Xbox Game Pass Essential Update Just Added 5 New Games

Five new titles have joined Xbox Game Pass Essential in early July 2026. The library update marks only the second expansion of Microsoft’s entry-level subscription catalog this year, with the new arrivals expected to remain on the Essential tier of Xbox Game Pass for at least one year.

Xbox Game Pass Essential traces back to Xbox Game Pass Core, Microsoft’s September 2023 replacement for Xbox Live Gold and its Games with Gold program. The tier was rebranded under its current name in October 2025. The $9.99-per-month subscription offers access to only a limited selection of the broader Xbox Game Pass library, with its catalog typically updated a few times per year rather than several times a month.

Biggest-Ever Xbox Game Pass Essential Expansion Includes Shadowrun Trilogy and 2 More Titles

The latest Xbox Game Pass Essential expansion took place on July 3, when Microsoft’s content catalog expanded to include Double Fine Productions’ projects Costume Quest 2 and Full Throttle Remastered. Harebrained Schemes’ modern Shadowrun trilogy has also joined the service’s entry-level library on the same date. With five games joining at once, the July 3 content drop marks the largest expansion of Xbox Game Pass Essential in the tier’s history. The record-setting update arrived a little more than two months before the tier’s third anniversary, which falls on September 14, 2026.

New Xbox Game Pass Essential Games in July 2026

Source: Pure Xbox