Unfortunately, the rumors are true: new entries in the Call of Duty franchise will no longer be added to either tier on day one. Instead, they’ll become available about a year later during the holiday season. There are no changes to current titles, which is good news for all ten people who still enjoy Black Ops 7.

Regarding the changes, Microsoft said, “Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far. We’ll continue to listen and learn.”

For starters, the price changes are welcome following Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma reportedly claiming that the service had become too expensive. Of course, discussions have allegedly been brewing about a new tier that only includes first-party titles and a cloud gaming tier with a time limit.

As for Call of Duty, this move makes the most sense, given the sheer amount of revenue generated from game sales. With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 reportedly out in October and perhaps poised to stir the franchise back in the right direction, you can bet that Microsoft wants to reap as much revenue from it as possible.

While the former two are available for Premium subscribers, the latter launches on day one for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. On April 23rd, Double Fine Productions’ chaotic arts-and-crafts-meets-competitive-multiplayer title Kiln will be available on the same tiers for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Of course, it’s also coming to PS5 with cross-platform play available.

Aphelion, the latest narrative adventure from DON’T NOD, is available on April 28th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Meanwhile, Trepang2 is playable on April 29th for Premium, Ultimate and PC tiers, in case you were missing some F.E.A.R.-style combat in your life.

After an initial delay, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will launch on April 30th via Game Preview, with Ultimate and PC subscribers receiving access. It’s accompanied by Sledding Game, a relaxing snow-sports title that’s meant for friends (and even offers proximity voice chat), and TerraTech Legion, a “bullet heaven builder” where you fight off waves of robots by creating an increasingly powerful block-based vehicle.

If that wasn’t enough, next month kicks off with the addition of Final Fantasy 5 on May 5th. It won’t be long before the entire franchise is officially available on Game Pass, which is incentive enough to sign up.

Check out all the games leaving on April 30th. It’s a fairly long list, so either dive into them today or pick them up for 20 percent off:

• Citizen Sleeper (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Creatures of Ava (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Endless Legend 2 (PC)
• Goat Simulator (Cloud and Console)
• Goat Simulator Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Hunt Showdown 1896 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• NHL 24 (EA Play) (Cloud and Console)
• Revenge of the Savage Planet (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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)

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.

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)

You even get the Rocket Pass Premium in Rocket League (remember when that was still a thing?). As for actual game offerings, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault will be available via Game Preview on November 19th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Premium subscribers, meanwhile, can check out Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo and Revenge of the Savage Planet on the same day. They’re followed by Monsters are Coming! Rock and Road and The Crew Motorfest on November 20th. There’s also Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Kill It With Fire! 2 on November 25th for all three tiers.

December 1st marks the day one launch of Marvel Cosmic Invasion for Premium and PC Game Pass, while Lost Records: Bloom and Rage will arrive on December 2nd. Of course, Xbox advises checking back on November 20th following the Partner Preview for more news, so expect even more announcements.

Check out the titles leaving the service on November 30th:

• Barbie Project Friendship (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lords of the Fallen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Octopath Traveler (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Octopath Traveler 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• SteamWorld Build (Cloud, Console, and PC)