April 21 is a must-see day for Xbox Game Pass members

Published April 19, 2026, 3:00 a.m. EDT

Bruno Yonezawa is a senior games writer for Screen Rant. He has been practicing professional journalism for more than 10 years and is also a communications specialist. He has played games his entire life and turned this passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more.

Xbox Game Pass members will receive a free game on April 21 and they won’t want to miss its arrival. So far, 2026 has been a stellar year for Microsoft’s subscription service. Over the past few months, huge AAA titles like Death Stranding And Cyberpunk 2077 joined the catalog, with some great independent hits. One of the best games of 2025 has joined Game Passbut a few days ago too, and it looks like the awesome new stuff isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Microsoft announced the first batch of free titles joining the catalog earlier this month via an official post on Xbox Wiredetailing nearly 20 titles. There are some notable games, like Hades 2, DayZthe long awaited Replacedand more. There is also an upgrade for Oblivion Remasteredwhich is now playable for many other service members. However, there is a new free game that you cannot afford to miss on day one.

Xbox Game Pass gets huge day one release

Vampire Crawlers is coming for free in April

Vampire Crawlers illustration of a vampire holding a goblet

Among wave 1 additions to Xbox Game Pass in April East Crawling Vampires. Arriving on April 21, the first day of release on Game Pass is the latest title from the creators of the very popular Vampire Survivors. As a day one game, Crawling Vampires will be available exclusively to Ultimate and PC Game Pass tier members. The new game can be played on Xbox Series X/S, PC, portable devices and via cloud gaming.

If its predecessor serves as an example, you can rest easy knowing you’ll have plenty of time to check it out, in case your order book is full. Following his day one release on Xbox Game Pass back in 2022, Vampire Survivors is permanently available in the catalog. We still don’t know if Crawling vampires will follow the same trend and be available for years to come, but it’s worth taking a look now, not only for the benefits of a day one release on Ultimate, but also because the game looks promising.

Vampire Crawlers is a promising new version of the series

New game features deck-building mechanics in familiar dungeons

The player uses the Hellfire card to throw fireballs at the enemy in Vampire Crawlers.

Crawling vampires is a spin-off of Vampire Survivorsand you can expect some familiar elements, but there’s one big difference. This new game is a turn-based roguelite deck builder. You will venture through the dungeons you have seen Vampire Survivorsbut from a different first-person point of view, and face enemies using the cards at your disposal. As a turn-based game, it’s possible to take your time and think.

However, if you’re a fan of fast-paced action, you can go this route. The liberation of Crawling vampires is huge and represents a huge step forward for the franchise while still honoring the original title. Its arrival in day-one version on Xbox Game Pass This is huge news for those who subscribe to the service, so if you’re eligible, be sure to check it out soon.