Xbox Game Pass Adds 2 Day-One Games for Critical Thinkers

Hellish deckbuilding roguelite Black Jacket is now available on Xbox Game Pass, as is another brand-new release catering to strategists and critical thinkers. The day-one arrivals mark the fifth and sixth additions to the Xbox Game Pass catalog in May 2026.

Call of the Elder Gods is a sequel to the well-received 2020 adventure Call of the Sea. Like its predecessor, the latest title from Spanish studio Out of the Blue draws heavily from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Nonetheless, its influences are largely thematic, with Call of the Elder Gods first and foremost being a first-person adventure with a narrative hook. As such, Out of the Blue’s newest title has a broader appeal than Lovecraft’s distinctive brand of cosmic horror.

Lovecraftian Call of the Elder Gods Strengthens Xbox Game Pass Lineup

Call of the Elder Gods launched for PC, current-gen consoles, and Xbox Game Pass on May 12, at 11 a.m. ET. Joining it is the Balatro-like roguelite deck-builder Black Jacket from Austrian developer Mi’pu’mi, which reached the same platforms at the exact same time. The duo can currently be played via PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the latter of which also includes Xbox Cloud Gaming support. Neither title is expected to reach the Premium tier of the service before fall 2026.

While not as narrative-driven as Call of the Elder Gods, Black Jacket captures some of the same surreal atmosphere. Its premise is similarly strange: the game throws players into hell, gives them some cards, and asks them to gamble their way out.

Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games With Confirmed Release Dates

Only one more confirmed Xbox Game Pass title scheduled for the first half of May 2026 remains to be released: Subnautica 2, the much-anticipated sequel to Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s hit open-world survival game from 2014. Underwater expeditions are due to begin on May 14 across PC, consoles, and Xbox Game Pass. Ahead of that release, Xbox recently shared another Subnautica 2 gameplay trailer outlining the gist of what fans can expect from the game’s initial early access version.

A potentially even higher-profile day-one title is coming on May 19, when Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled to join the Xbox Game Pass catalog. Before then, the service will lose five titles on May 15 and 16, with the next batch of departures including slapstick sci-fi hospital management sim Galacticare, vivid roguelite Go Mecha Ball, and Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, a charming indie adventure with strong Grim Fandango vibes. This month’s Wave 2 lineup is likely to be formalized on either May 18 or 19, around the arrival of Playground Games’ latest AAA release. Forza Horizon 6 has been available for preload to Xbox Game Pass subscribers since the start of the month, presumably due to its hefty install size (156 GB).

Released

May 12, 2026

ESRB

Teen / Language, Use of Tobacco

Developer(s)

Out of the Blue

Publisher(s)

Kwalee