Quick Summary
Xbox has announced the titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in the first fortnight of August and it includes the open beta of Gears of War: E-Day.
That's exclusive to Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers only, but there are also plenty of games coming to the Premium library, too.
Xbox might be going through some tricky times, having dramatically cut staffing levels and entire studios from its lineup, and hiking prices of its consoles due to the component crisis, but it does have one shining star in its immediate future – Gears of War: E-Day.
The prequel is looking like it could be one of the best exclusives to release this year and very soon you won't even have to take our word for it – you can play it for free yourself.
That's if you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass member, that is. An Early Access Open Beta will be available to download and play on Xbox Series X/S or Windows PC from Thursday 6 August.
It will let you play the new Horde Siege PvE mode, which puts a new spin on the old wave survival mode in previous games.
The full game will release on 6 October and will arrive on Game Pass then, too. But if you want to get a taste ahead of time, at least you can.
Also coming to Xbox Game Pass this month are some treats for Premium members, as well as those with Ultimate and PC subscriptions.
Ball x Pit is a game I've played a lot on Steam Deck and love. It combines brick-breaking gameplay with base-building and is a whole lot of fun. That'll be available to Premium members on 12 August.
There's Powerwash Simulator 2 as well, which is already available on Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but will join the Premium lineup on 6 August.
And then there's Cricket 26 – the official game of the Ashes. That will arrive for all members (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass) on 13 August.
And also, Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can download and play the day one release of action RPG Beast of Reincarnation from today.
Here's a list of all the games coming this half of August:
- Heretic + Hexen – 4 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Beast of Reincarnation – 4 August (Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Monsters are Coming! – 6 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- PowerWash Simulator 2 – 6 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Bounty Star – 11 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Date Everything! – 11 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Grounded 2 (Game Preview) – 11 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Ball x Pit – 12 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Cricket 26 – 13 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Mio: Memories in Orbit – 13 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Sandustry – 13 August (Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Egging On – 18 August (Premium, Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
Games that are leaving the service on 15 August are Menace, Atlas Fallen, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Firewatch. So make sure you play them beforehand if you've been putting it off.
