The second game is Subnautica 2 as mentioned, and the situation for this title is a little more complex. It's been announced this week that Subnautica 2 will release on Xbox and PC in May 2026 (and it was already confirmed to be a Game Pass title in a trailer last year), but no specific date for May has been revealed thus far. It's launching in an early access state, so it'll be part of the Xbox Game Preview program.
IGN revealed the news, along with an internal team message from Unknown Worlds head Steve Papoutsis:
"Over the past nine months, you have worked incredibly hard to bring Subnautica 2 close to the finish line. That effort has resulted in a game we are truly proud of, one that each of us and our partners at KRAFTON unanimously determined is ready for Early Access release in May. Thanks to your dedication and talent, we've added more story chapters, built new creatures, and created new biomes along with many other features. With this significant progress, we have passed KRAFTON's milestone review last week and are now ready to start our open development journey alongside our community. We have full confidence that we have reached a point where we can deliver an experience our players will love."
Subnautica 2 is a game that's been embroiled in behind-the-scenes drama, highlighted by a legal battle over the firing and potential reinstatement of former Unknown Worlds CEO Tim Gill, but it seems Gill is now returning to the team for the early access launch. We'll have to wait and see if there are any more twists and turns!
This now means we have seven Xbox Game Pass titles for April (including Replaced, Aphelion and Kiln) and three for May (including Forza Horizon 6 and Mixtape) as things stand, and you can find them all in our massive 2026 Xbox Game Pass releases guide:
