First Update of 2026 for Game Pass Essential Brings in 2 New Games
Xbox Game Pass Essential receives its first update of 2026 with DayZ PC version and Warhammer Vermintide 2 join the catalog.
This year has been a blast so far for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC, and Premium tiers. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Essential as it did not receive an update during the first quarter. But that dry spell ends today with the addition of 2 games in its catalog. Well, kind of.
New Games On Xbox Game Pass Core Library
Xbox Game Pass Essential received its last update in December 2025 which saw Stellaris, World War Z: Aftermath, and Medieval Dynasty be made available to members. And after three months of wait, another drop went live today, ending the three-month streak of no new games.
Alongside the April 2026 wave 1 announcement, Microsoft shared that DayZ and Warhammer Vermintide 2 are joining the Essential tier’s library today. While this is technically 2 games, the DayZ entry actually signifies the PC version as the console version has already been added previously.
This drop brings it to a total of 57 high-quality games in the most basic tier of Xbox Game Pass.
Dayz is a hardcore open-world survival sandbox where players are dropped into a post-apocalyptic landscape with no objectives other than staying alive. Stripped of typical game aids like map markers or guided missions, it emphasizes immersion by forcing you to rely on observation, scavenging, and careful decision-making to manage hunger, illness, temperature, and injuries. Set across the expansive terrains of Chernarus and Livonia, players must navigate threats from infected creatures, wildlife, and other survivors, who can be allies or deadly enemies.
Warhammer Vermintide 2 is a brutal 4-player co-op action game set in the dark world of Warhammer Fantasy, where you and up to three allies fight to survive against overwhelming hordes of Skaven and Chaos forces. Featuring intense first-person melee combat alongside ranged options, players choose from five distinct heroes, each with multiple career paths, talent builds, and weapon loadouts that shape unique playstyles.
For reference, here are all the games included in Xbox Game Pass Essential’s library as of writing:
- Among Us
- Astroneer
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Celeste
- Chivalry 2
- Cities: Skylines
- Cities: Skylines – Remastered
- Control: Ultimate Edition
- Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
- DayZ
- DayZ PC
- Dead Cells
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Descenders
- Dishonored 2
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- DOOM Eternal
- Fable Anniversary
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Firewatch
- Gang Beasts
- Gears 5
- Goat Simulator
- Golf With Your Friends
- Grounded
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo Wars 2
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Human Fall Flat
- INSIDE
- LIMBO
- Medieval Dynasty
- Monster Sanctuary
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Overcooked! 2
- PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition
- PowerWash Simulator
- Psychonauts 2
- Slay The Spire
- SnowRunner
- Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
- Stardew Valley
- State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
- Stellaris
- Superhot: Mind Control Delete
- Superliminal
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Totally Reliable Delivery Service
- Tunic
- Unpacking
- Vampire Survivors
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
- Warhammer Vermintide 2
- Wreckfest
- World War Z: Aftermath
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Sending some gaming news your way from a surfing paradise island. Loves creating content, and researching informative facts and useless trivia. A novice in the gaming industry but a veteran in communications and publication.
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