Xbox Game Pass Gets One More Stacked Lineup Before Major Downgrade

Xbox Game Pass is getting a surprisingly stacked second wave of games in September, with Ninja Gaiden 4, Dune: Awakening, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and Gears of War: E-Day all headed to the subscription service.

The stacked lineup arrives at an interesting time for Game Pass. Microsoft has recently started changing some of the benefits that helped make the subscription appealing, including putting monthly limits on cloud gaming. And a new report claims Xbox could make an even bigger change next year by removing day-one releases from Game Pass entirely.

For now, though, the service is still getting some major games.

What's coming to Xbox Game Pass in September

Here's everything Microsoft announced for the second wave of Game Pass additions:

• RuneScape: Dragonwilds — Sept. 15
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion — Sept. 16
• Planet of Lana 2 — Sept. 16
• Routine — Sept. 16
• Ultimate Sheep Raccoon — Sept. 16
• Kernel Hearts — Sept. 17
• Ninja Gaiden 4 — Sept. 17
• Dune: Awakening — Sept. 22
• Well Dweller — Sept. 22
• Mad King Redemption — Sept. 23
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 — Sept. 25
• Minecraft Dungeons 2 — Sept. 29
• Keeper — Oct. 2
• Gears of War: E-Day — Oct. 6

Several of the bigger games are also coming to Game Pass Premium, which is notable given the service's recent restructuring. Ninja Gaiden 4, Dune: Awakening, and Black Ops 6 will all be available through Premium, while Gears of War: E-Day and Minecraft Dungeons 2 are day-one releases for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

There's a decent variety here, too. Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror game set on an abandoned lunar base, while Ultimate Sheep Raccoon is a multiplayer bike-racing game where players build courses filled with obstacles and traps. Dune: Awakening offers a multiplayer and single-player open-world survival experience, and Ninja Gaiden 4 brings back the long-running hack-and-slash series.

These games are leaving Game Pass in September

The additions come with the usual reminder that Game Pass' library is constantly changing. Microsoft says eight games will leave the service on Sept. 30:

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

Image: Rebellion

That churn is becoming more interesting as Microsoft continues to adjust what subscribers get for their money.

Earlier this month, Xbox announced that cloud gaming will receive monthly playtime limits beginning in November. Ultimate subscribers will get 15 hours per month, while Premium subscribers will get 10 hours and Essential subscribers will get five hours. Xbox said the changes are a response to rising cloud gaming costs and increased usage.

Now there's another potentially significant change on the horizon. A recent report from Vice, citing a ResetEra user who has previously shared accurate Game Pass information, claims Microsoft could stop putting new games on Game Pass day one sometime between February and April 2027. The report also claims Xbox could split cloud gaming into a separate paid add-on and introduce additional Game Pass options.

Image: Tarsier Studios/Bandai Namco

Microsoft has not confirmed those reported 2027 changes, so they should be treated as rumors for now. But if the day-one claim is accurate, it would mark a major departure for a service whose biggest selling point has been giving subscribers access to Microsoft's new games on their release dates.

For now, that promise is still intact. Gears of War: E-Day is coming to Game Pass on day one this October, and Minecraft Dungeons II will do the same later this month. So while Game Pass may be getting less generous in some areas, Microsoft's latest lineup isn't exactly a sign that the big releases are going away just yet.