Xbox Game Pass adds a Day-One AAA game, plus an earlier-than-expected title

Ninja Gaiden 4 and Bad West are now playable via Xbox Game Pass. These are the 57th and 58th new additions to the PC and Ultimate tiers of Microsoft's October 2025 subscription service, with Bad West is unusual in that it arrived on Xbox Game Pass a little earlier than originally announced.

Ninja Gaiden 4 was the confirmed date for the first release of Xbox Game Pass since Team Ninja and PlatinumGames revealed it in January 2025. The latest installment of the hardcore action franchise, which was released in June on October 21st, was published by Xbox Game Studios.

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As is often the case with AAA global launches, Ninja Gaiden 4 became available in the United States hours before the official debut date, at 5:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EDT on October 20. At the time, it was also available to eligible Xbox Game Pass subscribers worldwide. In a more unexpected turn of events, the sci-fi western Flying Wild Hog Bad West at the same time it reached Microsoft's subscription service. Typically, non-Day 1 titles are added to Xbox Game Pass between midnight and 11:00 a.m. EDT Bad West it was originally announced that it would launch on October 21st, not the 20th. Granted, October 21st was already over half the planet by the time it debuted, so its arrival is just a little early.

When is Ninja Gaiden 4 coming to Xbox Game Pass Premium?

As a first edition, Ninja Gaiden 4 is limited to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Users paying for XGP Premium — which replaced XGP Standard on October 1 — can expect it to be added to their subscription library no later than October 2026, based on what Microsoft said when it last revised its membership levels. And if the release cadence of the now-defunct XGP Standard subscription is any indication, Ninja Gaiden 4 could reach XGP Premium as early as April 2026.

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In addition to arriving earlier than expected, Bad West it's also unusual in that it's a returning title that barely missed the service. Originally joined Xbox Game Pass in March 2024 and left in mid-March 2025. Seven months between removal and return is a relatively short gap, suggesting Bad West may have had a strong initial launch that convinced Microsoft and/or publisher Focus Entertainment to quickly re-license it. Alternatively, or in addition, his return may be aimed at bolstering the line-up of spooky titles on Xbox Game Pass before Halloween.

New and upcoming Xbox Game Pass games with known release dates

Game	Game Pass Level(s).	Platforms	Date	Comment
Ninja Gaiden 4	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	October 21	First day release.
Bad West	Ultimate, Premium, PC	Cloud, console, PC	October 21	Returning title, last available March 2024-March 2025.
Bounty Star	Ultimate, PC	PC, X/S series	October 23rd	First day release.
PowerWash 2 simulator	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	October 23rd	First day release.
Outer worlds 2	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	October 29	First day release.
Football Manager 26	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	November 4th	First day release.
1000x Res	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	November 4th	First Edition (Xbox).
Voidtrain	Ultimate, PC	PC, X/S series	November 7th	First release 1.0. The cloud version will be confirmed.
Winter burrow	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, console, PC	November 12	First day release.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7	Ultimate, PC	Console, PC	November 14th	First day release. The cloud version will be confirmed.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC	November 19	First day release. Game preview. The XSX version may be coming to XGP after early access.

Three more games will come to Microsoft's subscription service by the end of October 2025. Bounty Star and PowerWash 2 simulator are scheduled for the 23rd, while Obsidian's Outer worlds 2 will take place on the 29th. That's not including this month's Wave 2 Xbox Game Pass lineup, which will likely be officially announced later this week around October 21st.