Homestead Arcana is a day one Xbox Game Pass game that has now been confirmed to be launching on April 21. Xbox is currently hosting a new ID@Xbox event, highlighting a variety of indie games that are on the way for Xbox consoles. Some of these games are even in the works for Xbox Game Pass, as is the case with Homestead Arcana.
Homestead Arcana, for the uninitiated, is a farming/life simulation game in the vein of Stardew Valley and various other titles. The twist is that Homestead Arcana has players taking on the role of a "farming witch" who must help a land corrupted by an evil force called Miasma. Players are free to build and maintain their own homestead in the game, using magical spells to grow plants. When they're not farming, players can explore the Miasma to battle dangerous monsters and obtain new spells that should in turn expand their homesteading options.
Stardew Valley and life sim fans intrigued by Homestead Arcana's unique premise can check the game out beginning April 21, at which point it will be available as a day one Xbox Game Pass game. This announcement was made with a new trailer that gave fans another glimpse at Homestead Arcana's gameplay loop and generally what they can expect from the game when it launches later this month.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers already knew that Homestead Arcana was aiming for an April 2023 release, but now they have the official date to mark on their calendars. And even if Homestead Arcana isn't one's cup of tea, it won't be alone in the second half of April 2023. At least two other day one games are coming to Xbox Game Pass around the same time as Homestead Arcana, with Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly dropping April 20 and Metroidvania The Last Case of Benedict Fox releasing April 27.
There are some new Xbox Game Pass additions to look forward to in the more immediate future as well. Iron Brigade is coming to Xbox Game Pass on April 6, whereas Ghostwire: Tokyo is releasing April 12. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can look forward to playing NHL 23 on April 13, and finally, Minecraft Legends is coming to Xbox Game Pass on April 18 as yet another day one release. If day one Xbox Game Pass games like Minecraft Legends and Homestead Arcana live up to expectations, April 2023 should be a month to remember for subscribers.