Xbox has made it very clear that it intends to invest heavily in its Xbox Game Pass program. This includes frequently adding new titles to the service, giving subscribers bonus perks, and promising that all future first-party Xbox games will launch on the service. Day-one releases have been a big focus for Xbox Game Pass, and the service really ramped up its efforts in securing day-one titles in 2021.
This year has brought some massive titles to the subscription service the same day that they release, whether it be the next-gen horrifying experience of The Medium or the beautiful open-world racing of Forza Horizon 5. It seems that the service will only continue to grow and become an even better deal for subscribers on both Xbox and PC, especially as Xbox's multiple new studios start releasing upcoming titles. However, with 2021 coming to a close, it is a perfect time to look back on all of the day-one releases that Xbox game Pass managed to pack into this year.
January - April Day-One Xbox Game Pass Additions
- Cyber Shadow - January 26 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- The Medium - January 28 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Wreckfest - February 18 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Project Winter - February 3 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Genesis Noir - March 26 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Undertale - March 15 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Octopath Traveler - March 24 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- MLB The Show 21 - April 19 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Rain on Your Parade - April 15 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Outriders - April 31 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Xbox's day-one additions to the service started off a bit slower this year, but quickly ramped up as the year progressed. However, the service still managed to secure some pretty big titles for day-one releases. One of the more interesting of the titles was MLB The Show 21. The game's day-one addition is particularly curious, as the game is published by Sony, so its start-up video features both Xbox and Sony logos. The decision to have the game on Xbox Game Pass was reportedly pushed for by MLB itself, but it will be interesting to see what other titles from its competitors Xbox can secure in the future.
Another noteworthy day-one release in the early part of 2021 was Outriders in April. Despite releasing with a number of bugs and technical issues, Outriders was seemingly everywhere when it was released as an interesting new take on the looter shooter genre. The game's issues have been resolved, and Outriders' player counts have even spiked again recently thanks to the release of a sizable free update.
May - August Day-One Xbox Game Pass Additions
- Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance - June 22 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Cris Tales - July 20 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Last Stop - July 22 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator - July 27 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Omno - July 28 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- The Forgotten City - July 28 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- The Ascent - July 29 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Lemnis Gate - August 3 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Dodgeball Academia - August 5 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Boyfriend Dungeon - August 11 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Art of Rally - August 12 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Hades - August 12 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Quake - August 18 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Twelve Minutes - August 19 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Psychonauts 2 - August 24 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
The middle third of 2021's day-one additions to Xbox Game Pass were largely dominated by great indie titles. One of the most impactful indie titles released in July was The Ascent, which brought twin-stick shooting to a wholly original cyberpunk setting that rivaled that of bigger titles like Cyberpunk 2077. Xbox Game Pass also had day-one releases of Twelve Minutes and Art of Rally in August, on top of bringing the award-winning Hades to the service the day it launched on Xbox consoles as well. Another notable indie inclusion was Lemnis Gate, which brought a new take to the multiplayer shooter by having turn-based matches play out over the course of a time loop.
However, there were still some big AAA first-party additions as well. The first of these was July's release of Microsoft Flight Simulator on consoles. The developers leveraged some very impressive technology to get the game running as well as it did on consoles, but Microsoft Flight Simulator has been more than welcome on Xbox.
The second big first-party day-one addition was the platforming fun of Psychonauts 2. A long-awaited sequel, Double Fine's newest release proved that the studio still knew how to capture the magic of the original while improving on it in almost every way. It is always great to see fans of a long-dormant series receive a new release, and Psychonauts 2 exemplifies this.
September - December Day-One Xbox Game Pass Additions
- Craftopia - September 6 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- The Artful Escape - September 9 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Flynn: Son of Crimson - September 15 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- I Am Fish - September 15 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- SkateBIRD - September 15 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Aragami 2 - September 16 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Sable - September 22 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- AI: The Somnium Files - September 30 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Astria Ascending - September 30 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Unsighted - September 30 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Back 4 Blood - October 11 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- The Riftbreaker - October 13 (Xbox Series X/S)
- The Good Life - October 14 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Into the Pit - October 19 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Echo Generation - October 20 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Moonglow Bay - October 25 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Bassmaster Fishing 2022 - October 27 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Age of Empires 4 - October 28 (PC)
- Unpacking - November 2 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Forza Horizon 5 - November 8 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Next Space Rebels - November 17 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Undungeon - November 18 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Archvale - December 2 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- ANVIL - December 2 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Rubber Bandits - December 2 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator - December 7 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- Halo Infinite - December 8 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
- The Gunk - December 16 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
The tail end of 2021 was where Xbox Game Pass really grew in terms of day-one additions. One of the biggest releases of the year was Forza Horizon 5's biggest launch in Xbox history. The open-world racing game gives players access to a strikingly beautiful rendition of Mexico to explore and zip through in a wide variety of different customizable cars and has received near-universal praise. The month of September also saw some great indie releases like The Artful Escape and Sable whereas October brought some high profile AAA titles like Back 4 Blood and Age of Empires 4.
To close out the year, Xbox Game Pass has also packed December with some notable day-one additions. One of the biggest has been Halo Infinite's campaign that sees Master Chief battling against the ruthless Banished faction on a brand new ring installment. The campaign also features a new structure for a campaign in the series that continues its iconic storyline.
The month of December has also brought a number of solid indie titles like the highly anticipated The Gunk from the developers of the Steam World series. With how strong Xbox Game Pass has managed to grow over the year it will be very interesting to see how it shapes up in 2022.
Xbox Game Pass is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.