Rematch has quietly slipped into the Xbox Game Pass Essential catalog. For the entry-level tier of Microsoft’s subscription it is the first new addition since July, and at the same time the 21st game added to the Essential library since the start of 2026. If you only pay for the cheapest tier, you now get a football game that until recently sat behind the more expensive plans.
What Rematch actually is
Rematch comes from Sloclap, the studio behind Sifu, and it is published by Kepler Interactive, the publisher collective also responsible for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game originally launched on PC and consoles in June 2025 and went straight into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one.
Instead of managing a squad, you control a single player in third person during fast, short team matches. There are no fouls and no offside, so everything comes down to positioning, passing, tackling and shooting. We keep track of the game’s development in our Rematch news section, and the game also has its own official website.
Which versions and tiers are covered
Rematch appeared in the Essential library on September 25, more than eight months after it reached the Premium tier. As with the higher tiers, the subscription covers both the Xbox Series X/S and the PC version, and on the Xbox Store the game is also marked as optimized for handheld play.
The same catalog update brought another familiar name: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is now available on Xbox Game Pass Premium, after originally joining the higher tiers back in October 2024.
The Blue Lock update lands at the same time
Rematch’s arrival on Essential is nicely timed with a new update released on September 24 as part of Season 5. It is built around a collaboration with the football manga Blue Lock and adds:
- Aura Striker – a limited-time 3v3 mode in which you build up an Aura gauge that temporarily boosts movement speed, shot power and stamina. Goalkeeping is automated, so all six players are free to attack and defend.
- A free event pass plus Blue Lock-themed cosmetics.
- Premium character bundles inspired by Yoichi Isagi, Rin Itoshi, Meguru Bachira and Seishiro Nagi.
Gameplay reworks you will feel on the pitch
Sloclap also used the update to rework several core systems. Players who run out of stamina now get weaker “exhausted” dribbling actions, goalkeepers have new long-range dives, the tackle-contest logic has been revised, and canceled volley attempts give you clearer feedback. In practice that means stamina management and duel timing matter more than before.
What comes next for Game Pass
Rematch is the first new Essential title since July 22, when the tier received four games including Fuzion Frenzy and Blinx: The Time Sweeper. Since launching XGP Core in September 2023 – today known as XGP Essential – Microsoft has expanded the tier several times a year, December included, so Rematch almost certainly will not be the last 2026 addition.
September 2026 still has more catalog movement scheduled: Minecraft Dungeons 2 arrives on Xbox Game Pass on September 29, while Atomfall, Little Rocket Lab and six other titles leave the service a day later.
FAQ
On September 25. It is the first new game added to the Essential tier since July 22, 2026.
Both the Xbox Series X/S and PC versions are included, and the Xbox Store lists the game as optimized for handheld play.
No. Rematch has been in the higher tiers since its June 2025 launch, but it is now part of the entry-level Essential library as well.
The limited-time 3v3 mode Aura Striker with an Aura gauge, a free event pass, Blue Lock cosmetics, and premium bundles for Yoichi Isagi, Rin Itoshi, Meguru Bachira and Seishiro Nagi.
Sloclap added weaker “exhausted” dribbling for players with no stamina, new long-range goalkeeper dives, revised tackle-contest logic, and clearer feedback for canceled volleys.