We’re just a few days away from the XBOX Games Showcase followed by the Gears of War: E-Day Direct – everyone have their bingo cards ready for what they think is going to show up first? (No hints from me, that’s cheating!) While we’re waiting for the show, let’s get to what other games you can play first, or at least pre-install.

Coming Soon

Herdling (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – June 4
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Head out on a grand alpine expedition with a herd of loveable beasts, as you ascend a mountain path, encounter eerie dangers and surprising obstacles, and forge your way to the mystery at the summit in this atmospheric adventure game.

Total Chaos (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – June 4
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

From the creator of Turbo Overkill comes Total Chaos, a first-person survival horror brimming with mysteries to solve and monsters to kill/avoid/scream at. In this eerie, atmospheric world, you’ll scavenge materials to craft makeshift weapons, and battle against horrific creatures as you unfurl a nightmare narrative.  

Solarpunk (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – June 8
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available day one with XBOX Game Pass! Solarpunk is a survival game in a technically advanced world of floating islands. Alone or together with your friends, you can construct buildings, grow food, craft gadgets, and hop on your airship to explore distant islands in the sky.

Undisputed (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – June 8
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Become undisputed in the most authentic boxing game to date! Featuring true to life visuals, bone-jarring action, and more licensed boxers than ever before, Undisputed gives you unprecedented control to master every inch of the ring.

Persona 5 Royal (Cloud, Console, and PC) – June 9
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Lead the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in Persona 5 Royal, the award winning, stylish turn-based RPG filled with dungeon crawling, party customization, strategic combat, and Persona fusion. Explore Tokyo, build relationships, battle Shadows, and infiltrate the minds of the corrupt to make them change their ways!

Beastro (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – June 11
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Beastro blends cozy life sim and deckbuilding puppet adventure. Team up with an injured god and a ragtag group of heroes where you provide their magical meals, shaping their decks so they can battle the ravenous monsters destroying your home. Pick up a spoon and save the world!

Frog Sqwad (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – June 11
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Storm the sewers for the glory of the Swamp King! Swing, jump, catapult your friends, and eat until you grow into a humongous Megafrog. A co-op extraction puzzle-platformer for up to eight players. Squad up with your frog friends for a friendslop party in this slapstick physics adventure!

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions (Game Preview) (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – June 11
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available day one on XBOX Game Pass!Starseeker is a new game set within the Astroneer universe with a focus on discovery, cooperative expeditions, and camaraderie. Exploring deep space on the ESS Starseeker, players will need to work together with the entire crew of the space station to complete planet-wide objectives across a multitude of star systems using cutting-edge technology.

Junkster (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – June 16
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available day one on XBOX Game Pass! Junkster is a 3D action platformer with an awesome building mechanic. Plucky, little construction bot, UM-13 has crashed on a dangerous junkyard planet. Armed only with his trusty robo-wrench, Um must repair his ship and recover his lost cargo of precious human artifacts.

In Case You Missed It

Batman: Arkham Knight (PC, Handheld) – May 16
Now with PC Game Pass; joining Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Premium

Now available on XBOX on PC! In Batman: Arkham Knight, the explosive finale to the Arkham series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect, and the Scarecrow returns to unite the super villains of Gotham City against Batman.

Escape the Backrooms (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – May 28
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Escape the Backrooms is a one to four player co-op horror experience where you explore 30+ eerie levels inspired by creepypasta lore. Avoid deadly entities, navigate spaces, and rely on teamwork and voice chat to survive. Stay together, stay quiet, and try to escape, but be warned: survival isn’t guaranteed.

Game Updates

EA Sports UFC 6: EA Play Early Access Trial (Console) – Coming June 12
Game Pass Ultimate

The fight is in your hands. EA Sports UFC 6 is coming soon, and you can be among the first in the Octagon with EA Play. Earn your place with a 10-hour trial, and if you decide to buy, your progress carries over. Members can also save 10% on EA digital purchases and score recurring rewards.

In-Game Benefits

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: Blitz Bushido Set (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available Now

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential, PC Game Pass

For a limited time, unlock the Denko Sekka skin for G52 Tactical Shield, Hoshi Kabuto headgear and Taiyou charm for Blitz.

Leaving June 15

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon. Don’t want the fun to end? Save on these games now before they leave Game Pass!  

• Jurassic World Evolution 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Warhammer 40K Space Marine: Master Crafted Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (Cloud, Console, and PC)

As always, keep your eye here on the Wire or on social with XBOX and Game Pass for more updates! Talk soon!

_{Note: Games with a ‘Handheld’ designation represent those that are optimized for handheld play.}

A new season is coming to Marathon and things are getting… darker on Tau Ceti IV. With the June 2 launch of Season 2, the Marathon team is pushing the survival extraction adventure into new territory, with features like a new Runner shell, new weapons, and a new map: Night Marsh. Players can try out all the new features with the Marathon Open Play Week, running from June 2-9, and during Open Play Week, any progress players make will be carried over if you purchase the game in Season 2.

Marathon vets already know about Dire Marsh’s reputation as a map that can make or break a run. Full of long sight lines and points of interest that tend to attract Runners (and intense firefights), Dire Marsh in broad daylight is already equally filled with opportunity and danger. Night Marsh, as the name implies, is a nighttime version of the Dire Marsh zone, where the lights have been turned down and the tension has been dialed up to eleven.

The first thing you’ll notice during a run in Night Marsh is… all the things you don’t see. Not only is the facility lighting that you may be used to dimmed down, there are swaths of pure pitch blackness you’ll need to contend with, whether you’re creeping through the tunnels underground, or trying to keep your footsteps to a minimum in the darker sections above ground.

The darkness isn’t your friend during Season 2, and even less friendly are the new threats that you’ll find in Night Marsh. The UESC has stepped up its presence as part of a desperate attempt to protect something invaluable on the previously unreachable top floor of Complex. In addition, new enemies will stalk the path of Runners navigating the darkness, a foe they’ve never encountered before.

Luckily Runners are resourceful and they’ll have new tools to combat the encroaching darkness when Season 2 kicks off, including flashlights, as well as signal flares, vector grenades and rounds that light up and can ping nearby enemies, and new Darksight scopes that highlight the nearby environment after aiming down sights.

Night Marsh runs will introduce a new type of challenge for players but rest assured the rewards will be worth it; the map will include great loot that will reward your bravery and that you won’t find anywhere else. To help prepare you, the Marathon developers have a few tips on how best to find success in the shadows of Season 2, without feeling like you’re simply fumbling in the dark:

Well-lit areas aren’t necessarily safer. Enemies in the dark can see you, but you can’t see them. While your attached flashlight is a great tool for finding your way, it can also be a beacon for enemies you can’t necessarily see. Use it sparingly and, as always, keep things quiet.

Using tools that illuminate an area in choke points can deter enemies from entering. Sometimes the best fights are the ones that never start. If you want to discourage enemies from approaching, a well-placed Vector Grenade alongside a crew member or two carefully aiming down sights, can be the difference maker.

Getting revealed makes you the brightest thing on the screen, especially in open spaces. Be ready to take fire from multiple places if your location is exposed. In other words, if you’re worried that you’re surrounded by enemies at a POI, let that paranoia work for you, not against you.

Looking for more tips on how to make a good run great in Marathon (or simply how to make it to the extraction point alive)? Check out our previous Xbox Wire article: 10 Tips To Help You Survive Your First Runs in Marathon.

For more on Season 2, check out our full rundown from the Marathon developers.

Marathon Deluxe Edition

Bungie

☆☆☆☆☆ 1669

★★★★★

$59.99 $41.99

Get it now

Infil into the dark sci-fi world of Tau Ceti IV: A derelict colony rife with rival Runners, hostile UESC security forces, and hazardous environments. As you scavenge its zones for valuables with a crew or alone, tense moments of exploration break into fast-paced PvP combat where gunplay is responsive, time to kill is low, and preparation is rewarded. Exfil to advance your seasonal power, earn cosmetics for your achievements, and assemble stronger builds with your stolen loot. Then put your gear back on the line to seek even greater fortunes in your next run. Purchase to receive additional bonuses: 1x Premium Rewards Pass Voucher 200 SILK Rewards Pass Tokens Weapon Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Misriah 2442 Pump Shotgun Style] Weapon Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Overrun AR Style] Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Vandal Shell Style] Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Destroyer Shell Style] Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Assassin Shell Style] Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Thief Shell Style] Hard drive storage requirements are subject to change. Requires broadband internet. Access requires an Xbox Game Pass subscription (sold separately). Marathon may contain flashing patterns and images that may produce adverse effects for a small percentage of people sensitive to them. Bungie, Inc. makes no guarantee regarding the availability of online play or features and may modify or discontinue online services with reasonable notice at any time. Using the software constitutes acceptance of the Software License Agreement available at www.bungie.net/sla. © 2026 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Marathon, the Marathon Logo, Bungie and the Bungie Logo are trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and distributed by Bungie, Inc.

Marathon

Bungie

☆☆☆☆☆ 1615

★★★★★

$39.99 $27.99

Get it now

Infil into the dark sci-fi world of Tau Ceti IV: A derelict colony rife with rival Runners, hostile UESC security forces, and unpredictable environments. As you scavenge its zones for valuables with a crew or alone, tense moments of exploration break into fast-paced PvP combat where gunplay is responsive, supplies are finite, and preparation is rewarded. Exfil to advance your seasonal power, earn cosmetics for your achievements, and assemble stronger builds with your stolen loot. Then put your gear back on the line to seek even greater fortunes in your next run. A GRAVEYARD OF POSSIBILITIES Trespass across deserted research facilities, rugged landscapes, and security outposts holding the remnants of a vanished expedition, yours to salvage. Tau Ceti threatens death at every turn with unique enemies, dynamic events, and environmental hazards. Each zone escalates in difficulty, preparing you for the UESC Marathon locked in the heavens. POWERFUL. CONFIGURABLE. EXPENDABLE. Six equippable Runner shells offer diverse playstyle foundations to build upon, like Destroyer, Recon, and Thief. Scavenge an arsenal of moddable weapons, body implants, and core system upgrades to craft countless builds. Strategize as a crew each run to form comps that maximize your combined strengths, shaping the way you approach fights and objectives. ENEMIES EVERYWHERE Face the unknown as a crew of two or three, or alone in solo lobbies. Or sneak into in-progress crew lobbies as Rook, a lone scavenger with no starting gear and nothing to lose. Forge uneasy alliances with rival Runners in prox chat to defeat mutual foes, but remember your new allies might revert to enemies just as quickly. Be merciless in combat: A lone survivor can reboot their crew, even from death. Compete in Ranked mode to put your skills to the test and prove you’re a top Runner on Tau Ceti.  INFLUENCE IS POWER Liaise with six competing factions, each offering lucrative incentives to advance their foothold on Tau Ceti. Completing faction contracts grows your baseline power via season-long unlocks like Runner shell upgrades, stronger starting loadouts, expanded vault space, and specialized wares on offer for spare loot. DEFRAGMENT THE TRUTH No one knows what happened a century ago when the Marathon expedition went dark. As a trespasser into UESC territory, you are uniquely positioned to piece the story together. Unearth the skeletons of Tau Ceti’s past as you run deeper into the colony. DEATH HANGS ABOVE Bring your endgame builds to Cryo Archive, the first deck of the UESC Marathon. Solve raid-like security measures to unseal frozen vaults and pillage the artifacts within. Every cramped corridor forces you into conflict with fully-geared enemy crews racing for the same prize. Breach the seventh vault to challenge an entity even the UESC fears. Hard drive storage requirements are subject to change. Requires broadband internet. Access requires an Xbox Game Pass subscription (sold separately). Marathon may contain flashing patterns and images that may produce adverse effects for a small percentage of people sensitive to them. Bungie, Inc. makes no guarantee regarding the availability of online play or features and may modify or discontinue online services with reasonable notice at any time. Using the software constitutes acceptance of the Software License Agreement available at www.bungie.net/sla. © 2026 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Marathon, the Marathon Logo, Bungie and the Bungie Logo are trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and distributed by Bungie, Inc.

This Sunday, June 7, our yearly double feature returns, offering you a look at what’s next from XBOX and our incredible partners across the world. The XBOX Games Showcase 2026 kicks off at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK, immediately followed by Gears of War: E-Day Direct – presented by The Coalition, creators of the next mainline entry in one of XBOX’s most iconic franchises.

This year marks 25 years of XBOX, and this Showcase is poised to be a true celebration, offering world premieres, new gameplay, fresh updates and more for a swathe of projects we cannot wait to share. We invite you to watch live: here are all the details you need to know ahead of Sunday:

What time does XBOX Games Showcase begin? The Showcase will take place on Sunday, June 7, beginning at:

• PDT: June 7, 10am
• EDT: June 7, 1pm
• BST: June 7, 6pm
• CEST: June 7, 7pm
• JST: June 8, 2am
• AEST: June 8, 3am

What time does Gears of War: E-Day Direct begin? Immediately following the XBOX Games Showcase.

How do I watch the XBOX Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct? The XBOX Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct will be streamed live on official channels, including the below:

• YouTube.com/xbox (4k60)
• Twitch.tv/xbox
• Twitch.tv/xboxASL
• Facebook.com/xbox

The show will also be streamed simultaneously on regional XBOX and Bethesda channels around the globe, as well as on Steam. It will also air on China’s Bilibili platform. For the first time, viewers in the US can also watch via Amazon Live and Prime Video on Fire TV.

Is the event available in languages other than English? The XBOX Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct will be streamed live on YouTube.com/xbox with English captions, and our other live languages will be available via regional XBOX channels.

The languages we will support live on our XBOX channels are: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish and Turkish. Following the broadcast, we will add additional languages including Afrikaans, Arabic, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Canadian French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Persian (Farsi), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. The easiest way to find your preferred language is to go to your region’s XBOX page, or by viewing on the official XBOX YouTube channel at YouTube.com/xbox and clicking the gear icon in the lower right corner.

Is XBOX Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct going to be Accessible to those with low/no hearing or low/no vision? There will be a version of the show with Audio Descriptions (AD) in English on the XBOX YouTube channel, American Sign Language (ASL) on XBOX’s YouTube channel and the /XBOXASL Twitch channel, and British Sign Language (BSL) on XBOX On’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/XBOXOn.

I’m not going to be able to watch, where can I find out what was announced? As the broadcast runs, we’ll be publishing detailed blog posts for key announcements right here on XBOX Wire (with localized versions in Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, LATAM Spanish, and Japanese to follow).

A full show recap will be published here on XBOX Wire immediately following the end of XBOX Games Showcase, and a separate article for Gears of War: E-Day Direct will go live after the double feature ends. Plus, stay tuned to XBOX Wire in the days following the broadcast for more deep-dives into games from the show.

Will XBOX be releasing post-show content? During the week of June 9, the Official XBOX Podcast will be airing special episodes offering deeper dives into announcements featured during XBOX Games Showcase. These shows will be published on XBOX’s YouTube channel and podcast services.

Notes for co-streamers and creators: We at XBOX greatly appreciate any co-stream efforts and aim to ensure you have a smooth experience if you choose to do so. However, due to forces beyond our control, we cannot guarantee that glitches or disruptions by bots and other automated software won’t interfere with your co-stream. For those planning to create full post-show breakdowns of the XBOX Games Showcase and/or Gears of War: E-Day Direct in the form of video-on-demand coverage, we recommend you do not use any audio containing copyrighted music to avoid any action by automated bots, and to also consult the terms of service for your service provider.

We can’t wait for you to join us for the XBOX Games Showcase, followed by Gears of War: E-Day Direct on Sunday, June 7 – whether that’s online, or in-person as part of our returning FanFest event in Los Angeles!

Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated to include a mention of the broadcast on Amazon Live and Prime Video on Fire TV.

Starting today, select Alpha Skip-Ahead XBOX Insiders can start testing the latest updates coming to XBOX consoles, bringing more ways to make your console feel more like yours and easier ways to stay informed. This latest update adds more personalization with expanded color options, on-screen controller visibility, easier access to ‘What’s New’ after updates, and XBOX Service status on console.

These features will roll out to more Insiders over time, with broader availability coming to all players later. We’re excited to hear what you think, and we’ll continue to keep bringing you more of the features you’ve been asking for.

See Your Controller, On Screen

The XBOX Accessories app now shows an image of the specific XBOX controller you have connected, including most XBOX Wireless Controllers with a Share button. Whether you’re using a supported standard or special edition XBOX Wireless Controller, or an XBOX Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, it’s easier to confirm you’ve got the right one selected, especially when you’re remapping buttons or adjusting settings to fine-tune your set up.

Personalize Your Experience with More Color Options

Inspired by your feedback, we’re expanding how you can make your console truly yours. You’ll soon be able to enter a specific hex color code for precise color selection or use the new “match my gamerpic” option to pull a color directly from your gamerpic. Once you’ve picked your color, you can preview how it carries across your console, making it easier to see exactly how your look comes together before you set it.

Find “What’s New” After an Update

After your console updates, you can now quickly access the latest release notes directly from Home’s top navigation to easily see what’s new and explore new features. We’ve also improved the release notes themselves, adding more details about new features, changes, and major bug fixes. XBOX Insiders will be linked directly to release notes specific to their update preview ring in the XBOX Insider Hub app, so you know exactly what’s new for you.

Check XBOX Service Status on Console

Now you can stay informed without leaving your console. When there’s a confirmed XBOX service issue, a new indicator will appear on the upper-right corner of the screen so you can quickly see what’s going on. From there, you can jump straight to a status page with the latest updates on what’s affected and when things are expected to be back up and running, no need to check other sites or social channels.

How to Get XBOX Insider Support and Share Your Feedback

We also want to thank all the XBOX Insiders for the feedback you share with us.

We recently launched XBOX Player Voice, a new place to collect your feedback and make it more visible. When you submit feedback, teams review and organize it so it can be understood and considered alongside other work. In some cases, ideas will move forward. In others, they may take longer to implement or may not be something we can act on. When there are meaningful updates, we’ll share them. Visit aka.ms/XBOXplayervoice to share what you think.

If you’re an XBOX Insider looking for support, please join our community on the XBOX Insider subreddit. Official XBOX staff, moderators, and fellow XBOX Insiders are there to help. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can!

If you aren’t part of the XBOX Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of XBOX and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the XBOX Insider Hub for XBOX Series X|S & XBOX One or Windows PC. For more information on the XBOX Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XBOXInsider and keep an eye on this blog for all the latest news.

Other resources:

• Get the XBOX Insider Hub app
• XBOX Insider FAQ
• How to provide feedback as an XBOX Insider

For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the XBOX Insider SubReddit.