Call of the Elder Gods, the sequel to the 2020 puzzle adventure Call of the Sea, is confirmed for a day-one Xbox Game Pass launch on May 12, 2026. Developer Out Blue Games announced the release date this week via social media, confirming the game also arrives simultaneously on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam.
Six years later, history repeats itself
The original Call of the Sea launched in December 2020 as one of the first Xbox Series X titles and landed on Xbox Game Pass at release. Call of the Elder Gods is following the exact same path. That kind of consistency from a small indie studio is worth paying attention to, especially when the first game built a genuine cult following among fans of narrative puzzle adventures.
The sequel picks up with two new leads: Professor Harry Everhart and his student Evangeline Drayton. Both are dealing with their own haunting obsessions tied to missing loved ones, and their investigation pulls them toward something far older and stranger than either expects. The official description frames it as a "Lovecraftian narrative puzzle adventure," which fits neatly with the cosmic horror tone the original established.
What the puzzles actually look like this time
Here's the thing that fans of the first game will want to know: the observation-and-object-based puzzle design returns, but with added complexity. Players can swap between Harry and Evangeline to tackle multi-part problems that stretch across time and space. That dual-character mechanic is new, and it suggests the sequel is trying to push the formula rather than just repeat it.
Accessibility options are also built in from the start. Toggle-able hints, icons, and journal entries let players adjust the difficulty without scrapping the experience entirely. That's a smart call for a game that wants to reach both puzzle veterans and newcomers arriving through Game Pass.
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The game's official X handle is @COTEGGame, where Out Blue Games has been posting development updates ahead of the May 12 launch.
A cast that punches above the game's indie weight
The voice cast is a genuine surprise. Yuri Lowenthal, known to most players from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Cissy Jones, who appeared in both Starfield and Baldur's Gate 3, are both confirmed as part of the returning cast. For an indie puzzle game, that's a serious lineup, and it signals that Out Blue Games has put real production value behind the sequel.
What Game Pass subscribers are actually getting
Day-one Game Pass inclusion means subscribers pay nothing extra to play Call of the Elder Gods on launch day. Given that the original built its reputation largely through Game Pass exposure, this distribution strategy makes sense for a game that benefits from word-of-mouth discovery.
For players who never tried Call of the Sea, the original is still a solid starting point before the sequel arrives. The story of Norah, searching for her missing husband on a mysterious island, holds up well as a self-contained experience and gives useful context for the world Out Blue Games is building.
May 12 is just over a month away. Keep an eye on the latest gaming news as more details on Call of the Elder Gods surface before launch. Make sure to check out more:
