Two day-one launches with very different pedigrees anchor Xbox Game Pass's second wave for July: Halo Studios' ground-up remake of Combat Evolved and Game Freak's first original IP outside Pokemon.
Halo: Campaign Evolved arrives July 28 on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It is a full rebuild of the 2001 classic with HD visuals, refined controls, up to 4-player online co-op, three new missions, and an expanded arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and enemy types.
It spans Cloud, console, handheld, and PC. As a first-party Microsoft title, the day-one drop was expected. The surprise is what follows a week later.
Beast of Reincarnation lands August 4 and marks Game Freak's first entirely new IP in years. The Pokemon studio's action RPG blends real-time and turn-based combat in a post-apocalyptic Japan.
Xbox describes it as a "one-person, one-dog action RPG": protagonist Emma and her canine companion Koo handle a harsh world with an combat fusion. It is day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass across Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld, and PC. The August 4 date also adds Heretic + Hexen to Game Pass Premium, joining the titles already available on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
The enhanced restoration of the two classic spell-casting shooters adds cross-platform support and expanded language options. The slate starts rolling out before both marquee titles. Shift at Midnight, an online co-op detective horror game, hits July 22.
Hell is Us follows July 23: a melee-focused action game set in the war-scarred, supernaturally cursed nation of Hadea. Dark fantasy extraction ARPG Mistfall Hunter drops July 30, and pirate city-builder Corsair Cove closes the month on July 31 (PC only).
The wave arrives as Xbox works to stabilize Game Pass after a turbulent pricing cycle. Xbox strategy boss Matthew Ball said the decision to reverse a price hike came after the subscription lost "millions" of subscribers, according to Rectify Gaming.
Game Pass Ultimate now costs $22.99 per month, down from $29.99, while PC Game Pass dropped from $16.49 to $13.99.
Eight titles leave the library on July 31, including Celeste, Crusader Kings 3, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, and Sniper Elite Resistance.
