Xbox Game Pass users can now start playing Tamashika as part of their subscriptions. The highly unusual title arrives alongside one other Premium-tier addition, making it the second new Xbox Game Pass release of July 2026 and the 110th since the start of the year.
Developed by Hong Kong-based indie studio Quicktequila, Tamashika is a flashy corridor shooter with psychedelic visuals and fast-paced action. Its gameplay loop resembles the kidnapping missions from Far Cry 5, with the player trying to escape while fighting waves of enemies that may or may not be real. The game’s Xbox and Steam pages include several references to transformers, a type of artificial neural network architecture. For example, they directly reference “Attention Is All You Need,” the 2017 Google research paper that helped kick-start modern LLMs. This appears to be a purely stylistic choice, as Tamashika does not include any AI content disclosure on Steam.
Tamashika Lands on Three Tiers of Xbox Game Pass
Just three months following Tamashika‘s April 2026 launch, the trippy first-person shooter landed on Xbox Game Pass, where it is available as of July 9. Since it is not a day-one title, Tamashika is available across every non-Essential tier of the service: Premium, Ultimate, and PC Game Pass. The new title should make for a compelling addition to the XGP FPS catalog, based on its “Strong” rating on OpenCritic and 75% positive user reviews on Steam.
Gears of War: Reloaded Joins Xbox Game Pass Premium After 11 Months
Alongside Quicktequila’s distinctive FPS, the July 9 catalog rotation includes Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the first entry in Microsoft’s iconic franchise, now available to Premium-tier subscribers. Gears of War: Reloaded originally arrived on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as a day-one title in late August 2025.
Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games: Release Calendar
|
Date |
Game |
Game Pass Tier(s) |
Platform(s) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jul 9 |
Gears of War: Reloaded |
Premium |
Cloud, Handheld, PC, Series X/S |
Available on higher tiers since Aug 2025. |
|
Jul 9 |
Tamashika |
Ultimate, Premium, PC |
Cloud, Handheld, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
Jul 13 |
Ascend to Zero |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Jul 14 |
PBA Pro Bowling 2026 |
Ultimate, Premium, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
Jul 15 |
Quarantine Zone: The Last Check |
Premium |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
Jul 16 |
Mavrix by Matt Jones |
Ultimate, Premium, PC |
Cloud, Handheld, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
Jul 17 |
Fogpiercer |
Ultimate, PC |
PC |
Day-one release. |
|
Jul 17 |
FixForce |
Ultimate, Premium, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one (Series X/S) release. |
|
Jul 21 |
The Planet Crafter |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one (Series X/S) release. |
|
Jul 21 |
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 |
Ultimate, Premium, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
|
|
Jul 28 |
Halo: Campaign Evolved |
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. |
|
Aug 27 |
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Day-one release. |
|
Sep 25 |
Valor Mortis |
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. |
|
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. |
The Xbox Game Pass July 2026 lineup will continue in just a few days’ time, with the futuristic roguelite Ascend to Zero, scheduled for July 13. PBA Pro Bowling 2026 will arrive the day after, followed by zombie apocalypse simulator Quarantine Zone: The Last Check on July 15.
For the second half of July 2026, Microsoft has already confirmed Fogpiercer, FixForce, and The Planet Crafter. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 and Halo: Campaign Evolved are also set to join Xbox Game Pass in the final third of the month.
