Xbox announced its September Game Pass releases this week. This month, you’ll get access to titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Is it time to resubscribe?
It’s been a rough time for the gaming giant between restructurings, layoffs, hardware price increases, and service outages. Its flagship video game subscription service—Xbox Game Pass—has also been through the wringer, with a steep price hike taking effect last October, followed by a smaller, yet surprising price drop in April. This week, the service also announced a cap on unlimited cloud gaming hours starting in November, a move that has frustrated many. But, if you’re a dedicated gamer, it’s still hard to beat the allure of spending a set amount of money each month for access to hundreds of games across console, PC, and cloud.
Here’s everything new coming to Game Pass and how to decide if this video game streaming service is still worth paying for.
New to Game Pass for September
Xbox just announced and launched new games for Game Pass members. Here’s the full list:
1. Shelldiver – September 1
Coming to:Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
This cozy game from Gagonfe lets you play as a turtle while you fish for jellyfish, explore the ocean, and sell your finds in a small shop.
2. Speedrunners 2: King of Speed – September 3
Coming to:Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Speedrunners 2 is the multiplatform successor to the first title in this series, where you’ll run, leap, and outsmart competitors in a variety of races as you fight to stay on-screen.
3. Dice a Million – September 4
If you love deckbuilders, you might enjoy this indie roguelike from 2 Left Thumbs, where you try to reach one million points without losing it all.
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – September 8
Coming to:Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
This first-person shooter will make its Game Pass debut on September 8th. Follow CIA operative Russell Adler as you pursue a Soviet Spy named Perseus.
5. The Royal Writ – September 10
Coming to:Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
The Royal Writ is a medieval roguelike deckbuilder developed by Save Sloth Studios. Lead your troops through battle and grow your legacy in this tactical card game.
6. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage – September 10
Coming to:Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Compete in a global fighting tournament in the new immersive single-player mode or take your chances against players across the world with Cross-Play.
7. RuneScape: Dragonwilds – September 15
Coming to:Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
The dragons are awake. Keep your cool to survive in this open-world crafting game, and uncover ancient secrets to face Queen Kuldra, known as the ‘God Eater.’
You’ll also see game updates for EA Sports NHL 27 (September 4) and TCG Card Shop Simulator (September 15).
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Which Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass in September?
Here’s what’s leaving the service this month:
How Much Does Xbox Game Pass Cost?
The original promise of Xbox Game Pass was that if you give Microsoft money every month, you’d get a large collection of games to play without any additional costs. That dream remains mostly intact, though several price changes and plan adjustments have made things a little more complicated for the game streaming service.
Here’s how much each Xbox membership currently costs and what you get for the money:
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Essential:At $9.99 per month, Essential is Xbox’s cheapest plan, offering around 50 games—mostly Xbox originals—as well as cloud gaming and online multiplayer.
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Premium: Increasing to $14.99 per month for the Premium plan will up your number of available games to 200. It also promises access to new Xbox-published games within one year of launch.
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Ultimate: For $22.99 per month, the Ultimate plan promises 500+ titles and new games on day one (except for new Call of Duty entries), and offers access to EA Play, Fortnite Crew, and Ubisoft+ Classics.
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PC: For $13.99 per month, PC Game Pass offers 300+ games, new games on day one, and access to EA Play.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Review
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Is Game Pass Still Worth the Money?
Paying for a subscription is not the same as owning a game outright. Just like video streaming services, your Game Pass library is constantly changing. New titles are added each month to bring in subscribers, but others are also removed to make room. You’ll need to keep track of how long games will be available to make sure you don’t miss out.
As an example, let’s say you plan to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (starting at $59.99), Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (starting at $19.99), and RuneScape: Dragonwilds (starting at $34.99) this year. If you plan to play all three before the end of the year (roughly four months from now), you’d spend $68.97 through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate compared to and $114.97 to buy the standard editions. So Game Pass Ultimate could save you $46.
Of course, there are a lot of caveats here. While you’re saving money, you won’t ever own the games this way. And since titles are routinely removed from Game Pass, you’ll want to pay attention and play strategically. On the other hand, the next month, you’ll also gain access to more titles. There are some benefits to each method. It all comes down to how you game.
You can also cancel your monthly subscription before your billing date and turn it back on when titles you want to play pop up. Rotating subscriptions can be a good way to keep your monthly subscription costs low.
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As PCMag’s editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.
I believe tech corporations are bad, but you might as well know how to use technology in everyday life. Want more how to content delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the tips and tricks newsletter that I curate three times a week.
My job as how-to guru means I use just about every gadget under the sun, so I can figure out how everything works. I work from a Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 11, but also have a very large Dell Inspiron 17 3000 and Apple silicon MacBook. I have a Google Pixel 6a for personal use and use a Galaxy Z Flip 4 for additional Samsung-related testing. For iOS coverage, an iPhone 13 mini works like a charm, though it’s already becoming a little long in the tooth.
My desktop situation includes a dual monitor setup with a modest Acer monitor. I also use a Logitech vertical mouse (who can use these ThinkPad trackpads) and a Havit keyboard (my first mechanical keyboard; I love it but my wife hates it!). I’m a recent convert from wired headphones; I have Anker Soundcore Liberty Air wireless earbuds for personal use and have taken to the Sennheiser HD 450BT headphones for work.
Whenever I have a second to myself, I’m probably gaming on my Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, or Xbox Series S. I also still have a bunch of classic consoles lying around as well.
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