If you've been online this week, you've probably seen the gaming internet lose its collective mind over a fake internal email. On 2 March 2026, the official Xbox Game Pass account posted a social media image formatted as a staged memo to its "social team" — and the clues buried inside it pointed in one direction: Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to Game Pass, and probably soon.
The post opens with "Wake up social team," a riff on Johnny Silverhand's famous line from the game's cinematic trailer, delivered by Keanu Reeves. The fictional memo also describes the incoming title as "a v good one" — with the letter V bolded and capitalised, a direct reference to the name of the game's protagonist. As if that weren't enough, the word "breathtaking" appears in the text, nodding to Reeves's legendary "you're breathtaking" moment at the 2019 Xbox E3 press conference. Microsoft wasn't exactly hiding the ball here.
This isn't a one-off marketing stunt. Xbox Game Pass's marketing team has a documented habit of using these fictional "Melissa McGamepass" email posts to tease upcoming catalogue additions. According to reporting by IGN, a near-identical tease preceded Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's arrival on Game Pass — and the official announcement followed just one day later. If that pattern holds, subscribers won't be waiting long for confirmation.
Let's be real: the timing makes sense for CD Projekt. Cyberpunk 2077 has already been available through PlayStation Plus, so there's no exclusivity concern for Microsoft to navigate. The game's dramatic redemption arc — driven by the 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty expansion — means the version that would land on Game Pass is far removed from the troubled launch version that hit shelves in 2020. By late 2025, the game had reportedly surpassed 35 million copies sold, so its audience is already enormous. A Game Pass listing at this point is less a system-seller and more a goodwill move, giving subscribers a polished, complete experience and keeping CD Projekt's brand warm ahead of the much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2 and a rumoured new Witcher 3 DLC.
For Australian gamers, the catch is the price tag. Following a restructure of Game Pass tiers in late 2025, Ultimate subscribers in Australia are now paying $35.95 AUD per month, up from $22.95 — a rise of more than 56 per cent. The mid-range Premium tier sits at $17.95 per month, with the entry-level Essential at $12.95. Whether Cyberpunk 2077 lands across all tiers, or is restricted to Premium and Ultimate, is still unknown. It's also unclear if the Phantom Liberty expansion will be bundled with the base game or sold separately, as Game Pass frequently lists expansions as additional purchases.
The broader picture here is that Game Pass continues to use catalogue acquisitions like this to justify its subscription costs at a time when price sensitivity is real. A five-year-old game landing on a service that now costs $35.95 a month at the top tier is a genuine value question worth asking. That said, for the significant portion of Australian Xbox and PC gamers who have simply never gotten around to Cyberpunk 2077, free access to what is now considered one of the strongest open-world RPGs available is a meaningful proposition. Microsoft is betting, reasonably, that the experience will speak for itself.
No official confirmation or release date has been announced as of publication. Given the track record of these teases converting to next-day announcements, that confirmation is likely imminent.