Following a packed wave full of indie gems early in the month, Microsoft today unveiled the second wave of the August Xbox Game Pass drops. There are four games incoming in the coming weeks, which include high-profile releases from a variety of genres.
Here are the games announced today and their arrival dates:
- Firewatch (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 17
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 18
- Sea of Stars (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 29
- Gris (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 5
From the bunch, the asymmetrical multiplayer horror game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the isometric RPG Sea of Stars are both day-one drops onto the subscription services. The remaining two games are returning titles to Game Pass after being removed a year or two ago.
Don't forget that the newly enhanced version of Quake II was also released onto the subscriptions last week. This was a shadow drop during QuakeCon 23 that touts enhanced visuals and AI, widescreen display support, crossplay multiplayer, and more modern features.
Sports fans with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscriptions can also try out the new Madden NFL 24 for free right now. This 10-hour trial is available via EA Play on PC and Xbox Series X|S.
Meanwhile, six games are leaving the service at the end of the month, August 31, though no AAA releases are included in the list this time:
- Black Desert (Cloud and Console)
- Commandos 3 – HD Remaster (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Immortality (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Nuclear Throne (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Surgeon Simulator 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Tinykin (Cloud, Console, and PC)
The next Game Pass announcement should arrive in two weeks time on September 1, the same day that Starfield begins its 5-day early release schedule for Special Edition (and Premium Edition Upgrade) customers. Being an Xbox Game Studios release, the highly-anticipated RPG is coming to all Game Pass subscriptions on day-one for no extra cost as well.
