Microsoft unveiled the batch of eight games that will come to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service over the course of the first half of July. It’s a solid lineup featuring quite a few amazing indie games. In particular, Neon White is a standout because it’s one of my favorite indie games of the 2020s, and it’s finally coming to Xbox while launching straight into Microsoft’s subscription service.
Neon White initially launched on other platforms in 2022 and was developed by Angel Matrix, a studio founded by Donut County’s Ben Esposito. It’s a first-person shooter but doesn’t play like Doom or Call of Duty. Instead, players must play cards in order to use their weapons, which double as both attacks and platforming assists. That means Neon White ends up being more like a speedrunning-focused puzzle platformer rather than a traditional first-person shooter.
The game is insanely creative and features a captivating story about the afterlife of a group of criminals to boot, so I highly recommend revisiting or playing Neon White for the first time now that it’s on Xbox. It’s not even the only great indie to come to the service this month: The Case of the Golden Idol, Tchia, and Flock are also part of the lineup. Here’s the full list of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass between July 3 and July 16 on console, PC, and cloud.
- Journey of the Savage Planet — July 3
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 — July 3
- Cricket 24 — July 9
- The Case of the Golden Idol — July 9
- Neon White — July 11
- Tchia — July 11
- Magical Delicacy — July 16
- Flock — July 16
Some games will also leave the service mid-month, with the biggest loss being the entertaining indie game TOEM. These are all of the games that will leave Xbox Game Pass on July 15.
- Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
- Figment 2: Creed Valley
- Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
- TOEM
- The Wandering Village