Inspired by The Shadow Out of Time by H.P. Lovecraft, players will control Professor Harry Everhart and his student Evangeline Drayton, who discovered a strange artifact several years prior. As with anything Eldritch-related, it’s had a terrible effect on their sleep cycles, and thus, they venture forth to find some peace of mind.

Much like Call of the Sea, you’ll explore environments and search for clues while solving puzzles, whether it’s in New England, the Australian outback or “otherworldly cities out of time.” You’ll have to switch between both characters at times, and various Occult Books offer “new reality-warping enigmas” to challenge you.

Of course, you can also soften the difficulty by enabling hints and icons. Best of all, the adventure is carried by the talents of Yuri Lowenthal and Cissy Jones, who voice Everhart and Drayton, respectively. Stay tuned for more updates, and in the meantime, check out our review for Call of the Sea.

The latter are already available through Ultimate and PC Game Pass but are now playable in the Premium tier. Planet Coaster 2 arrives on April 9th, followed by Tiny Bookshop on April 10th. Both games will be playable for all three subscription tiers. Meanwhile, Football Manager 26 and its Console release join Premium on April 13th.

April 14th is big for new releases with the addition of Hades 2, which also launches day-and-date on Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and Replaced, the long-awaited 2.5D side-scrolling cyberpunk platformer. If neither is to your liking, there’s also The Thaumaturge, an underrated narrative-focused RPG. Meanwhile, April 16th sees the arrival of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered for Premium and EA Sports NHL 26 on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Oddly enough, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the 2019 reboot, will also be available for all three tiers, followed by Little Rocket Lab, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato, and Vampire Crawlers (based on the uber-popular Vampire Survivors) on April 21st. Double Fine’s Kiln wraps up the first wave on April 23rd, launching for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Its open beta is set for April 9th to 11th on Steam, so there’s plenty of time to try it out for free.

Check out all the games that will be leaving on April 15th:

• Ashen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Grand Theft Auto 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC)

These include DOOM 64, Psychonauts, Retro Classics, DOOM Eternal, Dishonored 2, Fable Anniversary, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Gears 5, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, Hellblade, Ori and the Blind Forest, State of Decay 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online. The lack of any third-party titles indicates that Triton could be a much more focused Game Pass tier aimed at those who only want access to Microsoft’s first-party offerings.

It is worth noting that Microsoft has yet to make any official announcement of this tier. However, a recent report that new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma wants to make Game Pass “more enticing to a broader range of customers,” lends some credence to it being in the works, especially if the company wants to “offer lower-priced tiers.” The report also indicated that Sharma had been communicating with Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters about a potential partnership that would bundle the two companies’ subscriptions together.

“You would have to do it in a way that works for the consumer and works for both companies, and frankly, I think Microsoft’s still trying to figure out how to make the Game Pass bundle work for Microsoft,” said Peters. “But what I like about Asha’s thinking is, it’s all about, ‘How do we do more?’ And it’s already been exciting to watch.”

Microsoft had first introduced its tiered subscriptions for Game Pass back in October 2025, with Game Pass Ultimate being the most expensive tier at $30 per month. The slightly cheaper Premium tier is now $15, while Game Pass Essential costs $10.

At the time, the decision to raise the prices of Game Pass subscriptions was criticized by many, including Laura Fryer, one of the original co-founders of Microsoft Game Studios. She called the price hikes “greed over gaming”.

“I’m not sure that their leadership understands what makes Xbox great,” she said. “I’m not sure that they’re listening to their fans. They keep doubling down on decisions that make it clear that they’ve been in a bubble, and all this feedback doesn’t seem to reach them any more.”

“Xbox didn’t reinvent [itself] by replacing the old engine with a better one,” she continued further in her video. “They just abandoned what they had and started chasing what they didn’t understand…With this last increase to Game Pass, Xbox threw away one of their last advantages: they were the best deal in gaming. These price hikes feel like a betrayal. Greed over gaming.”

It will receive an “in-depth look,” which could finally provide more details on its gameplay and story. Other titles like The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will receive “new looks”, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is getting an “update.” Perhaps we’ll finally learn when the release windows for its story expansions and multiplayer, nearly 1.5 years after its original launch.

Microsoft also promises new reveals, “world premieres”, and even Game Pass announcements, so there’s plenty to look forward to. Deep dives and behind-the-scenes details will also be revealed for “select titles” on Xbox Wire, in case you want to dig even deeper into their development.

Stranger Than Heaven doesn’t have a release date, but Sega previously said it would launch during or after fiscal year 2027. Persona 4 Revival is slated for the same window, and given how it was announced during last year’s Xbox Games Showcase, what are the odds that it appears during the Partner Preview?

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is also intriguing because Owlcat Games previously confirmed closed beta access for those who pre-purchased the Miller’s Pack for $79.99. Perhaps it will finally reveal plans for the same. As always, stay tuned for more details and live coverage this Thursday.

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.