Key Highlights:
- Microsoft has kicked off 2026 with its first Xbox Game Pass lineup, headlined by Star Wars Outlaws and Resident Evil Village.
- Wave 1 drops 11 titles across Cloud, Console, Handheld and PC through to January 20.
- Several games leave on January 15, so subscribers may want to finish or buy before they rotate out.
Microsoft has announced its first Xbox Game Pass update of the year and it is a strong January Wave 1.
The headline additions are Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws on 13 January and Capcom’s Resident Evil Village on 20 January, both joining across multiple platforms. In total, 11 games are rolling out through to the 20th, covering Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S and supported handheld devices.
As of 10 January, several January titles are already live on Game Pass. Brews & Bastards and Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition hit the service first, followed on 7 January by Atomfall, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Rematch, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition. Final Fantasy, the 2D remake of the original RPG, joined the library on 8 January.
The month’s marquee drop is Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft’s open world take on the galaxy far away lands on Game Pass for Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S. The timing is interesting because the game sits between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It follows scoundrel Kay Vess and her companion Nix as they hustle across planets and crime syndicates. I have watched Ubisoft court traditional action adventure fans with this project, and seeing it hit Game Pass this early should give it a large audience.
Two days later, My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery lands on 15 January as a family-friendly co-op mystery. Resident Evil Village then arrives on 20 January. That one needs no introduction. Capcom’s eighth mainline entry follows Ethan Winters through a remote European village full of gothic horrors and is one of the more polished survival horror titles of the last few years. Also on the 20th is the only day-one launch of the month, MIO: Memories in Orbit. It is a handcrafted metroidvania with nature-overrun robots and labyrinthine level design, and looks like a smart pick for players who like atmospheric indies.
Not everything is arriving. Five games leave the library on 15 January, including Flintlock The Siege of Dawn, Neon White, Road 96, The Ascent and The Grinch Christmas Adventures. Game Pass members can buy any of them with a discount before they rotate out.
Microsoft has labelled this update “Wave 1”, which implies another round later in the month. It fits the usual pattern where January is split into two drops with a few surprises tucked into the back half. The early slate mixes high-profile third-party titles with smaller indies and genre experiments. Star Wars Outlaws and Resident Evil Village will get the headlines, but Atomfall and MIO will probably be the ones that benefit most from landing in front of millions of subscribers at once.
Source – Xbox Wire
