Xbox Game Pass is stacking April 2026 with one of its strongest monthly lineups in recent memory. Headlined by Hades II finally arriving on Xbox alongside a remastered Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the service is adding over 20 titles across its various tiers this month, with a mix of heavy hitters, day one indie launches, and a few beloved classics making their Game Pass debut.

The Headline Additions

Supergiant Games’ Hades II lands on Game Pass on 14 April after spending six months as a Switch console exclusive following its full launch. The roguelike sequel, widely considered a 2025 Game of the Year contender, is now making the jump to Xbox Series X|S, Cloud, Handheld, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass. If you missed it on Switch or PC Early Access, this is arguably the single best reason to fire up your Game Pass subscription this month.

Two days later, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered arrives on 16 April, modernising the 2006 Game of the Year with completely overhauled visuals and refined gameplay. It joins Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, with Game Pass Premium subscribers gaining access at the same time. For anyone who has been itching to revisit Cyrodiil (or experience it for the first time), this is a significant get.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) rounds out the big three on 17 April, joining Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass across Cloud, Console, and PC. The 2019 reboot remains one of the most acclaimed entries in the franchise, with its grounded campaign and fluid gunplay still holding up well.

Day One Launches Worth Watching

Beyond the marquee names, April’s lineup includes three day one Game Pass launches that deserve attention. Replaced (14 April) is a long-awaited HD-2D pixel art cyberpunk thriller set in an alternate 1980s America, blending cinematic 2.5D platforming with free-flow combat. You play as an AI trapped inside a human body, which is exactly as unsettling as it sounds.

Vampire Crawlers (21 April) comes from the creators of Vampire Survivors and reimagines that formula as a hyper turn-based, card-driven dungeon crawler. Early demo impressions suggest it is dangerously addictive, leaning into busted deck-building and world-ending combos while letting you play at whatever pace suits you.

Kiln (23 April) is Double Fine’s pottery-themed party game where you sculpt ceramic creations and then bring them into online arena battles. It is a bizarre concept that sits right in Double Fine’s wheelhouse of creative, offbeat game design.

Read More: PlayStation Plus April 2026 Monthly Games Lords of the Fallen, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream

Read More: Hades 2 Global Launch and Review: Melinoë’s Roguelike Adventure Awaits

Read More: Plants vs. Zombies 3 Evolved Hits Early Access on Mobile

Every Game Coming To Xbox Game Pass In April 2026

Game Pass Essential Additions

Game Pass Essential subscribers are not left out entirely. On 8 April, Warhammer Vermintide 2 joins the Essential tier on Cloud and Console, offering four-player co-op combat against the forces of Chaos and Skaven. DayZ also becomes available on PC for Essential subscribers on the same date.

The Other Highlights You Should Not Sleep On

Tiny Bookshop (10 April) is a cosy narrative management game about running a second-hand bookshop by the sea. It originally launched on PC and Switch last August and is now making its way to Xbox. If you are after something low-stakes and charming between bigger sessions, this is the one.

The Thaumaturge (14 April) is a character-driven RPG set in a city on the brink of change, with morally ambiguous choices and turn-based combat. You use mystical powers to read emotions, command folklore-inspired demons, and navigate a story that rewards careful decision-making.

Football Manager 26 (13 April) is the first entry in the series built on the Unity engine, promising a redesigned interface and a more immersive matchday experience. Both the PC and Console versions arrive on the same day, each tailored to their respective control schemes.

FBC: Firebreak (8 April) is a cooperative first-person shooter set within the world of Control, tasking players with plunging into the Federal Bureau of Control’s strangest crises to contain otherworldly chaos.

Notable Game Updates And In-Game Benefits

Dome Keeper receives its multiplayer update on 13 April, adding four-player co-op to the tower-defence roguelike. You can now defend your dome with friends or go head-to-head in versus modes focused on survival and resource delivery.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 03 is live now, adding new maps (Beacon and Abyss), new weapons, and the Ashwood Survival Map for Zombies. EA Sports NHL 26 arrives via EA Play on 16 April, and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can claim an EA Play Supercharge Bundle until 16 May alongside a 10% discount on EA digital purchases.

Albion Online also expands to Cloud and Console on 21 April, with Game Pass subscribers unlocking an exclusive Green Knight vanity set, mount, 100,000 Fame, three days of Premium status, and 3,000 Victory Emote charges.

Games Leaving Game Pass On 15 April

As always, some titles are rotating out. Grand Theft Auto V, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Ashen, My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery, and the Game Preview build of Terra Invicta all leave the library on 15 April. GTA V leaving is a notable loss, and Terra Invicta is worth a look for 4X strategy fans before it goes. All departing titles are available at up to 20% off for those who want to keep them permanently.

A Month That Sets A High Bar

April 2026 is shaping up as one of Game Pass’s most compelling months in a long time. Between Hades II, Oblivion Remastered, and a string of creative indie day one launches, there is something here for practically every type of player. The real challenge this month is not finding something to play, it is finding the time.

The post Xbox Game Pass April 2026 Reveals Hades II, Oblivion Remastered, and Every New Game This Month appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The end of the year is nearly here, which means one thing for PC gamers, the Steam Winter Sale is almost upon us. Valve’s final major sale of 2025 is set to go live this week, bringing discounts across some of the biggest releases of the year, along with thousands of older favourites ready to pad out your backlog.

When the Steam Winter Sale 2025 Starts

The Steam Winter Sale 2025 begins on Thursday, December 18, and will run until January 5, 2026, giving players plenty of time to hunt for deals.

Here’s when the sale goes live:

• Pacific Time (PT): December 18 at 10:00am
• Eastern Time (ET): December 18 at 1:00pm
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): December 18 at 6:00pm
• Central European Time (CET): December 18 at 7:00pm
• New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT): December 19 at 7:00am

If past sales are anything to go by, expect your inbox to light up shortly after launch with a wishlist email showing just how many tempting discounts Steam has lined up.

Big 2025 Games Confirmed for Discounts

While exact pricing hasn’t been revealed yet, Steam has released a trailer teasing a strong lineup of discounted titles. Several of 2025’s biggest and most talked about releases are confirmed to be part of the sale.

Among the headline games featured are Hades II, Elden Ring Nightreign, Dispatch, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Borderlands 4. These are titles many players have been holding off on, waiting for the right moment to jump in, and the Winter Sale may be that moment.

Sony’s PC push also gets some spotlight, with The Last of Us Part II Remastered and Marvel’s Spider Man 2 appearing in the trailer as well.

Full List of Games Highlighted in the Trailer

Steam’s Winter Sale trailer mentions a wide range of games across genres. Titles confirmed so far include:

• Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Borderlands 4
• Dune: Awakening
• Dying Light: The Beast
• The Last of Us Part II Remastered
• Rematch
• Slime Rancher 2
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Megabonk
• Digimon Story Time Stranger
• R.E.P.O.
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Marvel’s Spider Man 2
• RV There Yet?
• Escape from Duckov
• Dispatch
• Deltarune
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Hades II
• Drive Beyond Horizons

More games are expected to be discounted once the sale officially goes live, including plenty of older releases that often drop to prices cheaper than a cup of coffee.

Why the Winter Sale Is the Best Time to Buy

For PC gamers, Steam’s quarterly sales are often the best opportunity to pick up games, whether that’s a brand new release getting its first discount or a classic you’ve been meaning to play for years. The Winter Sale, in particular, is known for some of Steam’s steepest price cuts.

While Steam tends to steal the spotlight, it’s also worth noting that other platforms are running year end sales at the same time. The Epic Games Store’s holiday sale and GOG’s Winter Sale both offer thousands of discounted games, giving players plenty of options if they’re shopping around.

Still, for sheer scale and variety, the Steam Winter Sale remains the highlight of the season. If your wishlist has been growing all year, this week might finally be the time to clear it out.

The post Steam Winter Sale 2025 Kicks Off This Week With Big Discounts on Hades II, Elden Ring Nightreign, and More appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The Game Awards 2025 nominees are here, and it looks like another massive year for Geoff Keighley’s annual showcase. The full list was revealed during a livestream on 17 November, confirming the six Game of the Year contenders along with every category from Best RPG to Best Esports Team.

Your nominees for GAME OF THE YEAR at #TheGameAwards 2025 on Thursday, December 11. pic.twitter.com/VQTXMfNHOQ

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) November 17, 2025

If you skipped the announcement stream, don’t worry. We’ve wrapped all the key highlights in one place.

A Big Night Locked In For December

The Game Awards 2025 will stream live on 11 December, promising the usual blend of world-premiere trailers, celebrity appearances, live performances, and of course, actual awards sprinkled throughout the show.

As expected, this year’s nominees were selected by a global panel of journalists, critics, and industry veterans. GOTY nominations were leaked early, but the full list is now official.

Game of the Year 2025 Nominees

The big headline of the night is the GOTY lineup, which leans heavily into strong indie showings alongside blockbuster sequels.

The six GOTY nominees are:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the entire show with 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in The Game Awards history. Hades II and Silksong both earned major recognition, continuing the trend of indie titles punching well above their weight.

Fans can cast their vote for Game of the Year until 10 December.

Top Games With The Most Nominations

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 12 Nominations

Image Credit: Kepler Interactive

The biggest standout this year, sweeping categories including Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score, and even Best Independent Game.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – 7 Nominations

Image Credit: Kojima Productions

Hideo Kojima’s highly anticipated sequel appears across multiple major categories, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and Best Narrative.

Ghost of Yōtei – 7 Nominations

Image Credit: Sony

A visual and atmospheric hit, nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Audio Design.

Hades II – 6 Nominations

Image Credit: Supergiant Games

Supergiant Games continues its legacy with the sequel landing nods in GOTY, Best Direction, Best Score, Best Action Game, and more.

Hollow Knight: Silksong – 5 Nominations

Image Credit: Team Cherry

Team Cherry’s long-awaited release earns recognition across art, score, and action adventure categories.

Split Fiction – 4 Nominations

Image Credit: Hazelight Studios

A rising favourite in action adventure and multiplayer categories.

Other Major Categories To Watch

The Game Awards 2025 features dozens of categories. Here are some of the notable highlights:

Best Game Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Split Fiction

Best Narrative

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Silent Hill f

Best Art Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Independent Game

• Absolum
• Ball x Pit
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Indies continue to thrive, with Expedition 33 and Silksong competing against major studio titles in multiple categories.

Mobile, VR, and Family Categories

Mobile gaming gets its own spotlight with nominees like Destiny: Rising, Persona 5: The Phantom X, and Wuthering Waves. VR and AR also return with titles such as Alien: Rogue Incursion and Marvel’s Deadpool VR.

The Best Family Game category features heavy hitters including Donkey Kong Bananza, LEGO Party, Mario Kart World, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Esports Categories

Esports remains a huge part of the show, with categories covering athletes, teams, and the best competitive titles of the year.

Best Esports Game nominees:

• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete:

• brawk
• Chovy
• f0rsakeN
• Kakeru
• MenaRD
• Zyw0

Best Esports Team:

• Gen.G
• NRG
• Team Falcons
• Team Liquid PH
• Team Vitalit

What’s Next For The Game Awards 2025

With the nominees locked in, voting begins, discussions heat up, and fans start building their own predictions ahead of the December show. The Players’ Voice category will be revealed closer to the event, and if the Game Changer award returns this year, it will be announced during the ceremony.

The Game Awards 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive years yet, especially with indies standing toe to toe with major AAA releases.

We’ll keep you updated with any new announcements, reveals, and surprises as the countdown continues.

The post The Game Awards 2025: Full GOTY Lineup Revealed And Indies Dominate This Year appeared first on Shane the Gamer.