This is a pivotal month for Xbox Game Pass. Following a recent strategic price adjustment, Microsoft is bolstering its library with a selection of high-profile titles essential for revitalizing the subscription service. While Forza Horizon 6 is undeniably the headline act, Subnautica 2 may prove to be just as impactful. Coupled with the critically acclaimed Mixtape and the highly anticipated cooperative title Outbound, these additions make this the most impressive month for Game Pass in 2026. For those seeking even more value from their subscription, Call of the Elder Gods is another title that deserves your attention.
<p>Developed by Out of the Blue Games, <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2174380/Call_of_the_Elder_Gods/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Call of the Elder Gods</em></a> is a narrative-driven puzzle game arriving today on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Serving as a successor to <em>Call of the Sea</em>—a cult favorite that garnered significant praise as a standout day-one indie release during the launch period of the Xbox Series X—this sequel retains the cerebral, pulp-adventure charm of the original. It is certainly worth a look for returning fans, though be prepared for a marked increase in difficulty and some complex mechanics that occasionally feel uneven.</p>
<div class="display-card video large no-badge">
<div class="w-adsninja-video-player">
<div class="an-ignore">
<div class="adsninja-video-player emaki-video-player emaki-video-player-4cf5c9ec8ad2176c" id="emaki-video-player-4cf5c9ec8ad2176c">
<script>
window.adsNinja = window.adsNinja || {};
window.adsNinja.queue = window.adsNinja.queue || [];
window.adsNinja.queue.push(function(){
var functionToRun = function(){
var fallbackContent = `<button class="prem-player-close">x</button><video class="adsninja-video-player" id='emaki_video-4cf5c9ec8ad2176c' poster="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-key-art.jpeg?fit=crop&w=1024&h=576" controls ><source src="https://video.polygonimages.com/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-release-date-trailer-ps5-games-1778594466.mp4" type="video/mp4">Your browser does not support the video tag.</video>`;
let result = null;
try{
result = window.adsNinja.monetizeVideo('.emaki-video-player-4cf5c9ec8ad2176c', JSON.parse(`{"name":"Instream-InContent","groupName":"content"}`), JSON.parse(`{"trackingId":"in-content","playlist":[{"title":"Call of the Elder Gods - Release Date Trailer","description":"","length":"1:07","mimeType":"video\/mp4","url":"https:\/\/video.polygonimages.com\/2026\/05\/call-of-the-elder-gods-release-date-trailer-ps5-games-1778594466.mp4","thumbnailLink":"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/call-of-the-elder-gods-key-art.jpeg?fit=crop&w=1024&h=576","textTracks":[{"kind":"subtitles","label":"English","language":"en","url":"https:\/\/video.polygonimages.com\/2026\/05\/call-of-the-elder-gods-release-date-trailer-ps5-games-1778594466-1778594661.vtt","default":false}]}]}`));
if(!result){ document.getElementById('emaki-video-player-4cf5c9ec8ad2176c').innerHTML = fallbackContent; }
} catch(error){ document.getElementById('emaki-video-player-4cf5c9ec8ad2176c').innerHTML = fallbackContent; }
};
if(typeof window.adsNinja.scheduleOnReadyState === 'function'){ window.adsNinja.scheduleOnReadyState('complete', functionToRun); }
else{ window.adsNinja.queue.push(functionToRun); }
});
</script>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>The narrative blends the spirit of Indiana Jones with H.P. Lovecraft. The story follows Professor Harry Everheart and student Evangeline Drayton of Miskatonic University as they are drawn into a global mystery involving ancient artifacts, shadowy figures, and extraterrestrial mysteries. It captures that quintessential pulp energy, leaning into a deliberate, vintage corniness reminiscent of its predecessor. Your enjoyment will largely hinge on your appreciation for campy voice acting, but there is a refreshing quality to a series that embraces the style of a cheesy mystery novel rather than attempting to replicate a high-budget cinematic blockbuster.</p>
<p>Effective puzzles are vital to maintaining that atmosphere. Given the protagonists’ academic backgrounds, the gameplay appropriately focuses on intricate logic tasks requiring players to diligently gather clues and document them. The most refined puzzles appear in the game's opening acts. One early highlight involved navigating a small residence and deciphering a mechanism to open a backyard gate by properly aligning statues. It required a keen eye for both environmental details and discovered clues, showcasing the developer's skill at designing contained, logical escape-room scenarios.</p>
<div class="body-img landscape">
<div class="responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item" style="padding-bottom:56.25%" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg" data-modal-id="single-image-modal" data-modal-container-id="single-image-modal-container" data-img-caption='"Image: Out of the Blue Games/Kwalee"'>
<figure>
<picture>
<source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2">
<source media="(max-width: 767px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=800&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=800&dpr=2">
<source media="(max-width: 1023px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2">
<img width="1650" height="928" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="A codebreaking machine appears in Call of the Elder Gods." src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/call-of-the-elder-gods-codebreaking-machine.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" class="img-brightness-opt-out">
</picture>
<small class="body-img-caption">Image: Out of the Blue Games/Kwalee</small>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
<p>Throughout the journey, Out of the Blue Games attempts to expand its puzzle variety, with each chapter introducing fresh logic demands. At times, this progression feels organic. Another notable sequence tasks players with uncovering ancient wall carvings and correlating them with a mysterious musical apparatus, successfully capturing the sense of discovery inherent in an archaeological expedition.</p>
<p>However, the puzzles in the latter half occasionally suffer from overambition. A central deduction sequence requires players to determine the identities of several individuals using scattered notes, photographs, and hieroglyphs. While it offers a satisfying, investigative experience—much like <em>Return of the Obra Dinn</em>—it represents a significant, jarring spike in complexity from the earlier, more intuitive chapters. The brisk, satisfying flow of the escape-room segments is replaced by a slower pace, hindered by somewhat opaque clues. This trend continues into the final chapters, which prioritize complex language-based puzzles that may necessitate outside assistance, though an in-game hint system is fortunately available as a fallback.</p>
<div class="w-promotion-offer promo-article-content-3/4-depth w-promotion-widget is-hidden" data-popup="false" data-sentinel-tracking="false" data-promotion-zone="TmV3c2xldHRlciBBcnRpY2xlIENvbnRlbnQgV2lkZ2V0" data-nosnippet>
<div class="promotion-offer-box" data-style-path-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/assets/promotions.f0b33580.css">
<div data-guid="1939400685nlp" data-nosnippet>
<div id="newsletter-message-large" class="newsletter-promotion-large">
<div id="newsletter-form" class="newsletter-section">
<h3 class="form-section-title"><i class="icon i-newsletters show-desktop"></i> Subscribe to the newsletter for Game Pass insight</h3>
<div class="newsletter-content-select">
<div class="newsletter-content-element">
<input class="cta-mailingList" id="mailingList-145" name="mailingList[]" type="checkbox" value="145" checked hidden>
<div class="label-desc">Hungry for more Game Pass analysis and smart recommendations? Subscribe to the newsletter for curated takes, deeper puzzle-game breakdowns like Call of the Elder Gods, and broader gaming context to guide your next play.</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="divider">
<div class="w-input-group">
<div>
<input id="email" class="user-form-input" maxlength="4000" name="email" placeholder="Email Address" required="" type="email">
<span id="newsletter-response" class="msg-error is-hidden"></span>
</div>
<button class="valnet-newsletter-btn" id="SubmitButton" name="SubmitButton" type="submit" value="Subscribe"><i class="icon i-newsletters show-mobile"></i><span>Get Updates</span></button>
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<span id="f-validation" class="f-errors is-hidden"></span>
<div id="v2-captcha-container" class="g-recaptcha-container" hidden></div>
<input type="hidden" id="recaptcha-token" name="recaptcha_token">
<div class="form-notes bottom-note">By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our <a href="https://www.valnetinc.com/en/terms-of-use" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="https://www.valnetinc.com/en/privacy-policy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a>. You can unsubscribe anytime.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Ultimately, <em>Call of the Elder Gods</em> possesses all the right components, even if they don't always align into a seamless experience. While the erratic pacing and shifts in logic can make for a disjointed adventure compared to its predecessor, it is clear that Out of the Blue Games is evolving. The studio is refining its ability to craft intellectually demanding puzzles that reward careful environmental observation. With further iteration on these ambitious mechanics, I can envision the developer’s next project achieving the same level of deduction-based brilliance seen in titles like <em>The Séance of Blake Manor</em>. <em>Call of the Elder Gods</em> doesn't quite master its own formula, but it is a title standing on the precipice of a genuine breakthrough.</p>
<div class="display-card article article-card small no-badge active-content" id="best-xbox-game-pass-games" data-nosnippet>
<img width="440" height="248" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Melinoe and Schelemeus in Hades 2" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/hades-2-story.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=220&h=124&dpr=2">
<span data-field="label" class="article-card-label"><label>Related</label></span>
<div class="w-display-card-content regular article-block">
<h5 class="display-card-title">The 25 best games on Game Pass</h5>
<p class="display-card-excerpt">Here’s what you should be playing on Xbox and PC</p>
</div>
</div>Source: Polygon
