Xbox Game Pass Ultimate continues to enhance its offerings with the inclusion of Blue Prince and NHL 25, marking the fifth and sixth additions to the Ultimate tier this April. These titles join a growing list of games that have recently been made available to subscribers, including Borderlands 3: Ultimate Edition, South of Midnight, Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, and Commandos: Origins. Notably, Descenders Next was expected to join the lineup on April 9 but faced an unexpected delay.

Following the delay of Descenders Next, Microsoft announced the addition of NHL 25 to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate April 2025 Wave 1 lineup. This EA Sports ice hockey simulation is now available as of April 10, exclusively on Xbox Series X/S with Xbox Cloud Gaming support, allowing PC users to stream the game. Alongside NHL 25, Blue Prince has also been introduced, a day-one release that has quickly garnered critical acclaim.

While NHL 25 is a well-known title among sports game enthusiasts, Blue Prince is making waves as a standout release from Dogubomb. This strategy puzzle adventure, set in the enigmatic Mt. Holly manor, challenges players to uncover the secrets of Room 46 amidst an ever-changing environment. With an impressive OpenCritic rating of 90 and a 95% recommendation rate, Blue Prince is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about games of 2025.

As a day-one release, Blue Prince is currently exclusive to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Historical patterns suggest that it may become available to Standard tier subscribers within 6 to 12 months. Conversely, NHL 25, accessible only through the EA Play add-on, will remain exclusive to Ultimate tier members.

The upcoming Xbox Game Pass update on April 15 will reintroduce Grand Theft Auto 5 to the service, alongside Hunt: Showdown 1896 for PC Game Pass. However, this update will also see the removal of seven titles, all of which are currently available at a 20% discount for subscribers.