Xbox Game Pass Confirms January's First Free Titles, Day One Banger

We’ve just had two free games confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in January, both coming as Day 1 releases.

Xbox Game Pass regularly offers many Day 1 releases per year, with the new games coming to its rather more expensive Ultimate tier.

Still, despite the recent price increases, it still works out as a good deal if you play a lot of different games and don’t want to pay full price for them.

While December isn’t over yet, it looks like two games launching in January 2026 have already been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass. Both will be available as Day 1 titles, meaning you can jump in and start playing from release day.

The two games available in January are MIO: Memories In Orbit and Nova Roma, and both are set to be released in the latter half of the month.

Hooded Horse

Xbox Game Pass January 2026 Titles Include Two Day 1 Releases

Let’s start with MIO: Memories In Orbit. It’s a metroidvania in the same vein as Hollow Knight: Silksong or Dead Cells, where you play as MIO, a nimble robot with extraordinary abilities.

As MIO, you explore a gigantic technological ark called the Vessel, which has become overgrown with machines gone rogue. Using MIO’s abilities, you will search the Vessel, find secrets, acquire upgrades, and save the ship from oblivion.

MIO: Memories In Orbit is set to launch on 20 January, 2026.

Our own Kate Harrold previewed the game earlier this year, saying it was “shaping up to be a solid metroidvania platformer that packs in everything you could possibly want.”

Meanwhile, Nova Roma will also be out on Game Pass as a Day 1 title, coming to the service two days later on 22 January.

This game is rather different from MIO: Memories In Orbit.

Instead, it’s a city builder where you’re tasked with building a new Roman city following the decaying of the Roman Empire.

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but you can certainly try as you need to appease the gods, enact laws, and develop complex supply chains to meet the needs of your citizens.

Nova Roma is coming to PC Game Pass on 22 January, and will also be hitting Steam on the same day. There’s no confirmation if the game is coming to consoles, but with it being on Game Pass there might be some interest in funding a console version if the PC release does well.