Select Xbox Game Pass users have officially gained access to Beast of Reincarnation, the latest title from Pokemon developer Game Freak. This is the first official addition to the Xbox Game Pass library in August 2026, arriving alongside one new title for Premium-tier subscribers.
Game Freak originally revealed Beast of Reincarnation at the June 2025 Xbox Games Showcase. However, the action RPG had first been announced two years earlier as Project Bloom, a title set to be published by Take-Two subsidiary Private Division. Take-Two sold Private Division and its portfolio in November 2024, resulting in the publishing rights for Beast of Reincarnation later transferring to Fictions, a new publisher founded in 2025 by former Annapurna Interactive staff.
Beast of Reincarnation Lands on Xbox Game Pass
As announced back in March, Beast of Reincarnation officially joined the Xbox Game Pass library on August 4. Within Microsoft’s ecosystem, Game Freak’s latest ARPG is available for the Xbox Series X/S and PC, in addition to being streamable via Xbox Cloud Gaming in supported regions. As a day-one title, Beast of Reincarnation is currently limited to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It is expected to reach the service’s Premium tier sometime next year, presumably no earlier than February 2027, based on recent publishing patterns.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Latest Xbox Game Pass Title
The first batch of Beast of Reincarnation reviews is positive, albeit not overwhelmingly so. The game currently holds a 76 rating on OpenCritic, based on 46 reviews with a 63% recommendation rate. Reviewers have generally praised its parry-focused combat, flexible progression systems, memorable boss battles, flashy art direction, and the central relationship between protagonist Emma and her dog Koo. More critical assessments say these strengths are undermined by repetitive encounters and environments, limited exploration, uneven storytelling about Emma’s effort to free post-apocalyptic Japan from a corrupted creature, and an overreliance on familiar action-RPG conventions. Some reviewers have also reported technical issues involving performance, camera behavior, and collision detection.
Current Xbox Game Pass Release Schedule
|
Date |
Game |
Game Pass Tier(s) |
Platform(s) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aug 4 |
Beast of Reincarnation |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Aug 4 |
Heretic + Hexen |
Premium |
Cloud, Console, Handheld, PC |
Available on higher tiers since Aug 2025. |
|
Aug 13 |
Sandustry |
Ultimate, PC |
PC |
Game Preview; day-one release. |
|
Aug 14 |
Grave Seasons |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Aug 27 |
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Sep 29 |
Minecraft Dungeons 2 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Oct 6 |
Gears of War: E-Day |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Oct 8 |
Forever Ago |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Oct 13 |
Valor Mortis |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release; originally slated for Sep 25 before delay. |
|
Feb 18 |
Persona 4 Revival |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Feb 23 |
Fable |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
Beast of Reincarnation is the first new title to join Microsoft’s subscription service in August 2026, though it does not arrive alone. Another August 4 addition is Heretic + Hexen, which is now available on the Premium tier. The classic dark-fantasy first-person shooter two-pack first joined Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass in August 2025.
Today’s arrivals precede the full Xbox Game Pass Wave 1 lineup for August 2026, which is expected to be announced within hours. Based on Microsoft’s recent schedule, the reveal could take place at 9 a.m. EDT on August 4.
- Released
-
August 4, 2026
- Publisher(s)
-
Fictions
