Back 4 Blood release date confirmed with day one Game Pass launch

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You'll be Back 4 Blood this October

Back 4 Blood
(Image credit: Turtle Rock)

Update: Back 4 Blood has a release date, and it'll be coming to Game Pass on day one.

At the Microsoft Xbox showcase earlier today, developer Turtle Rock confirmed that its upcoming zombie shooter will release on October 12, 2021, and that Game Pass subscribers will be able to access it from day one at no extra cost.

There weren't many more details on show, but with Warner Bros still set to show off their slate later today, expect a little more information very soon.

Original story: According to a poster on Reddit, a video premiere – which has now been set to private after seemingly being online for most of yesterday – not only confirms that an open beta test is slated to go live on August 12, but it also confirmed that the survival zombie game is coming to Xbox Game Pass from day one, too.

"Back 4 Blood will be coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch via Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, as well as Windows 10 PC," the description reportedly said before it was made private and removed from prying eyes. 

Sadly, we can't check out the leaked video description ourselves just yet – it's now been set to private – but if the countdown on the screenshot is correct, we'll find out more from 3.56 pm (presumably PT, but not confirmed) on June 13, which is when the video was scheduled to premiere. 

As for that beta the video description mentioned? Pre-orderers will get early access to the test, so if you want to get in on the action a little early, players need to have pre-ordered the game by August 5, 2021. 

As Alyssa summarized a few weeks back, it seems like Back 4 Blood is taking the zombie-killing aspects of Left 4 Dead and adding a healthy dose of hero shooter, which will make facing off against its different enemy types even more interesting. The Ridden you'll be up against include the tank-like Breaker and the Snitcher, who acts as an enemy spotter. There's also the Ogre, who throws boulders, and the Hag who will eat you whole. We've already met the eight playable characters, too, known as Cleaners, as well as learned all about their special abilities. 

Here's how Back 4 Blood is using a card system to stand apart from Left 4 Dead.  

Vikki Blake
Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.