Wheel World is now available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. This day-one release marks the 15th title to reach Microsoft's subscription service in July 2025, as well as the 93rd Xbox Game Pass addition since the start of the year.
The sixth title from U.S. Studio Messhof, Wheel World is a unique bike adventure game that puts players in the cycling shoes of Kat, an athlete chosen by the ancient spirits to save the universe. Succeeding in this high-stakes mission will require a lot of pedaling, with races and exploration rewarding Kat's stolen legendary parts needed to perform "the Great Shift ritual" that will avert global destruction. An intricate bike customization system is also part of the package, together with low-contrast, cel-shaded graphics reminiscent of a comic book aesthetic.
New Day One Xbox Game Pass Game Shadow Dropped
Xbox Game Pass surprises subscribers with a new day-one title, which was originally planned to release in spring 2025 but ended up being delayed.
After delaying and renaming Wheel World, originally known as Ghost Bike, back in October 2024, Messhof and publisher Annapurna Interactive at last released the game on July 23. As originally promised, the open-world biking adventure has also landed day-one on Xbox Game Pass, debuting on Microsoft's subscription service at 9am PT / 12pm ET, the same time it released on the PlayStation 5 and PC. Wheel World is thus now available to PC Game Pass and XGP Ultimate subscribers. While it's a current-gen-only game, Xbox One owners can technically play it via Xbox Cloud Gaming, provided they have an Ultimate-tier subscription.
New and Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games
|
Game |
Game Pass Tier(s) |
Platform(s) |
Date |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wheel World |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Jul 23 |
Day-one release. |
|
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Jul 24 |
Day-one release. |
|
Grounded 2 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Jul 29 |
Day-one release. |
|
Farming Simulator 25 |
Standard, PC, Ultimate |
Cloud, Console, PC |
Aug 1 |
|
|
Gears of War: Reloaded |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Aug 26 |
Day-one release. |
|
Keeper |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Oct 17 |
Day-one release. |
|
Ninja Gaiden 4 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Oct 21 |
Day-one release. |
|
The Outer Worlds 2 |
Ultimate, PC |
Cloud, PC, Series X/S |
Oct 29 |
Day-one release. |
Like many modern open-world games, Wheel World's massive map was prototyped with the help of procedural generation. Messhof could move or adjust roads, and the environment would adapt dynamically, which was conducive to experimentation, allowing the studio to efficiently test a wide variety of race routes and task types, ranging from delivery missions to hill climbs. As the game started to take shape, the developer began phasing out its procedural systems in favor of manual design, hand-polishing areas of focus and implementing other tweaks. As part of these efforts, significant attention was given to hand-placing visual landmarks to guide exploration and make the world feel coherent, interesting, and intuitive to navigate.
When Will Wheel World Come to Xbox Game Pass Standard?
Since it's a day-one release, Wheel World isn't available on Xbox Game Pass Standard. Based on Microsoft's recent practices, Messhof's open-world cycling adventure is likely to reach the budget-friendly tier of the service between January and July 2026.
Two more titles are being added to Xbox Game Pass before the end of July 2025: Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Grounded 2, scheduled to arrive on the 24th and 29th, respectively. The service is also set to lose three games on July 31: Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and Gigantic.
