Xbox Game Pass Adds Long-Awaited Sequel As Day-One Release In October

Published Oct 9, 2026, 1:30 AM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

Xbox Game Pass is home to some of the greatest games in the medium's burgeoning history, which, naturally, makes it a tantalizing prospect for newcomers and existing subscribers alike. Its curation of gaming's finest is no small accident, requiring exorbitant expenses and costly measures to get even a sliver of its critically acclaimed lineup, all of which resulted in catastrophic consequences. However, as Xbox reconfigures its entire identity amid a historic restructuring of the industry, fans might as well try and get as much enjoyment out of the service as possible.

This is especially true of those who happen to enjoy one particular series. Having previously played host to its predecessor, this beloved series is finally getting the new entry it deserves, promising fans a follow-up both deserving of their time and patience. Joining the many other best games on Xbox Game Pass, this new release, scheduled to drop as a day-one title in October, is sure to be a pleasing and potentially perfect successor to an already excellent title.

As always, there's a varied and vast selection of new games coming to Game Pass in October. Some of these, such as Battlefield 6, are existing games that are merely finding a new home (and hopefully an audience) on the platform. However, a handful of them are brand-new day-one releases that Xbox has paid a premium to get on their service. Of course, anyone with Game Pass Ultimate will be able to play these completely for free, including the aforementioned follow-up to a beloved game.

The original game in question is Bluey: The Video Game, the faithful and well-received adaptation of the smash-hit animated show of the same name (minus the video game part). Released back in 2023, Bluey: The Video Game offered fans and children alike the opportunity to exist within the colorful universe and converse with its beloved cast of characters, but fell short just a tad in its length, ironically, which proved a frustrating wrinkle, especially considering its rather high price.

Fortunately, its follow-up and spiritual sequel of sorts, Bluey’s Happy Snaps, is set to rectify its handful of mistakes, proving a richer, more detailed experience that'll, hopefully, appeal to the whole family. Adopting a Pokémon Snap-style of gameplay, Bluey's Happy Snaps sees players explore open environments as the titular character while taking photographs and adding them to their scrapbook. It's got delightful visuals, is packed with all the easter eggs, characters, and locales you'd expect, and is, crucially, an offline, microtransactionless experience.

Bluey's Happy Snaps is not developed by Bluey: The Video Game's developer. Instead, it is being developed and published by Australian studio, Gameloft Brisbane.

It can be played solo or with a friend (who plays as Bingo) and will be available on Xbox Game Pass on both console and PC for free on October 15, 2026. It is great to see the legendary show continue to get further adaptations within the world of video games, if only to expand upon the deeply rewarding and educational experience it offers. For those who are excited about more Bluey video games, or simply have been looking forward to a follow-up to 2023's adaptation, this is the Xbox Game Pass video game for you.

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