Xbox Game Pass has its first July 2026 wave, and the headline for subscribers is a mix of returning classics, a major survival-crafting milestone and another batch of smaller day-one arrivals. Microsoft confirmed the new lineup in its latest Game Pass update, with additions running from July 6 through July 21.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is the easiest name to spot. The remastered skateboarding collection joins cloud, console and PC on July 21 for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass. It lands the same day as The Planet Crafter, the terraforming survival game that sends players to turn a hostile planet into something humans can live on.
Palworld also gets a major Game Pass note this week. The full Palworld 1.0 release arrives on July 10 across cloud, console and PC for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass, adding new locations and characters as Pocketpair's survival-crafting hit leaves its long-running preview phase. If you are planning around the update itself, our Palworld 1.0 launch time guide covers when the new version is expected to go live.
New Xbox Game Pass games for July
| Game | Date | Platforms | Game Pass plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winds of Arcana: Ruination | July 6 | Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC | Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass |
| Gears of War: Reloaded | July 9 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, Handheld, PC |
| Tamashika | July 9 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, Handheld, PC |
| Ascend to Zero | July 13 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, Handheld, PC |
| PBA Pro Bowling 2026 | July 14 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, PC |
| Quarantine Zone: The Last Check | July 15 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, PC |
| Mavrix by Matt Jones | July 16 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, Handheld, PC |
| FixForce | July 17 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, PC |
| Fogpiercer | July 17 | PC | Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| The Planet Crafter | July 21 | Cloud, Xbox Series X\ | S, PC |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 | July 21 | Cloud, Console, PC | Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass |
Gears of War: Reloaded is not a brand-new Game Pass arrival, but this update expands the remaster to Game Pass Premium on July 9. The package includes the original Gears of War campaign, post-launch content from the original release, multiplayer maps, characters and cosmetics.
The new day-one games are spread through the middle of the month. Winds of Arcana: Ruination is a 2.5D action Metroidvania, Ascend to Zero is an action roguelike with time-bending powers and FixForce is a co-op extraction platformer about repair robots rebuilding strange beacons from junk.
Microsoft also listed Quarantine Zone: The Last Check as newly joining cloud and console on July 15, while Tamashika, PBA Pro Bowling 2026, Mavrix by Matt Jones and Fogpiercer round out the wave.
Benefits and July 15 removals
Two in-game benefits are included in this update. League of Legends players can access the new champion Locke, the Ashen Exorcist, through Game Pass benefits on PC. Wuthering Waves players on Xbox Series X|S and PC get update rewards from July 10, including Morphable Echo, Premium Tuner, Shell Credit and the Xbox Exclusive Sigil "Paths and Possibilities."
The removal list is worth checking before July 15, especially if you have longer games in progress. Dungeons of Hinterberg, EA Sports Football Club 24, Stellaris, Golf With Your Friends, Minami Lane, Powerwash Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, Super Fantasy Kingdom and Techtonica are all leaving Game Pass that day.
As usual, Microsoft says Game Pass members can buy departing games at a discount before they rotate out. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Powerwash Simulator and Stellaris are the most recognizable losses in this batch, while Dungeons of Hinterberg is a shorter RPG adventure that subscribers may still be able to finish before the cutoff.