Aphelion headlines a quietly intriguing week for Xbox Game Pass, arriving as a Day One launch just as a wave of other titles prepare to leave the service.
With new adventures spanning sci-fi survival, old-school shooters, strategy epics and chaotic sandbox fun, there’s a real mix of flavours landing across cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC. And that comes just as the price drop for the subscription service kicks in too.
But with April 30th looming, it’s also a week of decisions – what to play next, and what to finish before it disappears.
At A Glance
Aphelion – April 28th (Day One) – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, PC
Trepang2 – April 29th – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (Game Preview) – April 30th (Day One) – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass – PC
Sledding Game (Game Preview) – April 30th (Day One) – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC
TerraTech Legion – April 30th – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Aphelion Arrives Day One With A Chilling Sci-Fi Story
Kicking things off on April 28th, Aphelion lands straight into Game Pass as a Day One release, playable across cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld and PC via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Set in a near-future where Earth is no longer viable, the game follows two astronauts sent to survey a distant ninth planet – Persephone. Things quickly spiral, leaving them stranded, separated and hunted on a frozen, hostile world.
Blending cinematic third-person action with survival and stealth mechanics, Aphelion leans heavily into atmosphere. Exploration tools, environmental traversal and a dual-character perspective promise a story-driven experience with emotional weight, all wrapped in a grounded sci-fi setting developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
We’ve been looking forward to Aphelion for a while, including it in our Best Games for April article. Stay tuned for our review.
Trepang2 Brings Relentless Action
Arriving a day later on April 29th, Trepang2 injects some serious pace into the Game Pass lineup. Available across cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass, this is a shooter that doesn’t believe in slowing down.
You play as an enhanced soldier with no memory and a thirst for revenge, tearing through enemies with a mix of brutal melee combat, explosive gunplay and supernatural abilities.
Our review scored it 4/5, noting: “Trepang2 may well surprise… the action is relentless, whilst slo-mo has never felt so good… a brilliant blast from the past.”
Strategy, Chaos And Creativity Close Out The Month
April 30th is where things really stack up, with three very different additions landing on the same day.
Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era enters Game Preview on PC, offering a return to classic turn-based strategy roots. With faction-based gameplay, deep tactical combat and a focus on exploration and empire building, it’s clearly aiming to recapture the magic of one of strategy gaming’s most beloved series.
Alongside it, Sledding Game takes a completely different Game Preview approach. This multiplayer sandbox experience is all about messing around with friends – sledding down hills, crashing spectacularly thanks to ragdoll physics, and hanging out in a surprisingly social, proximity-chat-driven world.
Then there’s TerraTech Legion, which rounds out the week with a more action-heavy focus. Combining modular vehicle building with bullet-hell survival gameplay, it challenges players to construct powerful machines and take on waves of AI-controlled enemies across hostile worlds.
Leaving Soon – Time To Wrap Things Up
While there’s plenty arriving, a sizeable batch of games will be leaving Game Pass on April 30th. If you’ve been meaning to jump back in, now’s the time.
Citizen Sleeper (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Creatures of Ava (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Endless Legend 2 (PC)
Goat Simulator (Cloud and Console)
Goat Simulator Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Hunt Showdown 1896 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
NHL 24 (EA Play) (Cloud and Console)
Revenge of the Savage Planet (Cloud, Console, and PC)
A Week Of Contrasts For Game Pass
This week’s Game Pass update feels like a balancing act. On one hand, there are exciting new arrivals – including multiple Day One launches – offering everything from narrative-driven sci-fi to chaotic multiplayer fun. On the other, the list of departures is hard to ignore.
Still, that constant evolution is part of what keeps Game Pass interesting. And with Aphelion leading the charge, there’s more than enough here to dive into before the next wave rolls around.
