Surprise Xbox Game Pass Update Adds Zelda-Like Game With 88 Critic Score

A surprise update to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service gives subscribers access to Minishoot’ Adventures, a critically-acclaimed twin-stick shooter with serious Zelda vibes that was first released in 2024 to critical acclaim. Microsoft just recently laid out its plans for Xbox Game Pass in March 2026, but the newly-added Minishoot’ Adventures was nowhere to be seen in the Wave 1 reveal.

The Xbox Game Pass March 2026 Wave 1 announcement confirmed Final Fantasy 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, EA Sports F1 25, Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf, Construction Simulator, Cyberpunk 2077, and DreamWorks Gabby’s Dollhouse: Ready to Play for the Ultimate tier, with To a T and Hollow Knight: Silksong set for Premium tier subscribers. Final Fantasy 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are now available to Game Pass Ultimate, PC, and Premium subscribers, while To a T has been added to the Premium tier and EA Sports F1 25 has been added to the Ultimate and PC tiers.

Xbox Game Pass Adds 2 Massive RPGs with ‘Very Positive’ Reviews

Xbox Game Pass kicks off March 2026 with two massive RPGs that boast ‘Very Positive’ player reviews but are otherwise markedly different.

Minishoot’ Adventures is Now on Game Pass

PC Game Pass, Premium, and Ultimate tier subscribers can now also check out Minishoot’ Adventures without paying anything beyond what they already do for their subscription. Minishoot’ Adventures was first released in 2024 on PC and earned widespread critical acclaim, securing an impressive 88 overall rating on review aggregate site OpenCritic. A twin-stick shooter with cartoony graphics, Minishoot’ Adventures has been compared to Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise. It essentially marries the classic Zelda formula with bullet hell mechanics, and if the reviews are any indication, it’s apparently a match made in heaven. Minishoot’ Adventures is making its console debut as a Game Pass game, so it could technically be considered a day one release for the platform, and it’s available right now despite there being no prior announcement of its arrival.

The Minishoot’ Adventures console port was actually confirmed during the latest Indie World Showcase from Nintendo. That event highlighted new indie games coming to the Switch 1 and Switch 2 consoles, with Minishoot’ Adventures serving as one of the event’s surprise shadow drops. There was no mention of Game Pass during the Indie World Showcase, or any non-Nintendo platforms for that matter, but Minishoot Adventures’ has since been released on PlayStation, Xbox, and of course, Game Pass, as well as Switch 1 and 2.

Minishoot Adventures’ Wasn’t the Only Game Pass Game at the Indie World Event

Surprisingly, Minishoot’ Adventures wasn’t the only Game Pass game featured at the Nintendo show, with two other titles featured prominently. The narrative-driven Mixtape, confirmed long ago to be a day one Xbox Game Pass game, locked in a May 7 release date at the event. Mixtape was originally scheduled to release last year, so here’s hoping that it was worth the wait. If nothing else, it looks like the game will appeal to those that like games like Life is Strange.

The other day one Game Pass game showcased at Indie World was Denshattack, a quirky game that is like if you drove a bus instead of rode a skateboard in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, but with silly anime vibes reminiscent of games like Jet Set Radio and Hi-Fi Rush. A demo of the game is available to play right now, but its full release will come on June 17.

2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years in the history of Xbox Game Pass. Besides these games, Game Pass is also adding huge first-party day one games later this year as well, with the Fable reboot, Gears of War: E-Day, the Halo 1 remake, and Forza Horizon 6 all on deck. If the games live up to expectations, 2026 could very well be the best year for Game Pass to date.