Xbox Game Pass at Gamescom 2018Source: Matt Brown | Windows Central

What you need to know

  • ID@Xbox hosted a new showcase event on Wednesday, highlighting a number of upcoming indie games.
  • Among the games, 12 titles are coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass in the future.
  • Tunic, the highly-anticipated Xbox console exclusive, surprise released today on Xbox Game Pass as a day one launch title.
  • Other notable features include Paradise Killer launching into Xbox Game Pass on consoles, Escape Academy, and more.

The ID@Xbox program provides the tools and resources necessary for developers to bring their games to Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, but it also regularly hosts streams and events to showcase those upcoming titles. The latest ID@Xbox Showcase just finished airing, and displayed a ton of indie games with brand-new announcements, gameplay trailers, and other updates. A sizeable number of those games were also confirmed to be heading to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

The March 2022 ID@Xbox Showcase presented 12 ID@Xbox games launching day one on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. Eight of these games are brand-new Xbox Game Pass announcements (with a few premiers scattered throughout), while two of the displayed games are surprise releasing today and are available now through Xbox Game Pass.

The headling title from the ID@Xbox Showcase Xbox Game Pass announcements is indubitably Tunic, a mesmerizing puzzle-filled action-adventure title that captured the hearts of interested players long before its release. Tunic is available to play starting today, March 16, 2022, and joins Paradise Killers as the two surprise Xbox Game Pass launches players can dive into after the ID@Xbox Showcase. Escape Academy, the first game published by iam8bit, also made an appearance during today's event.

The 12 Xbox Game Pass launch titles shown during the event include:

  • Crusader Kings III (Xbox Series X|S & PC) — March 29, 2022
  • Tunic (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, & PC) — March 16, 2022
  • IMMORTALITY (Xbox Series X|S) — Summer 2022
  • Trek to Yomi (Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One) — Spring 2022
  • Escape Academy (Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One) — 2022
  • Shredders (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox Cloud Gaming, & PC) — March 17, 2022
  • Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One) — 2022
  • Floppy Knights (Unknown platforms) — 2022
  • Paradise Killer (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, & PC) — March 16, 2022
  • Kraken Academy!! (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC) — March 22, 2022
  • Beacon Pines (Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One) — Unknown
  • Citizen Sleeper (Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One) — Unknown

The Xbox and PC Game Pass library continues to swell over time with more developers interested in getting their titles onto the service, even from the moment of their release. Highly-anticipated games like Tunic aim to join the ranks of the best Xbox Game Pass games, but only time will tell if they succeed.

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