Xbox Game Pass Kicks Off 2026 With A Loaded Wave 1 Lineup Including Resident Evil Village

Microsoft has revealed the first Xbox Game Pass drop for 2026, and it is one of those lineup weeks that immediately shifts the value conversation back in Game Pass. The official Wave 1 announcement includes 7 new arrivals to start the year, with more landing through 01/20/2026, and it also expands access for several titles that were previously locked to the top tier by bringing them to the second rung Premium tier.

From a player perspective, the headline names here are Resident Evil Village and Star Wars Outlaws, two games that can carry a month on their own depending on your backlog mood. Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition is another smart add because it keeps the pipeline warm for anyone gearing up for the next major release in the franchise, and it is a clean example of Game Pass being used as a discovery plus replay funnel for series momentum.

The lineup also includes at least 1 day one release that will matter to the action exploration crowd. MIO: Memories in Orbit is a new metroidvania from publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Douze Dixièmes, arriving day one for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. If your 2026 gaming plan includes more tight movement systems, exploration loops, and boss progression pacing, this is the kind of title that can become a sleeper hit when it lands into a subscription funnel with high visibility.

There is also a meaningful tier story this month. Premium tier subscribers are getting access to Atomfall, Rematch, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition without needing to move up to Ultimate. That is a strategic step because Premium is now positioned as more than a basic library tier. It is increasingly acting like a value anchor that can still deliver recognizable names on a steady cadence, while Ultimate remains the premium endpoint for cloud plus PC plus the biggest day one beats.

Full list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2026 Wave 1

• Brews & Bastards, 01/06/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition, 01/06/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• Atomfall, 01/07/2026, Cloud, Console, PC, Game Pass Premium and up

• Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, 01/07/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• Rematch, 01/07/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition, 01/07/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• Final Fantasy, 01/08/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• Star Wars: Outlaws, 01/13/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

• My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery, 01/15/2026, Cloud, Console, PC, Game Pass Premium and up

• Resident Evil Village, 01/20/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Premium and up

• MIO: Memories in Orbit, 01/20/2026, Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

As always, new arrivals also mean some departures. This month, 5 titles are scheduled to leave the service on 01/15/2026, including Neon White, which has earned a reputation as one of the most stylish momentum driven experiences to blend speed running instincts with a shooter deck building structure.

Games leaving Xbox Game Pass on 01/15/2026

• Neon White

• Flintlock The Siege of Dawn

• Road 96

• The Ascent

• The Grinch Christmas Adventures

If you could pick only 1 headline download from this wave, would you spend your time on Resident Evil Village horror mastery, or would you jump straight into Star Wars Outlaws for open world sci fi vibes?