For non-Battlefield fans, the first wave of Game Pass in October offers Metroidvania Echo Weaver, narrative adventure Forever Ago, and rogue-lite side-scroller Neon Abyss 2 on October 8th. The first two will be available with Ultimate and PC, while the third will also be in the Premium tier.

On October 13th, you can look forward to Deep Dish Dungeon and One More Level’s first-person Souls-like Valor Mortis, both coming to Ultimate and PC subscribers. Bluey’s Happy Snaps and Chained Beasts arrive on October 15th in the same tiers, while Beyond These Stars will join the catalogue on October 16th.

If it wasn’t obvious by now, Battlefield 6 and Valor Mortis are the biggest additions this month. The former is getting a new season of content, including a Las Vegas map and an upcoming Dead Space event, so it may well be worth diving in.

Unfortunately, a healthy chunk of titles will leave the service on October 15th. Check out the full list below, which includes some heavy-hitters.

• A Plague Tale: Requiem (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Donut County (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Nova Roma (Game Preview) (PC)
• Pacific Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Superball (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Casting of Frank Stone (Cloud, Console, and PC)

However, those are new for Premium subscribers. Everyone else can expect the rogue-like Kernel Hearts on September 17th for Ultimate and PC. Yes, that’s more or less it for this week, though Premium wins once again with Ninja Gaiden 4 being available on the same day.

September 22nd features the debut of Well Dweller, a stunning Metroidvania for Ultimate and PC subscribers. Mad King Redemption follows for all three tiers on September 23rd, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available for Premium on September 25th. Things heat up on September 29th when Minecraft Dungeons 2 goes live, so that’s something to look forward to for Ultimate and PC.

Keeper joins Game Pass Premium on October 2nd, ironically after it launched recently for PS5. Meanwhile, Gears of War: E-Day kicks off the month properly, launching on day one for Ultimate and PC on October 6th. Essential subscribers can play Rematch on September 25th.

As always, several games will be leaving the service. You’ll have until September 30th to play the following:

• Atomfall (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Little Rocket Lab (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sifu (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• SOPA Tale of the Stolen Potato (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sworn (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Terminull Brigade (Cloud, Console, and PC)

If you need something more recognizable, Speedrunners 2: King of Speed launches on September 3rd for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Of course, the biggest heavy hitters are Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on September 8th, followed by Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage on September 10th and RuneScape: Dragonwilds on September 15th. They’ll be available for all three tiers.

Otherwise, two unorthodox rogue-likes await: Dice a Million, which joins Premium on September 4th, and The Royal Writ, which is coming to all three tiers on September 10th. Sadly, the number of titles that are leaving this month far outweighs the new additions, and they include some heavy hitters.

Check out the full list below, which you have until September 15th to enjoy:

• Commandos: Origins (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Cricket 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Cloud and Console)
• Dead Cells (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Deep Rock Galactic Survivor (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Frostpunk 2 (PC)
• Mullet Madjack (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Spiritfarer (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Superliminal (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Train Sim World 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Of course, there’s plenty more to come in the second half of September, including Minecraft Dungeons 2. October also looks packed with titles such as Gears of War: E-Day, Valor Mortis, and more coming to the service. Stay tuned for further updates on that front in the coming weeks.

While you wait, Heretic + Hexen are available for Premium subscribers. It’s joined by Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation, which debuts for Ultimate and PC with a fair amount of hype. On August 6th, tower defense rogue-lite Monsters are Coming! arrives on Premium alongside PowerWash Simulator 2.

Bounty Star and Grounded 2 (Game Preview) also make their debut for Premium on August 11th, while Date Everything! joins the service for all three tiers on the same day. The next day, you can look forward to Ball X Pit, an enticing mix of brick-breaking and rogue-lite mechanics, on Premium.

On August 13th, you’ll get to play Cricket 26 and Sandustry for all three tiers along with MIO: Memories in Orbit on Premium. Egging On rounds on this wave when it joins Premium on August 18th, but there’s plenty more to look forward to this month.

Of course, several titles will also be leaving the service on August 15th, so finish them now before it’s too late:

• Menace (Game Preview) (PC)
• Atlas Fallen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Firewatch (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Nowadays, instead, it’s the phrase, “If something is too good to be true, it probably is.” Few things from the company fit that profile quite like Game Pass.

It’s funny looking back to its announcement almost a decade ago. A library of games available for how much monthly? Even if the industry was years off from paying $70 for new triple-A titles, $60 was still a significant price point, and being able to access such an extensive selection felt amazing. Of course, while Microsoft would entice everyone with the potential of adding backwards-compatible OG Xbox titles to the service, the next major step was announced: its first-party exclusives would become available on day one for subscribers. State of Decay 2, Forza Horizon 4, future Halo and Gears of War titles – it was simply unbelievable.

For those concerned about Xbox’s lack of exclusives at the time, Microsoft announced multiple acquisitions that same year, including Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Playground Games and more. Game Pass Ultimate arrived in 2019 alongside PC Game Pass. Former Xbox head Phil Spencer called the service “completely sustainable.” Some of the hottest moments for the company were when it shadow-dropped big-name titles on Game Pass like Hi-Fi Rush and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered to pretty positive responses. Slowly but surely, it grew into one of, if not the best, subscriptions in gaming, spurring other companies to create their own in response (if not improve on existing models like PlayStation Plus).

Fast forward to now and suffice it to say that the overall atmosphere surrounding Game Pass is a lot different. Underwhelming Call of Duty titles, which has become a major anchor of Xbox’s software revenue, will no longer see new titles launching on day one for the service. Three of the previously mentioned studios (and Double Fine) acquired to bolster the catalogue – which they did, make no mistake – were sold off or became independent once more (not including Tango Gameworks being shut down before it was sold to Krafton). Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier recently reported that many people in Xbox’s studio leadership “absolutely detest” Game Pass as a whole, believing it to have “destroyed the value of their games.”

Spencer forecast 77 million subscribers by the end of July 2026 – reports claim that the current total is closer to around 30 million (which is down from the officially reported 34 million from 2024). Fun fact: At the time, he thought that if Microsoft couldn’t reach that figure, then it would be better served leaving the games business entirely.

Is it any coincidence that there have been reports about Xbox being spun off entirely or even turned into a joint venture before the layoffs were announced? I digress, but the timing is certainly interesting, especially since current CEO Asha Sharma admitted that Game Pass hasn’t grown at “the pace we expected.”

The only saving grace in all that is that it received a price drop after a controversial increase last year. Unfortunately, that hike resulted in millions of lost subscribers, according to Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball, and by the sound of recent reports, the company seems nowhere near reaching its 2024 peak.

For now, love it, hate it or ignore it, Xbox is in rebuild mode, cutting down on multiple layers of management and focusing on its biggest franchises. The problem is, it can’t just scuttle Game Pass at this point, even if it’s still shelling out money for third-party titles and devaluing its own exclusives, like the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day.

At the very least, it could have launched on PS5 and received some additional revenue from that, which might have helped shore up any potential sales lost through Game Pass. Now, it doesn’t get to have its cake and eat it too, and if recent console sales in the US are any indication, those price hikes in August for the Series X/S won’t help.

It’s funny, in a way. Game Pass is supposedly disliked internally and a major drain on resources while not growing, but alongside Candy Crush and Minecraft, it’s one of the few things propping up Xbox. It’s almost become an albatross for the company – existing in perpetuity with no concrete plans on how to combat subscriber numbers that have stagnated for years. Nothing in Sharma’s grand reset. No comments about it from all the executives talking about exclusives and whatnot.

At some point, before breaking all this down, I thought, “Well, Xbox doesn’t really have to kill Game Pass to survive.” And yet, I’m not so sure now. It could take several other steps – like cutting down on more day-one titles from first-party studios. We’ve already seen something when the new Game Pass Premium was revealed with Xbox-published titles arriving within a year of launch.

Otherwise, it’s hard to see a path forward for the service, especially since its existence runs counter to Xbox needing a “reliable pipeline of exclusive games” to bring the platform back to “consistent growth.” If Fallout 3 Remaster was shadow-dropped at next year’s Fallout Day in Washington, D.C., live in front of what may be an audience for that added bit of hype, are you going to buy it for, say, $50? Or will you play it on Game Pass, either because it’s a better deal or you’re already subscribed?

Will you pay full price for Fable or play it on Game Pass first to see if it’s for you? This isn’t to say that certain titles can’t coexist with the service – Forza Horizon 6 is a great example. But it’s also one of the few anomalies alongside Oblivion Remastered. Xbox’s multiplatform strategy may be a mess, but the fact that it’s still coming to PS5, especially after the blockbuster success of Forza Horizon 5, proves that it still wants a piece of that pie.

Promoting Xbox Series X/S growth is tough, and that’s before getting into price hikes and console shortages. Removing day-one first-party titles may also have a knock-on effect for PC. The majority sticks to Steam when it comes to purchasing titles, after all. One would assume that there’s some kind of crossover coming with Project Helix to allow for playing your Steam games on the platform, balancing it out with Game Pass. But again, if it sounds too good to be true, so on and so forth.

Aside from introducing that rumored free Cloud Gaming tier supported by advertising, Game Pass is a paradox for Xbox. It can’t be trifled with too much, lest it runs the risk of losing more subscribers, but it can’t be left alone at the risk of no growth. So while it won’t be sunset anytime soon, you have to wonder if those discussions are at least being explored, if not entertained. Regardless, even if Xbox opts to slay the albatross and move on, it won’t stop weighing on the company any time soon.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

It premieres on July 23rd for all three tiers and follows Remy as he ventures into Hadea to search for his parents in the midst of a civil war. The presence of supernatural monsters spawning from the Calamity doesn’t help either. Despite story and combat consternation, it’s well worth playing if you’re into an action-adventure that won’t hold your hand.

Next up is Halo: Campaign Evolved, the much-anticipated remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, which arrives on July 28th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. While it retains the story and structure of the original, Halo Studios has added four-player co-op, three new Prologue missions, dozens of new Skulls, Campaign Remix and much more.

Mistfall Hunter debuts on July 30th for the same tiers, offering a PvEvP Souls-like extraction loop for up to three players. Then there’s Corsair Cove, a city builder with a pirate twist from Limbic Entertainment debuting on July 31st.

As a small preview for next month, you can look forward to Heretic + Hexen on Premium and Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation on August 4th. The latter is a triple-A action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Japan, where players control Emma and Koo in their journey to stop the Blight. Head here for more details.

Of course, as usual, there’s a selection of titles leaving the service on July 31st. Check them out below:

• Back to the Dawn (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Celeste (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Rain World (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sniper Elite Resistance (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Whiskerwood (PC)

It kicks off with 2.5 Metroidvania Winds of Arcana: Ruination, out now on Ultimate, Premiuma and PC Game Pass. Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the original, joins Premium on July 9th alongside Tamashika, a corridor shooter coming to all three tiers.

Ascend to ZERO is next up on July 13th, launching on day one for the service and offering a rogue-like experience with time manipulation. July 14th sees the addition of PBA Pro Bowling 2026, answering the question of competitive bowling titles in today’s world.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check arrives for Premium on July 15th, followed by Marvix by Matt Jones, a pro riding title with a focus on open-world multiplayer competition, on July 16th. Meanwhile, FixForce joins the line-up on July 17th with its co-op extraction repairing loop (as odd as that sounds). It arrives alongside rogue-like deck-builder Fogpiercer for PC.

Things improve drastically on July 21st with the addition of The Planet Crafter, a survival-crafting terraforming sandbox which recently received a massive new update. It will be available on all three tiers alongside Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, the acclaimed remakes of the first two games with new skaters, levels, and much more.

Check out the list of all the titles leaving on July 15th. Be warned – it’s fairly lengthy and may contain some favorites:

• Dungeons of Hinterberg (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• EA Sports FC 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Golf With Your Friends (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Minami Lane (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• PowerWash Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Splitgate: Arena Reloaded (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Stellaris (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Super Fantasy Kingdom (Game Preview) (PC)
• Techtonica (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC)

On June 17th, Call of Duty: Vanguard will be available. As a successor of sorts to Call of Duty: WW2, it sees players embarking on yet another campaign through World War 2, but this time as a special operations task force called – you guessed it – Vanguard. As far as campaigns go in the series, especially over the last five years, it’s pretty decent.

Other additions include EA Sports FC 26 on June 18th and Abyssus, a rogue-lite shooter with support for up to four players in co-op. If you’re looking for a more stressful experience with friends, indie hit RV There Yet? debuts on June 30th for Ultimate, Premium and PC tiers.

As for next month, it kicks off with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 joining Game Pass Premium on July 2nd. It’s already available for Ultimate and PC subscribers, and while not quite as compelling as the series’ last pair of remakes, there’s still plenty of fun skateboarding action available. On July 6th, all three tiers can look forward to Winds of Arcana: Ruination, a 2.5D Metroidvania that involves venturing through a mysterious world.

And as usual, several titles will leave the service on June 30th. Check them out below:

• Mecha BREAK (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Payday 2 (Console)
• Rise of the Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Slay the Spire (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Ultimate Chicken Horse (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Unpacking (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Volcano Princess (Cloud, Console, and PC)

June 8th will see two more games joining the service – Solarpunk and Undisputed. While both will be available across PC, cloud and Xbox Series X/S, Undisputed will also be available on handhelds. Solarpunk will be available through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, while Undisputed will also be available for Game Pass Premium subscribers.

Persona 5 Royal will be coming to PC, console and cloud on June 9th for Game Pass Premium, Ultimate, and PC subscribers, followed by Beastro for PC, Xbox Series X/S, Cloud, and handheld on June 11th for Game Pass Ultimate and PC subscribers. The same day, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers on cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC will also get Frog Sqwad and the Game Preview version of STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions. Finally, Junkster will come to Ultimate and PC subscribers using Xbox Series X/S, PC, Handheld and cloud on June 16th.

Since it’s a part of Game Pass Ultimate, EA Play is also offering an Early Access Trial for its upcoming title, EA Sports UFC 6 for console players on June 12th.

June 15th will see a number of titles leaving the service – Jurassic World Evolution 2, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.

While there are quite a few indie titles that are making their debut through Game Pass in this batch, the headliner for many will likely be System Era Softworks’ STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions. The title has been in development for quite some time now, and unlike the original Astroneer, will have an even larger focus on multiplayer gameplay.

October 2025 saw the studio showcasing the gameplay for STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions through a video that came in at almost 17 minutes in length. It also featured creative director Adam Bromell giving some insights into the title.

“With this game, I didn’t want to just make a sequel to Astroneer,” explained Bromell in the video. “This is not Astroneer 2. This is a game that really represents the kind of online sandbox games that I want System Era to be known for, so much so that it is a whole new genre, and it is a whole new title. That game is STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions.”

STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions has been described by the studio as being a “full-blown expedition game”, with its core gameplay emphasizing improvisation and co-operation with other players. The title revolves around players being recruits on an experimental space station – the ESS Starseeker – and setting off on timed missions on different alien worlds under the leadership of the Fronteer Force.

Along with PC and Xbox Series X/S, STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions is also coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

Leenzee’s Souls-like action RPG, now owned by 505 Games’ parent company Digital Bros, is also available for PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers starting today. It follows reports about the dissolution of the core development team and the firing of director/producer Xia Siyuan. Whether the franchise has a future or not, the new owners are wasting no time to ensure more people can play the original.

Mixtape, the next game from The Artful Escape developer Beethoven and Dinosaur, is available on May 7th for Ultimate and PC subscribers. The same tiers will also receive cozy exploration crafting title Outbound on May 11th, followed by Black Jacket and Call of the Elder Gods on May 12th.

Interestingly, Elite Dangerous is also coming to Ultimate and Premium on May 12th, and may be worth checking out for Starfield fans who want deeper space exploration. DOOM: The Dark Ages debuts for Premium on May 14th alongside, at long last, Subnautica 2 on Game Preview for Ultimate and PC subscribers.

Then on May 19th, clear your schedule because Forza Horizon 6 goes live on May 19th for Ultimate and PC subscribers. If you’re subscribed to either and purchase the Premium Upgrade, then you can get early access on May 15th.

Check out all the titles that will be leaving Game Pass on May 15th (and which you can purchase at a 20 percent discount):

• Galacticare (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Go Mecha Ball (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Planet of Lana (Cloud, Console, and PC)