We’re just a few short weeks away from the launch of Double Fine’s unique pottery brawler, with Kiln rolling ever closer to its April 23, 2026, launch date. If you can’t wait to start playing, Kiln’s Open Beta Throwdown is live starting today, and you can participate on Steam using the “Request Access” button until April 11, playing through a sampling of what the full game has to offer and helping fine tune its multiplayer magic alongside many other players and the team at Double Fine.

If you’re unfamiliar with Kiln, we announced it during our Developer Direct back in January. It’s Double Fine’s first-ever online competitive multiplayer game where you’ll play as spirit that can inhabit clay pots and take them into battle against your friends. What makes it even more unique is you can craft your own pot by using a wealth of shaping tools on the pottery wheel, tapping into a variety of pot sizes and special abilities that complement your unique playstyle.

Pre-orders are now live for both the Standard ($19.99) and Fired Up ($29.99) editions. The Fired Up edition includes the base game as well as premium glazes, stickers, attachments, and custom pots.

Kiln launches on April 23, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5, Steam, and with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as an Xbox Play Anywhere title and will be Handheld Optimized.

Double Fine’s Favorite Pots

To help inspire your soon-to-be amazing pottery creations, we enlisted the help of the amazing folks at Double Fine to share with us some of their favorite pots. From tall in thin, short and stout, and somewhere in between, each of these were made using the same in-game tools that will be at your disposal during Kiln’s Open Beta Throwdown!

Kiln launches on April 23, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5, Steam, and day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It will support Xbox Play Anywhere and Handheld Optimized.

Clear out your weekend plans, we have got plenty to try with Free Play Days! Subnautica is available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members to play from Thursday April 9 until Sunday, April 12.

Project Motor Racing and One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 are free for all Xbox members to try Free Play Days for All from Thursday April 9 until Sunday, April 12.

Graveyard Keeper will be free for all Xbox users to keep from April 9, 9am PT until April 13, 10am PT, so be sure to download while you can!

How To Start Playing

Scroll down and find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential membership.

To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Keep The Fun Going

Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region.

Free Play Days (Game Pass Membership Required)

Subnautica

Unknown Worlds Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆ 13986

★★★★★

$29.99 $14.99

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Subnautica
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S, Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere
Explore an alien underwater world filled with wonder and danger in Subnautica during Free Play Days. After crash-landing on an ocean planet, you’ll collect resources, craft equipment, build underwater bases, and uncover the mysteries lurking beneath the surface. From vibrant coral reefs to dark and treacherous depths, every dive is a chance to discover something new… all while trying to survive.

Free Play Days For All

ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 (Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One)

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 49

★★★★★

$39.99 $9.99

Get it now

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
All aboard, pirates! Battle your way through waves of enemies as your favorite One Piece characters in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. In search of treasure, play through some of the most extraordinary areas in the One Piece story and take on memorable foes. Experience the latest evolution of Pirate Warriors action and prepare for even more thrilling gameplay with enhanced graphics on Xbox Series X|S and the latest DLC content. Don’t miss your chance to try out the most complete One Piece experience during this Free Play Days Weekend and grab the game while it’s on sale for a limited time to keep the One Piece adventure sailing after the weekend!

Project Motor Racing

GIANTS Software

☆☆☆☆☆ 132

★★★★★

$69.99 $38.49

Get it now

Project Motor Racing
Update 2.0 is the most significant overhaul to Project Motor Racing since launch and introduces a redesigned UI, far improved driving feel, enhanced online systems, and a stronger Career Mode. It’s time to race!

Graveyard Keeper

tinyBuild

☆☆☆☆☆ 852

★★★★★

$19.99

Get it now

Graveyard Keeper
Graveyard Keeper is the most inaccurate medieval cemetery management sim of the year. Build & manage your own graveyard while finding shortcuts to cut costs, expand into entertainment with witch-burning festivals, and scare nearby villagers into attending church. From April 9 at 9am PT until April 13 at 10am PT players will be able to get Graveyard Keeper for free to keep!

Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.

Starting today, select Xbox Insiders can begin testing improvements to Achievements that make it easier to celebrate your accomplishments and curate how they appear on your profile. These features will roll out to more Insiders over time, with broader availability coming later to all players. We’re excited to hear what you think, and we’ll keep bringing you more of the features you’ve been asking for.

Achievements Get a Visual Refresh

We’ve refreshed achievement notifications with a new look and feel, including updated icons and animations when you unlock classic or rare achievements. Notifications will also match your custom color, making each unlock feel more personal. Happy achievement hunting!

Hide Games from Your Achievement List

Coming later this month, you will be able hide any game from your Achievement history on your profile, giving you more control over how your accomplishments are presented. Whether you want a cleaner look or just want to highlight what matters most to you, this puts your profile in your hands. This only affects how your profile appears, hidden games will still count towards your total Gamerscore and your activity in these games will still be reported across Xbox.

This has been one of the most requested features from Xbox Insiders and we’re excited to finally get it into your hands very soon.

Highlight Your 100% Completed Games

When you’ve earned all available Gamerscore for a title, you’ll now see it highlighted in your achievements list, so your hard work is easy to spot. This gives you a quick, at-a-glance way to celebrate full completion.

We’ve also added new filter options to this view, making it easier to find your fully completed games alongside any titles you’ve chosen to hide.

This is a small but meaningful step in a broader set of improvements we’re making to Achievements. We’re continuing to explore new ways to recognize completion and milestone moments over time, and this update is one of our first steps towards celebrating those moments.

How to Get Xbox Insider Support and Share Your Feedback

We want to thank all the Xbox Insiders for the feedback you share with us. If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit, where 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. 

Thank you for being part of Xbox Insiders. We can’t wait to hear what you think. 

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.

The time is upon us! Invincible VS’s Open Beta kicks off tomorrow, April 9, giving players one final chance to step into the arena before launch. Whether you’re a first-time fighter or an experienced brawler, now is the time to show us what you’re made of.

Running from Thursday, April 9 at 10:00am PT to Saturday, April 11 at 9:00pm PT, the Open Beta gives players three full days to try out our 10 available characters to find their early mains. The stacked roster includes Mark Grayson (Invincible), Atom Eve, Bulletproof, Thula, Rex Splode, Battle Beast, Omni-Man, Robot, Monster Girl and Allen the Alien – each ready to throw down and give their all.

Our Open Beta has three modes, giving a few different ways to jump into the action:

• Tutorial – We love newcomers! Our tutorial gives you the chance to learn everything from movements and inputs to Active Tagging and Assist Breakers.
• Practice Mode – If you need to warm up or perfect a certain skill, hit the Practice Mode before heading into battle.
• Ranked Mode – Go head-to-head with other players to earn League Points and climb the leaderboard. The top 20 players during Open Beta will have their names featured as “Beta Beasts” in the Invincible VS credits, so may the best fighters prevail!

Want to be featured in the official Invincible VS credits? Well, you gotta fight for it!

By the end of Open Beta, the top 20 players on the Ranked leaderboard will have their names in the credits when Invincible VS launches on April 30. So, prepare yourself to duke it out with the best of the best to make it there! But that’s not all that’s in store for Open Beta Players…

The Omni-beard is back! Open Beta players will also receive a special Omni-Man skin inspired by his appearance in episode 406 of the Invincible animated series. Trading in his signature mustache for a full beard, this version of Omni-Man looks even more kick-ass.

We’ve been counting down the days until Open Beta and we’re stoked it’s almost here. We can’t wait to see the epic battles and wild moments that will surely come out of this.

Players can jump into the Invincible VS Open Beta on Xbox Series X|S tomorrow, April 9, by heading to the Xbox Store. For more information on the Invincible VS Open Beta, visit invinciblevs.com/open-beta.

Invincible VS launches on April 30, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and is available for pre-order now at invinciblevs.com/#preorder.

Find out more by following Invincible VS on Instagram, X (formally Twitter), TikTok, YouTube, and online at InvincibleVS.com. Add Invincible VS to your wish list on the Microsoft Store below.

Last month’s Remnant update caused much hilarity as you tooled with your newfangled gravity guns and customisable exocraft, transporting precarious industrial cargo across uneven terrain in a classic risk vs. reward fight. Our latest update is a whole different beast. 

Introducing… Xeno Arena, an all-new beast battler for No Man’s Sky! Build your pet squad. Beef up your animal stats. Train your ultimate fighting team. And throw down in epic simulated showdowns in the Xeno Arena.

Xeno Arena playfully brings attention back to the creatures you have been adopting throughout your adventures and turns them from journey companions into potentially lucrative battle pets.

The Space Anomaly has recently been decked out with an array of holodeck tables where you can enter your most powerful animals in simulated battles with other space farers for bragging rights and tangible rewards. If you prefer a more solitary journey, there are also NPC alien lifeforms to challenge at Space Stations – including champion battlers who take expert advantage of the local wildlife’s biome affinities, and reigning champion iteration: Oceanus at the Anomaly.

Choose wisely and understand each of your creature’s unique attributes to prevail against your opponent and reap the spoils on the table. The size, agility, species, and origins all play a part in a successful tactical encounter, and you must be strategic in your selection and respond strategically to your contender’s every move.

Moreover, there are hundreds of attack, defence and healing abilities to discover and master, such that each companion combination has countless ways of engaging with your combatant.

There is even the option to genetically evolve your creatures, fine-tune their capabilities, and complement the other members of the pack to create the ultimate battle squad. Win battles to rise in the ranks of the Arena League and earn in-game medals and titles.

And when it comes to your squad, there’s strength in depth so the number of creatures you can adopt at any one time has been raised from 18 to 30.

Now there is more reason than ever to befriend and nurture the beasts you encounter throughout the universe as you build up your squad in readiness for the next Xeno Arena face-off. 

Our journey continues.

No Man's Sky

Hello Games

☆☆☆☆☆ 9706

★★★★★

$59.99 $23.99

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

No Man’s Sky comes complete with all 29 major updates up to and including Worlds Part I. Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man's Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action. In No Man's Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before – and perhaps never will again. Embark on an epic voyage At the centre of the galaxy lies a irresistible pulse which draws you on a journey towards it to learn the true nature of the cosmos. But, facing hostile creatures and fierce pirates, you'll know that death comes at a cost, and survival will be down to the choices you make over how you upgrade your ship, your weapon and suit. Find your own destiny Your voyage through No Man's Sky is up to you. Will you be a fighter, preying on the weak and taking their riches, or taking out pirates for their bounties? Power is yours if you upgrade your ship for speed and weaponry. Or a trader? Find rich resources on forgotten worlds and exploit them for the highest prices. Invest in more cargo space and you'll reap huge rewards. Or perhaps an explorer? Go beyond the known frontier and discover places and things that no one has ever seen before. Upgrade your engines to jump ever farther, and strengthen your suit for survival in toxic environments that would kill the unwary. Share your journey The galaxy is a living, breathing place. Trade convoys travel between stars, factions vie for territory, pirates hunt the unwary, and the police are ever watching. Every other player lives in the same galaxy, and you can choose to share your discoveries with them on a map that spans known space. Perhaps you will see the results of their actions as well as your own…

The Forza Horizon games know how to make an entrance, and Forza Horizon 6 is no outlier.

Within moments of my hands-on preview beginning, the now-traditional intro sequence had me barrelling through the hills of breathtaking rural Japan in the game’s latest cover car – the 2025 GR GT Prototype – soaring past iconic landmarks, speeding down the Japanese Alps, and brazenly skidding up to a live rocket launch. This is the Forza experience the team wants you to have – sleek, superfast driving with an impeccable backdrop. And then, like some sort of petrol-fumed fever dream, the prologue is over and you’re left to discover this world for yourself.

In Forza Horizon 6, you’re no circuit superstar, here to rub shoulders with racing’s finest. Not yet, anyway. You’re a fan, a festival tourist, visiting Japan on a whim with two good friends. The Horizon Festival is in full swing, but your invite for the Invitational isn’t even in the post yet. You’ll need to qualify for the Invitational by proving your worth.

For newcomers, this narrative makes absolute sense as a tutorial while you get to grips with how these fantastically designed vehicles handle, their nuances, how they each respond to the environment, and what you’ll need to be driving for each type of activity.

“Japan is such an exciting, interesting, intriguing location that many people have wanted from [the Horizon] franchise for a long time, that we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Design Director Torben Ellert tells us in a new episode of the Official Xbox Podcast. “What would it feel like if the Festival was there? It wouldn’t dominate Japan, it would be part of Japan, and with that we asked: ‘how do we give players permission to just be in Japan?’ Well – tourism.”

One early game race is a tight, unpredictable zip through Tokyo’s urban district that allowed my modest first car – a 30-year-old Toyota Cecilia GT-Four – to shine (literally) through the dense, neon-soaked hotspots of Ginko Avenue and Shibuya Crossing. Another race is a cross-country affair full of rough terrain and water, and your starter off-roader, a ’70s GMC Jimmy, is the perfect accompaniment for these tumultuous routes.

But what makes Forza Horizon 6 feel incredibly special is how seamless and inviting this take on Japan is. Once you’re through a short section of introduction, the world is all yours. The campaign is there to guide you through the ranks and races at the heart of the game. Your car’s built-in AI guide is there to offer direction if you feel genuinely stuck. There’s a “golden path” for you to take – but there’s no need to take it at anything other than your own pace. For the most part, the goal is simply: Explore.

And that feels like the true innovation at the heart of Forza Horizon 6 – more than ever before, the game tasks you with finding what you want to do next, rather than simply heading from icon to icon on the map. It’s a philosophy that suffuses the game – there’s always another race in the Festival ‘campaign’ to complete, but there’s an equal sense that if you just take a different turn, you could discover something for yourself.

The clearest hint to that change comes from the map itself – for the first time, a Horizon game has a “fog of war”, with the map unveiling as you travel through it. It gives you a real sense of your journey through the game at a glance, not to mention makes each new icon feel like a discovery rather than something you simply pointed your GPS at.

“This new system is designed to tell you where you have been and what you have seen in a really legible way,” Ellert explains. “We have this rule with all of the Discover Japan content where if you find it, you can play it.”

“Ultimately, freedom is a core design pillar for us – we’ve really tried to not force you to go and do a specific thing, but instead, tempt you into going and doing them.”

During my preview time, those discoveries included Time Attacks, which let you set a best time on a specific lap around a route. Meanwhile, Drag Races are there for that insatiable urge to just go really, really fast, without having to worry about arbitrary nonsense like steering or corners. Both of these activities come with the added bonus of drawing from the wider player pool, and your friends list, to act like asymmetric multiplayer – these tracks will be filled with ghost cars from real players, and billboards displaying best times will constantly beckon you to try and beat their scores.

What made that experience even richer was the new Aftermarket Cars feature. As you travel through the world, you can now find time-limited opportunities to buy new cars at cheaper-than-normal prices. For me, that was stumbling upon a black Dodge SRT Demon, parked right next to a Drag Race spot, and I fortunately had enough credits on-hand to purchase it right away. The banged-up Toyota I brought to the Drag Race? Relegated to the garage. The Dodge? Immediately in my hands, ready to take for a spin.

According to Ellert, the Aftermarket Cars feature is informed by the desire to put interesting cars that are relevant to your gameplay experience right in front of you while you’re exploring, if that’s your preferred thing to do: “It’s a subtle suggestion of ‘hey, try this car out, take this car to this event’ – and it’s my hope that more people will experience these wonderful machines by us placing them in the open world, and making them cheaper to purchase.”

To push that need to explore even further, each area of Horizon’s Japan has a series of collectible mascots dotted around locations, which grant a small reward when collected. Some of them are set out on the side of the road, easily spottable as you pass, and some are tucked away, goading you to nosey down an as-yet unexplored path.

It’s a step forward for the Horizon series to add activities that make exploration feel not just viable, but exciting. There’s always a reason to veer off course and take a road you’ve never been down, poke around a suburb or a forest, or simply just stop to look at the sun-soaked horizon in front of you and just… drive towards it, because you can.

It’s the interconnectivity of all of these activities that make Forza Horizon 6 feel so magically immersive this time around. Every goal, side-mission or collectible item is right there on the road with you – whether it’s picking up a mascot, testing your car’s paces at a Time Attack stop, or challenging a passing player’s Drivatar to a quick battle.

These features extend way beyond what we saw in the preview too – the Journal is another fresh addition to Forza Horizon 6 that adds another layer of intrigue to the world around you. With the Journal, you can collect photographs of iconic landmarks and hotspots, to create your own personalized account of your journey in Japan.

The personalization can also be felt within Horizon 6’s garage customization options – which we got a small glimpse of at Mei’s house – your first “base” in the game. Each home you purchase from there on out comes with its own garage that you can design however you like – deck it out with furniture, floodlights, odd objects, or leave the cars to be the star of the show. It’s entirely up to you – your adventure, your space.

It is, as Ellert puts it, about “giving players agency over the place where they keep their cars.” You can build something grounded, realistic and gritty, like a garage, or something wildly ephemeral like a secret lair or a dinosaur jungle, – or whatever else you can think of.

“That just felt in-line with what we saw players doing, and we know that having agency over the world, and being able to earn and build something that is yours, is a really fun and compelling thing.”

With more reasons to simply hop into your chosen car and drive – not just because you’re trying to win races or climb Festival ranks – Forza Horizon 6 taps into more than just a love of driving competitively. It’s passionate about exploration in a way we’ve never seen inside a Horizon game – it invites you to explore the world, unlock the map, take your favorite vehicles out for a spin because you feel like it, because there is something out there on offer, something to discover. Your cars aren’t just a tool for victory and prowess, they become your partner in this mesmerizing journey. And with a breathtaking environment like ray-traced Japan, it’s incredibly hard to refuse.

Forza Horizon 6 launches May 19, 2026, and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and playable day one with Xbox Game Pass.

Check out the full interview with Forza Horizon 6 Design Director Torben Ellert and Art Director Don Arceta in the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, linked above.

Forza Horizon 6

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 49

★★★★★

Get it now

Pre-order Forza Horizon 6 now and get a pre-tuned and exclusive Ferrari J50 in-game! Discover the breathtaking landscapes of Japan in over 550 real-world cars and become a racing Legend at the Horizon Festival. Start your journey as a tourist and explore a world full of hit music and Japanese culture. Build a Valley Estate, acquire awe-inspiring homes, and display your prized car collection in fully Customizable Garages. Cruise the roads with your friends and join Car Meets around Japan, unleash your imagination with EventLab and build together in Horizon CoLab.* Your journey to a Horizon Legend starts now – Japan Awaits! EXPERIENCE TOKYO, HORIZON’S LARGEST EVER CITY Welcome to Japan, a place where the stunning contrasts of rural and urban come together as you uncover the secrets hidden within Horizon's most dense map yet, full of verticality, diverse biomes and spectacular driving experiences. Cruise the suburbs and iconic downtown streets or challenge yourself in the docks and industrial districts of Tokyo City, the largest ever urban area in a Forza Horizon game, and the home for car enthusiasts. FEEL IMMERSED IN JAPANESE CAR CULTURE Drive over 550 real-world cars, including some much loved and fan favorite JDM classics, featuring cutting-edge engine audio and updated steering animations with up to 540 degrees of wheel rotation. As you explore Japan, collect special Forza Edition cars fitted with extreme modifications and find rare Aftermarket Cars to test drive and buy. Your path to making a name for yourself will see you meet the Legends of the Horizon Festival, participate in Touge Battles, and experience authentic stories rooted in Japan’s legendary car culture. RACE AND DISCOVER IN JAPAN In Forza Horizon 6, you will explore a vast campaign of discovery and Festival racing, playable solo and in co-op with your friends.* You’ll start as a tourist and must prove you’ve got what it takes to join the Horizon Festival as a rookie driver, all while you Discover Japan and complete your Collection Journal. Qualify for the Festival in the Horizon Invitational, then rise through the ranks in progressively faster cars and earn new Wristbands to become a Horizon Legend. Your newfound status will grant you access to Legend Island, an exclusive space reserved for the greatest drivers. MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD YOURS Your journey will see you purchase gorgeous homes in Japan, each with customizable garages – allowing you to create the ideal spaces to showcase your car collection, or you can download layouts shared online by the community. Unlock the Estate, a mountain valley where you can build freely in the open world, creating nearly anything you can imagine. And for your favorite cars, those can be upgraded with body kits and new Forza Aero options, as well as the ability to paint custom liveries on windows. JOIN THE COMMUNITY IN MULTIPLAYER This Festival is always better with your friends.* Seamlessly participate in Time Attack Circuits and Drag Meets or show off your customized cars at Car Meets. Earn new co-op LINK skills with other players, compete in Spec Racing Championships, or jump into the Horizon Multiplayer modes you know and love including The Eliminator and nailbiting Hide & Seek. BUILD TOGETHER, ANYWHERE IN JAPAN Create with unprecedented freedom anywhere in Japan as you build custom events with your friends in CoLab, the upgraded EventLab toolset – now featuring multiplayer support* and the ability to build literally anywhere in the world. Share your masterpieces for everyone to play and discover an always evolving catalog of exciting new content created by the community. THE FESTIVAL FOR EVERY DRIVER Hit the open road in our most approachable Horizon game yet. Our customization options include Granular High Contrast Mode, Car Proximity Radar, American and British Sign Language, and AutoDrive, allowing players to experience the beautiful cars, hit music and spectacular locations of the Horizon Festival. Discover your Legend, and Explore the Contrasts and Culture of Japan. *Online console multiplayer requires a Game Pass subscription that includes online multiplayer, sold separately.

When development on Wuthering Waves began, the team asked one question: what would a truly player-first open-world action RPG look like? Not one that asks players to accept compromises, but one that raises the bar across combat, exploration, storytelling, and ongoing content. The team is proud of what has been created — and thrilled to be bringing the game to Xbox players later this year.

A World Built to Be Explored

Wuthering Waves takes place on Solaris-3, a world recovering from a catastrophe called the Lament. You play as the Rover — an amnesiac with mysterious power, drawn into a world on the edge of a second crisis. The game’s most recent story chapters are set in Lahai-Roi, one of Solaris-3’s major regions: a layered landscape of icy frostlands, towering research installations, and ancient tribal history that connects directly to the game’s central mysteries.

Every region of Solaris is designed to feel distinct — in its geography, its people, and its visual identity. Traversal is a first-class system: wall-running, climbing, air dashing, gliding, and grappling across structures can all be chained fluidly, so moving through the world is expressive rather than functional.

Starting with Version 3.0, players were given the Expedition Motorbike — a customizable vehicle with its own skill tree that lets them tear across the landscape, and even weave it into combat. It is the kind of feature that changes how the whole map feels to navigate.

Each version update adds new areas, new story beats, and new secrets to uncover. All of it, free.

Combat That Rewards Skill and Creativity

Combat is at the heart of Wuthering Waves, designed to have real depth. Every character in the player’s party of three has a full kit: basic attack chains, a Resonance Skill, a powerful ultimate, an Intro/Outro Skill that fires when switching them into or out of battle, and a Tune Break skill that deals extra damage and reduces enemy Vibration Strength while interrupting attack patterns. A dedicated dodge and a parry mechanic — triggered by attacking at precisely the right moment — reward players who engage thoughtfully.

Meaningful vertical depth has also been built in for players who want to push further. Chaining Intro and Outro Skills across character swaps creates a rhythm of tag-team combat where the right rotation feels like a performance. Boss encounters are designed around readable telegraphs, punishable windows, and escalating phases — the kind of fight design that asks players to learn, not just grind. Whether clearing the main story or working through high-difficulty endgame modes, the combat system has room to grow with the player.

The Echo system is what makes every build personal. As enemies are defeated across Solaris-3, players can absorb their resonance echoes and equip them — each one granting passive stats and a unique active ability. Building an Echo loadout is as expressive as building a team roster, and the two systems interact in ways that keep experienced players theory crafting even hundreds of hours in.

A Game That Keeps Delivering

Wuthering Waves shipped in May 2024 and has been updated on a consistent patch cadence ever since. In 2025 alone, the game earned six major industry awards — including the fan-voted Players’ Voice Award at The Game Awards. The team takes that recognition seriously: it reflects the trust players have placed in the development team to keep improving the game.

Version 3.1 is a prime example of what that commitment looks like in practice. Aemeath was introduced, a Resonator who can seamlessly shift between two distinct combat states: a digital ghost state and a full mech state, the latter featuring its own HUD, moveset, and physics. While in her digital ghost state, Aemeath showcases her rapier techniques; in mech state, she completely transforms her combat style while gaining the ability to freely take flight across the open world. It is the kind of design that only exists because the team pushed well past what the genre expects — and it is the kind of moment the development team wants Xbox players to experience.

Version 3.2, launching March 19, 2026 (UTC+8), introduces Sigrika — a new Resonator whose kit is built around accumulating Soliskin Vitality through teamwork and releasing it in devastating Echo Skill bursts. Her playstyle rewards careful team construction, and she serves as an example of how every new character is designed: with a clear identity, genuine depth, and a reason to think about how she fits into a player’s roster.

Designed for Console. Free to Play.

Wuthering Waves was built on Unreal Engine with dynamic lighting, high-fidelity environments, and smooth high-frame-rate performance as part of the game’s foundation from day one. Xbox Series X|S is hardware the game is excited to build for.

The game is completely free to play. The main story, the open world, and the full combat system are all accessible without spending a single dollar. Cross-progression is fully supported: any progress you make on PC or mobile will carry over to Xbox when the game is launched.

Wishlist now on Xbox or follow Wuthering Waves on X to catch the latest news about the launch date!

Wuthering Waves is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC in 2026 — free to play. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire and Wuthering Waves’ official channels for the latest updates.

Wuthering Waves

KURO GAMES

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Wuthering Waves is a story-rich open-world action RPG with a high degree of freedom. You wake from your slumber as Rover, joined by a vibrant cast of Resonators on a journey to reclaim your lost memories and change the world. Welcome aboard, roving voyager. Upon the shores lay the silent embers of a world during the Ebb Tide. Desolated by the Lament, the erstwhile creations and earthly beings are left static. But they strike back, strong enough to penetrate the silence. Humanity has risen anew from the ashes of the apocalypse. And you, Rover, are poised for an adventure of Awakening. Companions to meet, enemies to conquer, new powers to gain, hidden truths to unveil, and unseen spectacles to behold… A vast world of endless possibilities awaits. The choice rests in your hands. Be the answer, be the leader, and follow the sounds to arrive at a new future. As Wuthering Waves echo endlessly, mankind set sail on a new journey. Rise and embark on your odyssey, Rover.

We have a whole pile of games for you to check out coming soon to Game Pass below, including some you might have seen announced in our most recent Partner Preview! Grab your controllers, your keyboards and mice (and I suggest some headphones as some of these games have killer soundtracks), and let’s get to the games!

Available Today

Final Fantasy IV (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – April 7
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Dive into a classic RPG with Final Fantasy IV. The Kingdom of Baron begins to attack the surrounding countries. Cecil the dark knight joins forces with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner, and more to fight against Baron.

Coming Soon

DayZ (PC) – April 8
Now on PC, joining Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential, PC Game Pass

The post-soviet country of Chernarus is struck by an unknown virus, turning the majority population into frenzied infected in this open world zombie survival game. Fighting over resources has bred a hostile mentality among survivors, driving what’s left of humanity to collapse. You are one of the few immune to the virus – how far will you go to survive?

Endless Legend 2 (Game Preview) (PC) – April 8
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Lead your people to victory on an ever-evolving world in this strategy game featuring asymmetric factions led by powerful heroes. Build your empire, wield political influence, and raise grand armies to wage war in a race to uncover dark secrets buried within the planet.

FBC: Firebreak (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – April 8
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

A cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak — the Bureau’s most versatile unit — has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, contain the chaos, and fight to reclaim control.

Planet Coaster 2 (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – April 9
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Build and customize thrilling roller coasters and incredible water slides, manage the ultimate theme park experience, and share your epic creations. Are you ready to ride the wave?

Tiny Bookshop (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – April 10
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Leave everything behind and open a tiny bookshop by the sea in this cozy narrative management game. Stock your tiny bookshop with different books and items, set up shop in scenic locations, and run your cozy second-hand bookshop while getting to know the locals.

Football Manager 26 (PC) – April 13
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

New foundations set the stage for you to define your football destiny. Built on the Unity engine, FM26 is the legacy redefined, and where storytelling evolves, placing you at the heart of the beautiful game. A reimagined interface and more immersive matchday experience bring you closer to the action and combines to elevate every decision and match-defining moment.

Football Manager 26 Console (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 13
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Delivering effortless, instinctive console control, a redesigned user interface combines with the most immersive matchday experience in series history to bring you closer to every match-defining moment. Build your superstar squad with new transfer tools and bring your footballing vision to life through innovations that deliver enhanced tactical realism.

Hades II (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – April 14
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Battle beyond the Underworld in Hades II, an action-packed, endlessly replayable roguelike dungeon crawler rooted in the Underworld of Greek myth. As the immortal Princess, explore a bigger, deeper mythic world and vanquish the Titan of Time as the story reacts to your every setback and accomplishment.

Replaced (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – April 14
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available day one with Xbox Game Pass! Can an AI become human? Expose the sinister secrets of Phoenix Corp as R.E.A.C.H., an AI trapped in a human body. Set in an alternate 1980s America, navigate a dark cyberpunk thriller in this cinematic 2.5D platformer blending narrative exploration with fluid, free-flow action.

The Thaumaturge (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – April 14
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

The Thaumaturge is a character-driven RPG with a rich story, morally ambiguous choices, and turn-based combat. In a city on the brink of change, use your mystical powers to read emotions, uncover motives, and command folklore-inspired demons — while resisting the temptation of your own pride.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – April 16
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay. Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land. 

EA Sports NHL 26 (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S) – April 16
Game Pass Ultimate

Get ready to take to the ice and play like a superstar when NHL 26 joins EA Play on April 16. Experience Ice Q 2.0 powered by NHL Edge data, a reimagined Be A Pro mode, and HUT seasons. Also, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to grab an EA Play Supercharge Bundle for NHL 26 until May 16 and enjoy a 10% discount on EA digital purchases as part of their subscription.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 17
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare redefined the iconic series with a visceral, grounded campaign inspired by modern global conflict, alongside an immersive Multiplayer experience and intense cooperative Special Ops missions. Featuring fluid gunplay and cinematic storytelling, this entry delivers a bold take on Modern Warfare.

Little Rocket Lab (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 21
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Little Rocket Lab is a cozy, machine building RPG. You play as Morgan, an aspiring engineer! Head home to St. Ambroise to help complete your family’s dream-building a rocket. Help the locals with new machines, be creative, and become the ultimate engineer! That rocket isn’t going to build itself!

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – April 21
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Miho steps into the pantry to fetch a potato for his grandma and falls into a magical world full of wonders. Meet quirky characters, venture through the depths of South America, and learn the importance of the things we pass along in this unforgettable emotional narrative adventure

Vampire Crawlers (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – April 21
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available day one on Xbox Game Pass! From the creators of Vampire Survivors, Vampire Crawlers turns the thrill of Survivors into a hyper turn‑based, rogue-lite card‑driven blobber. Build busted decks, explore familiar dungeons, and unleash world‑ending combos. Either take your time and be tactical or play turns as fast as you humanly can: The outcome is always accurate!

Kiln (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – April 23
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available day one on Xbox Game Pass!Kiln is a pottery power‑fantasy celebrating both Creativity and Destruction—the pleasure of making beautiful things, then smashing them to smithereens. Create your pot, grab your friends, and throw down in online arenas, where the ceramic creations you sculpt become the bodies you bring into battle.

Game Pass Essential subscribers can look forward to two more games coming to the library on April 8.

Fight together with your friends against the forces of Chaos and Skaven in Warhammer Vermintide 2 (Cloud and Console) or endure a post-apocalyptic world populated by frenzied infected and other survivors in DayZ (PC).

In Case You Missed It

Easy Delivery Co. (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – March 26
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass

Easy Delivery Co. is a relaxing driving game with strange secrets. Chill out, make deliveries and get to know the mysterious residents of this scenic mountain town, all while earning well below minimum wage.

Super Meat Boy 3D (Cloud, Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – March 31
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

The latest game in the iconic indie platforming series is coming to consoles and PC. Be prepared to die, die, and die again as you jump into the next dimension with Super Meat Boy 3D!

NBA 2K26 (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – April 3
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Pick up and play NBA 2K26 with Xbox Game Pass to hit the court with your favorite NBA teams and compete against friends in Play Now. Experience an all-new immersive MyCareer storyline on New Gen consoles, manage a star-studded lineup in MyTeam, and climb the ranks in The City.

Game Updates

Dome Keeper (Multiplayer Update) (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – April 13
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Explore the world of Dome Keeper with friends with the multiplayer update! Defend your dome together in four player co-op, or go versus in a battle to survive the longest or deliver the most resources.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 03 – Available now
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Take on the extreme with new Maps, Modes, and Weapons. Brave the frigid winds and take cover under the massive satellites of Beacon or take your chances in the close quarters of a moving submarine in Abyss. In Zombies, the new Ashwood Survival Map will test players’ skill.

In-Game Benefits

Microsoft Bubble (PC) – Available now
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential, PC Game Pass

Pop into classic arcade-style action in Microsoft Bubble. Line up precision shots, stack power-ups, and blast tricky blockers to clear the board before your moves run out. Test your skills across endless levels, complete missions, and earn Achievements—perfect for a quick break or a high-score run.

World of Warships (PC) – April 9

Immerse yourself in thrilling naval battles and assemble an armada of over 600 ships from the first half of the 20th century — from stealthy destroyers to gigantic battleships. Change the look of your ship, choose upgrades to suit your play style, and go into battle with other players! See all the player benefits you get here.

Albion Online (Cloud and Console) – April 21
Now on Cloud and Console, joining Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Albion Online is a sandbox MMORPG where every player choice shapes the world. Explore, gather, craft, and conquer while forging alliances. Game Pass subscribers can unlock an exclusive Green Knight vanity and mount, 100,000 Fame, 3 days of Premium status, and 3000 Victory Emote charges.

Leaving April 15

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon. Jump back in to tie up any loose ends or save up to 20% off your purchase to keep the fun going!

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

From the pitch, to a tiny bookshop, or even in Hell, there are all sorts of places you might find yourself playing next. Let us know where you’ll be off to next – we’re listening over at Game Pass and Xbox. Talk to you soon!

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

Editor’s Note (April 8): Updated SKU availability for EA Sports NHL 26.