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Home - News - Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge Hit Xbox Game Pass Today, April 14 in a Stellar Drop

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Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge Hit Xbox Game Pass Today, April 14 in a Stellar Drop

Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge arrive on Xbox Game Pass today, making April 14 one of 2026’s biggest drop days for subscribers.
Dave W. Shanahan April 14, 2026 (Last updated: April 14, 2026) 5 minutes read
Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge Hit Xbox Game Pass Today, April 14 in a Stellar Drop

April 14 is turning into one of the biggest days of the year for Xbox Game Pass, with Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge all landing on the service at once. If you’re a Game Pass subscriber, today’s drop covers three very different but very hype-friendly games: a GOTY‑caliber roguelike sequel, a cinematic cyberpunk platformer, and a story-heavy RPG with turn-based combat and occult vibes.

Today’s Xbox Game Pass drops (April 14, 2026)

Here’s the quick view of what’s going live today:

Game Date Platforms / Tiers
Hades II April 14 Cloud, Xbox Series X
Replaced April 14 Cloud, Xbox Series X
The Thaumaturge April 14 Cloud, Xbox Series X

Microsoft positioned April as a “big hitters” month for Game Pass, and April 14 is the day where that promise really shows up for console and PC players.


Hades II finally comes to Xbox Game Pass

Hades II is the headliner today, bringing Supergiant’s award‑winning roguelike sequel to Xbox Series X|S, the cloud, handheld devices, and PC via Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass. This is the game a lot of players have been waiting on, especially after it pulled in multiple awards and “best of 2025” nods following its initial launch on other platforms.

Instead of Zagreus, you play as Melinoë, the immortal Princess of the Underworld, as you battle through a bigger, more ambitious take on the Hades formula. Supergiant leans into Greek myth again, but this time the main threat is Chronos, the Titan of Time, and every run pushes the story forward with reactive dialogue, new boons, and evolving relationships. If you loved the first Hades, the pitch is simple: more weapons, more builds, more gods, and more reasons to say “just one more run” at 2 a.m.

For Game Pass, this is a huge value play; you’re getting a top‑tier, widely acclaimed action game folded straight into your subscription on the day it hits Xbox consoles. It’s also a nice showcase title for cloud and handheld play, since runs are short, repeatable, and perfect for quick sessions.


Replaced launches day one into Game Pass

Sharing the April 14 spotlight is Replaced, which arrives as a day‑one Game Pass title on cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Microsoft has been promoting this one as one of the standout indies in the April lineup, and it fills a very different niche compared to Hades II.

Replaced is a 2.5D cinematic platformer set in an alternate 1980s America, with a moody cyberpunk look and a strong narrative focus. You play as R.E.A.C.H., an AI trapped in a human body, as you uncover the secrets of Phoenix Corp and try to navigate a morally messy world where human bodies are just another commodity. The game blends exploration, story sequences, and slick side‑scrolling combat, so think “indie prestige TV energy” wrapped up in pixel art and neon lighting.

Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge Hit Xbox Game Pass Today, April 14 in a Stellar Drop

For Game Pass subscribers, Replaced is the classic “I’ll try it because it’s in the library” type of game that could become a surprise favorite, especially if you like narrative‑driven indies like Inside, Limbo, or The Last Night‑style reveals. The day‑one launch also gives Xbox a nice counterpoint to bigger third‑party titles coming later in the month, reinforcing the “we’ll give you the cool indies on launch day” message.


The Thaumaturge brings story‑driven RPG depth

Rounding out the April 14 trio is The Thaumaturge, a character‑driven RPG joining Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass on cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If Hades II is your fast‑paced roguelike fix and Replaced is your cinematic indie, The Thaumaturge is the slower burn—choice‑heavy quests, conversations, and tactical combat.

Set in an alternate‑history Warsaw in the early 1900s, you play as a thaumaturge, someone who wields mystical arts to probe emotions, read motives, and command folklore‑inspired entities in battle. The story kicks off after you return home to investigate your father’s death, and quickly escalates into a mix of supernatural mystery, political tension, and personal drama. Combat leans on turn‑based systems layered with your summoned beings, while the narrative pushes you into morally gray decisions that can impact both relationships and outcomes.

This is the one to grab if you want something more narrative‑heavy to balance out today’s more action‑driven additions. It also helps diversify the April Game Pass slate, which already includes sports titles, management sims, and shooters elsewhere in the month.


April 14 is the centerpiece of a stacked April

While today is all about Hades II, Replaced, and The Thaumaturge, Microsoft has already mapped out a larger April 2026 wave that’s unusually crowded. Leading into today, we’ve already seen games like Planet Coaster 2, Tiny Bookshop, Football Manager 26, and DayZ (PC) join the catalog across different tiers.

The rest of the month stays busy, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, NHL 26 via EA Play, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), and Kiln all slated to hit Game Pass in the coming days. It’s the kind of month that makes it harder to decide what to uninstall rather than what to download, and April 14 is very clearly the “don’t sleep on this” date circled on the calendar.

If you’re running an Xbox or PC Game Pass backlog, today might be the day it completely breaks.

About The Author

HADES II

Dave W. Shanahan

I’m Dave W. Shanahan, a Microsoft enthusiast with a passion for Windows, Xbox, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure, and more. I started MSFTNewsNow.com to keep the world updated on Microsoft news. Based in Massachusetts, you can email me at davewshanahan@gmail.com.

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