by Megan Spurr, Community Lead, Xbox Game Pass

It’s time to assemble your gaming team, be they friends you take down zombies with, family you play with, or just a squad you compare stats with — we have a fresh batch of games for you. Grab your keyboard, your controller, or your mobile device and your hands for touch controls! Let’s jump in!

Coming Soon

• Grand Theft Auto V (Console) – April 8
  When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other.
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – April 8
  Hitler’s zombie hordes are back for more in this spine-chilling shooter from the makers of Sniper Elite 4! Abominable occult enemies, epic weapons and a harrowing campaign for 1-4 players await in 1940s Europe, as you fight to save humankind from undead Armageddon!
• NHL 21 (Console) EA Play – April 12
  Carve your path to superstardom in an expanded Be A Pro mode and go down as one of the league’s greatest. On the ice, change up your attack with all new moves, dekes, dangles, and evasive manoeuvres, inspired by the league’s most ground-breaking innovators.
• Rain on Your Parade (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – April 15
  Travel the world as a cute cardboard cloud and ruin everybody’s day! Unlock new methods of mischief in over 50 levels, each with unique setting and objectives. Make new friends and help them too – it’s an adorable schadenfreude game!
• Pathway (PC) ID@Xbox – April 15
  Assemble a bold team of adventurers and journey through the desert-wilderness. In 1936, Nazi influence has spread, along with rumours of secret excavations, mysterious artefacts, and gruesome occult rituals… Outwit foes in strategic squad combat and locate ancient treasures before they fall into the wrong hands!
• MLB The Show 21 (Console) – April 20
  MLB The Show 21 is coming to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Experience faster, deeper, and more intense moment-to-moment action on the field in 4K 60FPS on Xbox Series X|S consoles. Lead your ballplayer to Road to the Show and Diamond Dynasty glory as a two-way star and face your friends on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 with cross-platform play.

New Xbox Game Pass Experience on Xbox Console

Playing games with your friends just got easier with Xbox Game Pass on your console. Within the Game Pass, you’ll see a new section that says Play with Friends when you have people on your friends list playing any of the games in Xbox Game Pass. You’ll be able to either jump right into a joinable multiplayer session or begin installing the games your friends are currently playing!

In Case You Missed It

• Genesis Noir (ID@Xbox)
  A noir adventure spanning time and space. When a love triangle between cosmic beings becomes a bitter confrontation, you’ll witness a gunshot fired by a jealous god — otherwise known as The Big Bang. Jump into the expanding universe and search for a way to destroy creation and save your love.
• Octopath Traveler
  Eight travellers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play. Embark on an epic journey across the vast and wondrous world of Orsterra and discover the captivating stories of each of the eight travellers. Use each character’s distinctive abilities in and out of battle and make decisions to shape your path.

DLC / Game Updates

• Among Us: The Airship Update (PC) – Available now
  Prepare for but beware the Impostor. Hop onto the newest Among Us map: The Airship! Out now for 4 to10 players in local and online multiplayer, work together on the biggest map yet to carry out the greatest plan… though whether that’s as a Crewmate or Impostor is another question. Free hats, new tasks, and even more emergency meetings to call!
• Gears 5: Free Batista as Marcus Skin – Available until April 12
  Calling all Gears 5 wrestling fans! For this week only, get the Batista as Marcus skin for free in the in-game store. Previously released for use in campaign, the Batista as Marcus skin can now be equipped in Versus and Horde modes.
• Grounded Photo Mode Update – Available now
  This update brings with it the first iteration of Photo Mode available in single-player games, allowing players to show their creativity and share images from their life in the Backyard. Along with new content and features, this update is helping to pave the way for more to come!
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 6 – April 7
  The free Season 6 update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection starts April 7! Enjoy new content like Halo 3 armour, vehicle and weapon skins inspired by the Halo: Fireteam Raven arcade game alongside over 100 additional seasonal rewards.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

Visit the Perks gallery on your Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One consoles, Xbox App on Windows 10 PCs, or the Xbox Game Pass mobile app on iOS and Android to claim these rewards:

• Sea of Thieves: Ocean Crawler Bundle – Available Now
  Claim the Ocean Crawler Bundle of cosmetics for your character and ship, including the Ocean Crawler Jacket and Hat, matching Figurehead and Sails, and a windfall of 10,000 gold!
• Gems of War: Shadow Dragon Legendary Starter Pack – Available Now
  The Shadow Dragon Legendary Starter Pack available now via Perks, features the Shadow Dragon, Legendary weapon “Order and Chaos”, 10 legendary ingots and 1500 Souls.
• Phantasy Star Online 2: April Member Pack – April 7
  Snag the April Member Pack which includes Triboosts, EXP, Coins, and more!
• Apex Legends: Have Faith Weapon Charm– April 8
  Show the competition what you’re made of with your new Have Faith Weapon Charm, brought to you by EA Play! Equip this to your favourite weapon and battle for glory, fame, and fortune in style.
• Spellbreak: Chapter 2 Pass – April 8
  Join the Order of the Vowbreakers as you reveal the secrets of the cataclysmic Fracture! As an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you get a free Chapter 2 Pass that unlocks 50 levels of rewards, gold, and exclusive cosmetics. Can you complete the chapter and unlock the Vowguard Inquisitor?

Xbox Game Pass Quests

April Quests launch today with an Easter Egg theme running throughout the month! Keep your eyes peeled as you play your favourite games. Claim and redeem the Points you earn from Quests to use for Xbox gift cards and more.

Try out these select monthly Quests that can earn you double points starting today!

• Forza Horizon 4 – 150 points: Earn 7,000 Influence.
• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – 150 points: Play 2 matches.
• Alien Isolation – 150 points: Spend 5 minutes successfully avoiding Alien detection.
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited – 150 points: Find 2 Skyshards or Have 3 Alliance VS Alliance Kills.

Leaving Soon

It’s time to say farewell to the following games leaving the Xbox Game Pass library on April 15, as well as a batch of EA Play games to be delisted from The Play List on April 16. You know the drill, be sure to show these games some love before they go (calling all Achievement hunters here)!

If you want to keep the fun going, you can use your Game Pass member discount to save up to 20% on games leaving the Game Pass library, while Ultimate and PC members can save up to 10% on EA Play games.

April 15

• Deliver Us the Moon (Console and PC)
• Gato Roboto (Console and PC)
• Wargroove (Console and PC)

April 16 (EA Play)

• Madden 15 (Console)
• Madden 16 (Console)
• Madden 17 (Console)
• Madden 18 (Console)
• Madden 25 (Console)
• NHL 18 (Console)
• NHL 19 (Console)

Starting off April with games you can touch here on the ground, quests for games you can drive, Perks for games you can sail – we’re getting games in all sorts of places. If you haven’t tried Xbox Game Pass Ultimate yet, get your first month for $1 and make sure you don’t miss out on any of these games coming up.