Xbox Game Pass Just Got 5 Day-One Releases — Here's Everything Added This Week

Wave 2 of April's Xbox Game Pass additions landed today, and Microsoft is not messing around. Between the games available right now and those arriving before the month ends, Game Pass is adding five day-one releases in the space of ten days — the kind of run that makes the subscription increasingly hard to argue against for anyone who hasn't already signed up.

Here's everything being added and when to play it.

Available Right Now — April 21

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors The launch-day addition everyone was waiting for. Poncle's deckbuilding dungeon crawler spin-off from Vampire Survivors is in the Game Pass library from this morning at no additional cost. At $9.99 to buy outright, it's already one of the cheapest strong releases of the spring — as a Game Pass inclusion, it's a day-one no-brainer. Read our full launch-day coverage for the review breakdown: it's an 80 on Metacritic, an 82 on OpenCritic, and it has the "one more run" energy fully intact from the original.

Little Rocket Lab A cozy machine-building RPG where you play as Morgan, an aspiring engineer returning home to help complete her family's dream of building a rocket. The tone is warm and low-stakes, the building systems are satisfying, and it's exactly the kind of Game Pass inclusion that becomes someone's favourite game of the year through sheer accessibility.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato An emotional narrative adventure following Miho, who falls into a magical world while fetching a potato for his grandmother. Inspired by South American folklore, it's a short, lovingly made game about family and heritage. Free on Game Pass is exactly the right way to discover something like this.

Albion Online (Cloud and Console) The long-running sandbox MMORPG finally hits cloud and console Game Pass today. Game Pass subscribers unlock an exclusive Green Knight vanity set, 100,000 Fame, 3 days of Premium status, and 3,000 Victory Emote charges just for subscribing. If you've never explored Albion Online's fully player-driven economy and full-loot PvP, today's as good a day as any to find out why it's been running successfully for years.

Coming April 23 — Kiln (Day One)

Double Fine Productions' competitive pottery brawler joins Game Pass the same day it launches everywhere else — April 23. You sculpt ceramic armour on a pottery wheel, then bring it into PvP arena battles designed to smash opponents' creations as satisfyingly as possible. It's one of the most conceptually deranged things Double Fine has ever made, which is saying something. Available on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC.

Coming April 28 — Aphelion (Day One)

The month's most intriguing addition arrives April 28. Aphelion is a third-person sci-fi adventure from Don't Nod — the studio behind Jusant and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage — developed in partnership with the European Space Agency. After crash-landing on a frozen planet, astronaut Ariane must traverse harsh terrain and shifting realities to save her injured partner Thomas. Don't Nod's hallmarks — character-driven storytelling, careful pacing, emotional depth — are all present based on preview coverage. The ESA collaboration grounds the science in a way most games don't attempt. Day one on Game Pass, available on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC.

Coming April 29 — Trepang2

The over-the-top FPS that built a cult following on PC when it launched in 2023 joins Game Pass. Trepang2 is the closest thing modern gaming has to the FEAR franchise's energy — supernatural enemies, bullet-time, blood-soaked action corridors, and a protagonist who destroys everything. If you like your shooters turned up to 11 and you somehow missed Trepang2 the first time around, April 29 is your moment.

Coming April 30 — Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (Game Preview)

The legendary strategy franchise returns in Game Preview form on the last day of the month. Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era lands on Game Pass in its preview state, allowing PC subscribers to get in early and track development as it progresses. It's a franchise with deep roots and a passionate fanbase that has waited years for a worthy modern entry — Game Preview access via Game Pass is the lowest-risk possible way to try it.

The Value Case, Again

Let's run the numbers. Vampire Crawlers ($9.99) + Kiln (price TBC) + Aphelion (price TBC) + Trepang2 (was $29.99 at launch) + Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era. Five day-one or included releases in ten days. If you're paying for Game Pass Ultimate at the standard monthly rate, you've already extracted more than a subscription's worth of value from this wave alone.

There's also Hades 2, which joined Game Pass on April 14 and is still very much sitting there waiting for anyone who hasn't downloaded it yet. The library in late April is genuinely exceptional.

All titles available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Vampire Crawlers and Albion Online available now. Kiln April 23. Aphelion April 28. Trepang2 April 29. Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era April 30.

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