It’s shaping up to be a quietly intriguing week for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, with Final Fantasy IV headlining the early arrivals before the charming Tiny Bookshop opens its doors as a Day One launch.
Whether you’re in the mood for a legendary RPG adventure or something a little more relaxed by the seaside, there’s a nice bit of variety landing across cloud, console and PC over the next few days.
At A Glance
- Final Fantasy IV – April 7th – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass, Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC
- Tiny Bookshop – April 10th – (Day One) – Xbox Series X|S, PC, Handheld, Play Anywhere
Final Fantasy IV Returns With A Pixel-Perfect Revival
There’s something special about revisiting a classic, and Final Fantasy IV is about as iconic as they come. Landing on April 7th across cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass, this pixel remaster breathes new life into a landmark RPG.
You’ll step into the boots of Cecil, a conflicted dark knight questioning the orders of Baron’s Red Wings. What follows is a globe-spanning journey – and beyond – as you chase down crystals, uncover secrets, and recruit a memorable cast including Kain, Rosa and Rydia.
This version keeps the heart of the original intact while smoothing out the edges. Expect beautifully updated 2D pixel visuals crafted under the watch of original artist Kazuko Shibuya, alongside a rearranged soundtrack overseen by Nobuo Uematsu. Quality of life improvements include a modernised UI and optional auto-battle features, while additional boosts allow players to tweak experience gains or even disable random encounters entirely.
With Final Fantasy I, II and III already available on Game Pass, the arrival of Final Fantasy IV continues to build out an essential JRPG collection for subscribers. If you’ve been meaning to dive into the roots of the series, there’s never been a better time.
Tiny Bookshop Opens Its Doors Day One
If saving kingdoms isn’t quite your pace, Tiny Bookshop offers something much more laid-back when it launches straight into Game Pass on April 10th for Xbox Series X|S, PC and handheld devices via Play Anywhere.
Set in the picturesque Bookstonbury-by-the-Sea, this narrative management game invites you to leave the chaos behind and run your very own travelling bookshop. It’s all about slow living, thoughtful choices, and getting to know the locals.
Running your shop goes far beyond simply filling shelves. You’ll be curating a selection of books tailored to your customers’ tastes, while also shaping the atmosphere through decoration choices that subtly influence how people interact with your store. As you move between scenic locations, different crowds will appear, encouraging you to adapt your stock and strategy.
At the same time, you’ll build relationships with a quirky cast of locals, uncover hidden stories about the town, and slowly piece together the mysteries of Bookstonbury’s past.
We’re super excited for this one, mostly as we’ve spent more hours than we really should have with Tiny Bookshop on other formats. Stay tuned for our full review soon, but you’ll be able to grab it for yourself from the Xbox Store.
What Else is Coming to Game Pass?
As always, this is likely just the start of the week’s Game Pass updates. We’re right at the start of April – a month that is gearing up to provide us with some of the best Xbox and Game Pass games for a while – and we’re fully expecting more titles to be confirmed in the coming days. Keep an eye out as we’ll be updating as soon as Xbox reveals what else is heading to the service.
For now though, whether you’re diving into a genre-defining RPG or curling up with a good book by the sea, Game Pass has you covered this week.
Edit:
As suspected, further games have now also been confirmed for Game Pass additions this coming week…
- DayZ (PC) – April 8th – Now playable on PC Game Pass, joining Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential – Playable on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
- Endless Legend 2 (Game Preview) – April 8th – New to Game Pass Premium, joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass – Playable on PC
- FBC: Firebreak – April 8th – New to Game Pass Premium, joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass – Playable on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
- Planet Coaster 2 – April 9th – Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass – Playable on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
