Microsoft has unveiled the games, DLCs, and updates coming to Xbox Game Pass for July — as well as everything that’s leaving — over on the Xbox Wire. Fallout 76 and Soul Calibur 6 certainly lead the pack of announcements, but there are several other worthwhile games hitting the service this month as well.
We’ll give you a quick rundown below in case you missed it, starting with games by release date, then followed by updates by release date.
Starting July 1, console players will have access to Soul Calibur 6, the latest installment in Bandai Namco’s long-running fighting game franchise. The game features the expected arcade and multiplayer PvP modes, but it also includes two different story modes — Soul Chronicle and Libra of Souls —offering hours of play that we quite enjoyed.
On top of that, the game includes many of the fighters and combatants fans have come to love over the years, as well as a few new faces, such as The Witcher 3‘s Geralt of Rivia, Nier: Automata‘s YoRHa No.2 Type B, and Samurai Shodown‘s Haohmaru.
Unfortunately, the stage of champions won’t be making an appearance on PC. However, those using the service on desktop will get Out of the Park Baseball 21 on July 1.
Though we haven’t played it (sorry), we do know that the baseball management sim has been mostly well-received over the years, with many praising it for its design and presentation. More importantly, though, Steam tells us is OotPB21 is (probably) good because it carries a “very positive” rating across more than 700 reviews since March 2020.
CrossCode, a 16-bit action RPG that was crowdfunded way back in 2015 and released in late 2018, will be coming to Game Pass for console on July 9. We reviewed the game last year, giving it high marks for its story, characters, combat, and presentation.
According to the Xbox Wire, Corsscode includes “more than 30 boss fights, over 120 enemy types, huge dungeons filled up with countless puzzles, combat skills, and a ton of quests supported by handmade music tracks…”. Sounds pretty good.
Perhaps the most intriguing inclusion in this month’s games is Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic quasi-MMO Fallout 76. It will be available for both console and PC starting July 9. Its debut on Game Pass includes the recent Wastelander‘s expansion, which brings NPCs to the wasteland, as well as new quests, creatures, and gear.
We thought Bethesda’s “experiment” was ok when we reviewed it at launch in late 2018. But two years is a long time, and Bethesda has done a lot of work on 76 between now and then. Considering it’s free through Game Pass, there’s no harm in checking it out for yourself — or even give it another go.
Other additions to Game Pass in July include Minecraft Dungeons: Jungle Awakens DLC (July 1) and the State of Decay 2 Green Zone & Plunder Packs (undated).
Lastly, these games will be leaving Game Pass on July 15:
- Blazing Chrome
- Dead Rising 4
- Metal Gear Solid 5
- Timespinner
- Unavowed
- Undertale
We plan on providing more coverage of what’s coming to and leaving Game Pass in the future, so be sure to check back next month for news on what’s being added and removed in August!
