Xbox Game Pass Members, Mark Your Calendars For July 21

A huge game is coming to Xbox Game Pass on July 21, and you’ll definitely want to check it out. A few times a month, new titles drop on Game Pass, updating the catalogue and keeping things interesting for longtime subscribers. This month, we’ve already seen several new games added, plus the 1.0 update for Game Pass staple Palworld.

After a spate of new Game Pass additions throughout the week of July 13, we’re getting yet another major drop on the 21st. If you missed this one when it hit Steam two years ago, here’s why you need to check it out now.

The Planet Crafter is an open-world survival game developed and published by Miju Games on April 10, 2024, and coming to Game Pass on July 21, 2026. As its name implies, it casts you (and up to 10 friends) as an astronaut sent to an inhospitable planet, and charged with building the infrastructure necessary to sustain human life.

If it’s starting to sound similar to No Man’s Sky, that’s because there are definite similarities. However, in Planet Crafter, the focus is decidedly less on space exploration, and more on the myriad ways you can transform the surface of a single planet.

And there are many ways to transform it: You’ll gather minerals and other materials, use them to build a variety of machines or expand your base, and terraform the world. You can create areas of atmospheric pressure to increase the temperature, making it hospitable to plant life, or create a biosphere where you can take off your helmet and breathe.

Unlike other survival games, there’s no need to engage in combat in Planet Crafter. Instead, you scan alien creatures’ DNA, later using it to bioengineer your own animals. As of the recently released update 2.0, you can also unlock a jetpack for your rover, a new biome to explore, new decorations for your shelter, and more.

In an excellent 8/10 review, Screen Rant’s Carrie Lambertsen called The Planet Crafter “a rewarding and immersive terraforming experience.” She particularly praised the co-op aspect of the game: “Multiplayer makes it an even better experience, with groups of friends being able to work on solo projects side by side or enjoy focusing together on completing goals.”

With a very positive review consensus on Steam, if you’re looking for a new survival game to delve into, you could do a lot worse than The Planet Crafter. Make sure to keep an eye out for its release on Xbox Game Pass on July 21.

Number of Devices Concurrently

Standard subscription plan allows two accounts playing at once, with four accounts playing at once on Friends & Family plan

Highest Resolution

1440p streaming

Number of Accounts

~35 million subscribers

Compatibility

Xbox Series X|S, PC, ROG Xbox Ally, Android, iOS, Samsung & LG TVs, Meta Quest, Web Browser

Price Per Month

Essential $9.99 | Premium $14.99 | Ultimate $29.99

Price per year

12-month membership codes only available at certain retailers