Currently, there are 197 games on my backlog across Xbox and PC. I'm not counting titles that have yet to release — those are all games I can play right now.
I can't help myself, though; whenever I see a new video game that catches my interest, I have to add it to the list. Xbox Game Pass is to blame for a lot of those additions, because the subscription service makes it so easy to download an exciting release and play it whenever I find the time.
There are already quite a few games on the horizon I'm looking forward to playing, but here are the top 7 coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one that have me particularly hyped up — enough that they'd jump the backlog queue so I can play them immediately.
7. Beast of Reincarnation
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 in 2026
The first in this article occupies the bottom of the list because I'm endlessly intrigued, but cautious not to let my excitement overwhelm me. Why? Because this game is being developed by Game Freak.
Yes, the same Game Freak that co-owns and develops most of the Pokémon video games. Every so often, though, Game Freak steps outside the familiar and creates something entirely different for more than just Nintendo and mobile devices.
Beast of Reincarnation is the first non-Pokémon title we've seen from Game Freak in years, and you'd be forgiven for thinking this title was hailing from Capcom or Bandai Namco instead.
A post-apocalyptic, challenging action-RPG set in a Japan ravaged by monstrous beasts, Beast of Reincarnation has captured my attention with its fascinating premise and eye-catching art design.
The kicker will be if Game Freak can actually deliver a polished, performant, and stable game at release, and if the action-RPG gameplay will actually keep your interest.
6. Mixtape
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 in 2025... Probably
The Artful Escape received a perfect review from us back in 2021, and now the same team is returning with Mixtape, another deeply intimate journey about finding your place in life.
This time, though, Mixtape will follow the exploits of three friends, desperate to hold on to their childhood for one last party through the memories and adventures that brought them all together.
Mixtape doesn't look nearly as trippy as The Artful Escape was, but it's still wrapped in a peculiar art style and narrated by a powerful score comprised of some of the most legendary songs that defined a generation.
I can't get enough of masterfully told narrative-adventures, so I'm truly excited to leap into Mixtape and experience this coming-of-age tale alongside the rest of you.
I'm also incredibly jealous of my colleague, Samuel Tolbert, who had an opportunity to preview Mixtape during Summer Game Fest 2025. I was already sold, but that preview may be the final ingredient to get you on the hype train.
5. Grounded 2
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC on Jul. 29, 2025 in early access
One of the greatest hits from the Xbox Game Studios family in years was Grounded, a content-packed survival game crammed into your (mostly) average suburban backyard.
I reviewed Grounded for Windows Central and loved it, and followed that game through its entire early access period. Now, I can already look forward to the next story in this insect-sized universe — Grounded 2 is official.
Scratch that, Grounded 2 is a mere month away, and the wizards at Obsidian Entertainment are making everything bigger and better. Our returning heroes will explore a park infested with all-new creatures and riddled with all-new secrets, and everything I've seen of the game so far looks incredible.
There's only one reason Grounded 2 isn't even higher on this list, and that's because it's once again launching in early access. Don't get me wrong: Obsidian knows how to do early access, and all the signs point to Grounded 2's pre-release stint being even more efficient and exciting.
It'll be tough to wait until the game comes out to see everything it has to offer, though. It doesn't help that, once again, Samuel Tolbert got a preview of Grounded 2 during Summer Game Fest 2025.
4. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 in 2026
A Plague Tale counts two of the most ambitious "AA" games in the last decade that actually deliver, and I absolutely loved following the tale of Amicia and Hugo de Rune across both games.
Now, we're getting a prequel set 15 years before the events of Requiem, following a new main character named Sophia, a battle-tested plunderer. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy looks to be a wide departure from the first games, while still following the theme of battling for your independence.
As fully expected from A Plague Tale title, Resonance looks absolutely stunning in its debut trailer, and leans even further into the otherworldly visuals and twisted dimensions that are sure to tie into its dramatic narrative.
The A Plague Tale franchise has also enjoyed great success with Xbox Game Pass, and it seems Focus Entertainment is continuing the partnership with its third (spin-off) title.
I can't wait to see how Resonance threads myth and history into a chaotic tapestry of mysteries and perils.
3. The Outer Worlds 2
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 on Oct. 29, 2025
Obsidian Entertainment is the true MVP of Xbox in 2025, kicking off the year with Avowed and following that epic fantasy RPG with the Grounded sequel and the more ambitious follow-up to its tongue-in-cheek sci-fi RPG, The Outer Worlds.
We've known The Outer Worlds 2 has been on the way for a long while, with each trailer providing more of Obsidian's iconic humor. During the last Xbox Games Showcase, though, we got an in-depth overview of the upcoming title.
The Outer Worlds 2 is shaping up to be a far larger and grander video game than its predecessor, with deeper RPG mechanics and massively improved combat. Everything I've seen looks incredible.
Even the game's new setting, the Arcadia colony, has piqued my interest — and not just because it gave me an excuse to write about Sleep Token on Windows Central.
I also don't have to wait long at all to play The Outer Worlds, although I'm hoping to revisit the first game soon (I never played the original DLC expansions). Also, I think I need to fist fight Samuel, because he also got to preview The Outer Worlds 2 during Summer Game Fest.
2. There Are No Ghosts at the Grand
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC in 2026.
What game could possibly be so far up this list, ahead of The Outer Worlds 2, Grounded 2, and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy? A quirky indie game with a wild premise, of course.
In this case, that would be There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, a game which seems to combine Blue Prince, Ghostbusters, House Flipper, Broadway, and some other unidentifiable ingredients into one glorious soup.
Even if you were just renovating a spooky hotel with guns, that'd be enough to make me interested in this game... But there's also layer upon layer of supernatural mystery stacked below the surface, and I honestly just need this game injected directly into my brain.
I just hope the musical number in the trailer isn't confined to the marketing trail, because I want the entire game to be riddled with songs. The talking cat better be a recurring character, too — I can never say no to a talking cat (so I better hope none are committing identity fraud).
There's a single day one Xbox Game Pass title that I want to play even more, though.
1. Keeper
- Coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC on Oct. 17, 2025
I adore Double Fine Productions, a studio wholly focused on making the weirdest, most colorful games packed with the strangest humor imaginable. Double Fine has never made a "normal" game, and I love it.
I'm also ecstatic Double Fine was picked up by Xbox at some point, because it has allowed the studio to keep making bizarre video games that would typically have no chance of hitting the mainstream, and we finally know what's following 2021's Psychonauts 2 (still one of my favorite Xbox games of all time).
That would be Keeper, a ridiculously vibrant narrative-adventure told entirely without words. You play as a lighthouse — yes, a lighthouse — that has awakened after a long period of abandonment, and embarks on a journey alongside its new companion, a rather energetic seabird.
I can't imagine the pitch meeting for a game where you're a sentient lighthouse, but I love that this exists. It's trippy and wild, and in typical Double Fine fashion, is not restricted in any way to the real world. This lighthouse is traveling through otherworldly realms during its adventure.
It makes me even happier knowing I'll be able to play Keeper in a few short months. I don't care what I'm playing at the time; it's getting put down to prioritize this.
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