New Day One Xbox Game Pass Game Shadow Dropped
Description
Descenders Next has been shadow-dropped and is now available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. This surprise addition marks the 13th new title to reach Microsoft’s subscription service in July 2025, as well as the 91st Xbox Game Pass release since the turn of the year.
Developed by Dutch studio RageSquid, Descenders Next is a sequel to the 2019 downhill mountain biking game Descenders. It features two sports—snowboarding and mountainboarding—with RageSquid previously confirming plans to add more. Originally slated for an April 9 launch, Descenders Next suffered a last-minute delay, which was indefinite in nature and thus left it without a release date.
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Three and a half months later, the early access version of the game has been shadow-dropped across several of its target platforms, namely PC and the latest two generations of Xbox consoles. As originally promised, the extreme sports title also debuted as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release. Descenders Next is hence now available via the Ultimate tier of Microsoft’s service, as well as PC Game Pass. It also comes with Xbox Cloud Gaming support.
New and Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games
|
Game |
Game Pass Tier(s) |
Platform(s) |
Date |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Descenders Next |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, Console, PC |
Jul 21 |
Game Preview. Shadow-dropped after being delayed in April 2025. |
|
Abiotic Factor |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, Console, PC |
Jul 22 |
Day-one (console) release. |
|
Wheel World |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Jul 23 |
Day-one release. |
|
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Jul 24 |
Day-one release. |
|
Grounded 2 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Jul 29 |
Day-one release. |
|
Farming Simulator 25 |
Standard, PC, Ultimate |
Cloud, Console, PC |
Aug 1 |
|
|
Gears of War: Reloaded |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Aug 26 |
Day-one release. |
|
Keeper |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Oct 17 |
Day-one release. |
|
Ninja Gaiden 4 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Oct 21 |
Day-one release. |
|
The Outer Worlds 2 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Oct 29 |
Day-one release. |
Subscribers who play the newly added game through their XGP membership effectively save $29.99—the current retail price of Descenders Next‘s Game Preview version. The day-one build of the extreme sports title is free of DLC and there’s currently no indication that any paid content is in the works. Not accounting for its soundtrack, the first entry in the franchise never received any DLC, though it was regularly updated throughout its own early access period. The same will ostensibly hold true for Descenders Next as well.
When Will Descenders Next Reach Xbox Game Pass Standard?
Because it is a day-one release, Descenders Next is not available on Xbox Game Pass Standard. Since this budget-friendly tier was introduced in September 2024, it has typically lagged at least six months behind Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in receiving day-one titles, which are no longer classified as such by the time they arrive. Microsoft is also on record as saying that day-one games may take up to a year to reach Xbox Game Pass Standard. Based on this pattern, Descenders Next could arrive in the Standard-tier library between January and July 2026.
RageSquid previously said that Descenders Next is planned to stay in early access for approximately two years. As such, there’s a realistic chance that it leaves Microsoft’s subscription service before exiting early access. Looking at the more immediate future, Xbox Game Pass is scheduled to lose three titles on July 31.
