Sci-fi adventure Aphelion is now available on Xbox Game Pass, joining two of its tiers on day one. It arrives as the 13th new title added to the service in April 2026 and the 67th new Xbox Game Pass release of the year.
Aphelion is the latest title from Don’t Nod, the French studio best known for narrative-driven games such as Life Is Strange and Jusant. Originally revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025, the game follows European Space Agency astronauts Ariane Montclair and Thomas Cross after a crash landing separates them on Persephone, an icy planet they are trying to survey as a potential new home for humanity. Aphelion thus offers Don’t Nod’s signature focus on character drama, but pairs it with a more physical survival framework: Ariane’s sections emphasize parkour-style traversal and alien planet exploration, while Thomas’s injured perspective is more centered on observation and investigation. The structure is further complicated by stealth sequences built around evading a hostile life form, giving the overall package an unusual combination of cinematic parkour, relationship-driven sci-fi drama, and tense survival gameplay.
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Aphelion Bolsters Xbox Game Pass Sci-Fi Library
As previously announced, Aphelion joined Xbox Game Pass on April 28, debuting as the sixth day-one arrival to reach the service since the start of the month. It is currently limited to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, which is a typical restriction for brand-new titles. Based on Don’t Nod’s track record on Microsoft’s subscription service, XGP Premium tier subscribers may see Aphelion join their library as early as winter 2026.
The cinematic action adventure marks the third Don’t Nod title to join Microsoft’s service in the last six months, after Lost Records: Bloom and Rage and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, both of which are still available to subscribers. It not only bolsters the Xbox Game Pass sci-fi catalog, but does so in a distinctive way, with a story that the French studio crafted in collaboration with the European Space Agency. Persephone itself reflects that approach: the fictional icy world is framed as the newly discovered ninth planet in the Solar System, directly echoing the real-world hypothesis that such a body may still be hidden in its outer reaches.
All Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Arrivals with Confirmed Release Dates
|
Date |
Game |
Game Pass Tier(s) |
Platform(s) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Apr 28 |
Aphelion |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, Handheld, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Apr 29 |
Trepang2 |
Ultimate, PC, Premium |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
Apr 30 |
Sledding Game |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Apr 30 |
Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era |
Ultimate, PC |
PC |
Game Preview; day-one release. |
|
Apr 30 |
TerraTech Legion |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Apr 30 |
Inkonbini: One Store. Many Stories. |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
May 5 |
Final Fantasy V |
Ultimate, PC, Premium |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
May 19 |
Forza Horizon 6 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
May 21 |
Beastro |
Ultimate |
Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
May 27 |
Echo Generation 2 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
May 28 |
Crashout Crew |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Jul 13 |
Ascend to Zero |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Aug 4 |
Beast of Reincarnation |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Aug 14 |
Grave Seasons |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
Considering the current month is at its end, an unusually large number of titles are still scheduled to reach Xbox Game Pass in April 2026. Five of them remain on the calendar: Trepang2, Sledding Game, Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era, TerraTech Legion, and Inkonbini. Trepang2 is the only one currently set for April 29, while the other four are scheduled to follow on the 30th.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
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Looking toward May 2026, its first title will arrive in the form of Final Fantasy 5. The full wave 1 lineup will likely be officially announced on or around the same day that the JRPG joins the service, May 5.
- Released
-
April 28, 2026
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Number of Players
-
Single-player
