away with the old. Starting January 15th, the following titles will exit Game Pass:

• Flintlock The Siege of Dawn (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
• Neon White (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
• Road 96 (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
• The Ascent (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
• The Grinch Christmas Adventures (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)

While you wait for its arrival, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is out now for cloud, PC and Series X/S players, with Monster Train 2 coming tomorrow to Game Pass Premium alongside Spray Paint Simulator. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be available on December 4th with Premium.

On the same day, Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can get their hands on Routine, a long-delayed procedural horror title first announced in 2012. December 9th sees the arrival of A Game About Digging A Hole, Death Howl, and Dome Keeper for all three tiers. Bratz: Rhythm and Style on December 11th caps off Wave 1.

Several titles will be leaving on December 15th, and in an intriguing twist, Microsoft has confirmed those which won’t be available post-31st.

December 15

• Mortal Kombat 11 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Still Wakes the Deep (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Wildfrost (Cloud, Console, and PC)

December 31

• Carrion (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Hell Let Loose (Cloud, Console, and PC)

This was in response to the Xbox profile announcing that cloud gaming had arrived in India alongside expansions to servers in Brazil and Argentina. Spencer said, “One way we measure progress is by looking at engagement, and the momentum is encouraging: Game Pass cloud hours are up 45 percent compared to this time last year, and console players are streaming 45 percent more on console and 24 percent more on other devices. “

Which sounds all well and good, but how many were utilizing Xbox Cloud Gaming to begin with? How much time were they originally spending? These are currently unknown. Nevertheless, Spencer felt that “Progress is also about more choice for players—play what you want, where you want—and that’s what drives us forward.”

It’s also worth noting that cloud gaming is available to a wider spectrum of Game Pass subscribers than before. Previously exclusive to Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential can now access the same, albeit at lower quality and slightly longer wait times. Microsoft is also working on a free cloud gaming tier supported by ads, though it has yet to provide specifics.