Something very important you should know if you are a subscriber of Xbox Game Pass Premium.
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If you use Xbox Game Pass Premium as your main subscription, there’s a key detail to keep in mind to avoid misunderstandings: Day 1 releases are only guaranteed on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, not on Premium. This means that games that debut directly on the service (especially those from external publishers) won’t appear on Premium on their release date.
The way the service works can be confusing if you don’t know how agreements with third-party companies are managed, especially when it comes to games that are closely tied to the Xbox brand and stay on the service for a specific period.
How Xbox Game Pass Premium works with Day One games
Third-party titles that arrive on Game Pass as new releases usually stay on the Ultimate subscription for around 12 months before leaving the catalog. When they complete this cycle, they don’t automatically move to Premium, unless Microsoft makes a specific agreement for it. That’s why those who expect these games to “drop down” to Premium after a year often find that they simply disappear from the service.
This particularly affects powerful releases from external publishers, such as STALKER 2 or Expedition 33 (to give two recent and notable examples), which have been associated with one-year agreements within Game Pass. Once this period ends, their departure doesn’t mean they’ll appear on the Premium plan.
| Game category | Does it come to Premium? | Is it Day One? | Quick notes | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Game Studios | Yes | Yes | Stable presence; part of the base catalog. | Forza Motorsport, Avowed |
| Third-party Day One releases | No | No | Stay on Ultimate for ~12 months and don’t migrate to Premium. | STALKER 2, Expedition 33 |
| Late releases (not Day One) | Depends | Not applicable | Arrive months later according to individual agreements. | Specific cases in the catalog |
| Titles that leave Ultimate after 12 months | No | No | Leave the service and don’t move to Premium. | Major third-party releases |
The exception is found in Xbox Game Studios games, which are meant to stay within the Game Pass ecosystem in the long term. In their case, their availability remains independent of the type of active subscription, whether it’s Ultimate or Premium.
Founder and editor of SoloXboxOne and Generación Xbox. He is also one of the owners of the GX Group, Samsung Universe and the Reflotes forum. Adrian has reviewed over 200 games on the web and has an average score of 85 according to Opencritic. Among his expertise as a writer and analyst, he has interviewed Microsoft personalities and participated in private gaming events.
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