Xbox Game Pass users have already had some surprising news this week, as Microsoft confirmed the subscription is getting a price cut. After increasing the prices last year, Xbox is backpedaling to bring Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass back down. It comes at the cost of new Call of Duty games hitting the service on day one. But that doesn’t mean day one game releases will be going away altogether. In fact, 6 new day one releases were confirmed today during the ID @ Xbox showcase.
The ID @ Xbox showcase highlights indie games headed to Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass. Today’s showcase was pretty jam-packed with a wide variety of titles that will make their way to the subscription service eventually. But notably, there are 6 games that will be available on Game Pass from the moment they launch this year. If you like playing the newest games and subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, day one releases are always good news. And this lineup is looking pretty solid.
Every month’s new lineup of Xbox Game Pass titles is exciting for those who subscribe. But there’s something about looking forward to a day one release that’s just a little bit more fun. After all, you get to enjoy the game at the same time as everyone else, as part of your subscription. During today’s ID @ Xbox showcase, we got a few new day-one games confirmed, including one that I’m personally pretty excited about. Here’s every day one game announced during today’s showcase.
This is a puzzle adventure game that tasks players with unraveling a conspiracy at school. It has an escape room vibe and is available for solo and co-op play, making it a solid mystery game for just about any gamer. The Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School release date is yet to be confirmed, but when the game does arrive later this year, we now know it’ll be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
I’ve had my eye on this game for awhile, because it combines old school dungeon crawling vibes with cooking sim goodness. Basically, it’s a grittier, playable Delicious in Dungeon, where you gather ingredients as you explore. Each dish gives you different stat powerups, so your cooking skills are essential for your dungeon-crawling success. Deep Dish Dungeon is set to release in Fall 2026 and will be a day-one Xbox Game Pass title.
If puzzle games with cartoon graphics aren’t your speed, you might enjoy this dark fantasy action RPG that’s also headed to Xbox Game Pass on Day 1. Mistfall Hunter lets players step into a dark fantasy world where they’ll engage in Souls-like combat, solo or with up to 2 other players. It’s set to release in July 2026 and will be available on Xbox Pass Game right at launch.
Another sequel that’s headed to Xbox Game Pass right at launch is Speedrunners 2. This game brings back the racing platformer with new maps and racers, plus plenty of power-ups to amp up the competition. It’s headed for a July 2026 release and will be available via Xbox Game Pass on day one.
restore a hotel by day and ward off eldritch horrors at night 
There are No Ghosts at the Grand is coming day one! pic.twitter.com/ktNX0UZgPi
The first game trailer from the ID @ Xbox Showcase today was No Ghosts at the Grand. It’s part management sim, part investigative horror game, where you restore a hotel by day and investigate eldritch horrors by night. No Ghosts at the Grand is expected to release sometime in 2026 and is now confirmed as a day-one Xbox Game Pass title.
This last one is a bit of a puzzle, as it wasn’t officially revealed as a day one release during today’s showcase. The trailer instead just confirmed that the game is headed to Xbox on PC and Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Cloud. However, the Xbox Game Pass icon was displayed in the corner, and inKONBINI is currently showing in the Microsoft store as “coming soon” to Xbox Game Pass. Given that the game is launching on April 30th, it seems likely that this is a sign it will be another day-one release for Game Pass. I’m certainly hoping so, because this game has been on my wishlist for quite some time.
Are you looking forward to playing any of these when they drop on Game Pass? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
