Xbox Game Pass kicks off July with two free extras: they’re not new games

Xbox Game Pass opens the month of July with two “free downloads” for subscribers, but it’s best not to get the wrong idea: they aren’t full games to add to the Xbox Game Pass library, but perks inside titles that were already there. Even so, those who frequently play very popular free-to-play games may be interested. On top of that, they arrive in a pretty intense month for the service’s catalog.

The first July perk is related to League of Legends. Xbox Game Pass members can unlock the new champion Locke, the Ashen Exorcist.

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The second is for Wuthering Waves and includes Morphable Echos, Premium Tuners, Shell Credits and an exclusive Xbox emblem.

So yes, the hook of those “two free downloads” is there, but when you look at what’s really being offered, what there is is extra content and not two new full titles. The strongest part of July is somewhere else: Gears of War: Reloaded, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 and Palworld 1.0. Between major releases, highly recognizable remasters and recent phenomena, Xbox Game Pass once again leans on one of its strongest cards. For many users, the real value of the service still lies in these additions to the catalog, much more than in cosmetic rewards or progression extras.

And, as happens every month, the arrivals also come with farewells: On July 15 PowerWash Simulator, Stellaris and Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition will leave Xbox Game Pass, so there’s still one last chance to play them or to buy them with the usual subscriber discount.

All of this also arrives at a delicate moment for Xbox’s subscription business. According to several recent reports, Xbox Game Pass is said to have gone from some 34 million subscribers in 2024 to around 30 million, a figure that falls very far short of the internal target of 77 million projected for 2026.

Those same reports point to several causes to explain the slowdown: layoffs, the divestment from five studios and strategy changes. On top of that there would have been a price increase at the end of 2025 that, again according to those sources, would have caused millions of users to leave. Later Microsoft reportedly adjusted the pricing and growth returned. There are also industry analysts who believe the model has fairly clear limits: many players buy one or two games a year, others concentrate almost all their time on “black hole” titles like Fortnite, and not everyone takes advantage of a broad catalog rotation. That’s why, even in months as packed as July, Xbox Game Pass still has to prove that it’s worth it in the long term.