July 2026 Game Pass arrives with Gears of War and Tony Hawk after major Xbox layoffs
Microsoft has released the initial list of titles that will be added to Xbox Game Pass in July 2026, marking its first official communication following the recent wave of layoffs that severely impacted the Xbox division. Among the highlights for subscribers are big names like Gears of War and Tony Hawk.
The revelations come in the wake of a troubled period for the company. Last Monday, CEO Asha Sharma confirmed the layoff of 1,600 Xbox employees, with a new cut of the same number of positions scheduled for the next twelve months. Four studios were divested from Microsoft during the restructuring process, described by Sharma as the largest ever undertaken in the history of the Xbox brand.
Amid this scenario, information provided indicates that, despite Microsoft’s expectation of reaching 77 million Game Pass subscribers this year, the service currently has around 30 million. Asha Sharma herself, in an internal statement to the team, acknowledged the performance below expectations and declared that “our business is not healthy”, highlighting the pressure for results.
Discover the titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in July 2026
See the full list of games that will be available on the subscription service:
- Gears of War: Reloaded (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, portable and PC) – July 9 – Available for Game Pass Premium; already included in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
- Tamashika (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, portable and PC) – July 9 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- Ascend to Zero (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, portable and PC) – July 13 – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
- PBA Pro Bowling 2026 (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S and PC) – July 14 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass
- Quarantine Zone: The Last Check (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S and PC) – July 15 – Available for Game Pass Premium; already included in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
- Mavrix by Matt Jones (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, portable and PC) – July 16 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- FixForce (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S and PC) – July 17 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- Fogpiercer (PC) – July 17 – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
- The Planet Crafter (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S and PC) – July 21 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 21 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Complete list of games that say goodbye to Xbox Game Pass in July
Check out the games that will leave the Xbox Game Pass catalog from July 15th:
- Dungeons of Hinterberg (Cloud, Console and PC)
- EA Sports Football Club 24 (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Stellaris (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Golf With Your Friends (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Minami Lane (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Powerwash Simulator (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Splitgate: Arena Reloaded (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Super Fantasy Kingdom (Game Preview) (PC)
- Techtonica (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console and PC)
