Xbox Game Pass September 2024 – PC gets day one releases, but everyone loses this month

Xbox Game Pass has made some new additions to the service, but they haven't done anything to nullify the blow of the games leaving the service to make way for them.

It seems that gaming services are starting to go the confusing way of TV and film streaming services. Xbox Game Pass kicked off one hell of a trend, giving players the chance to play a grand fountain of games for a monthly fee on Xbox, but as PlayStation and a few major game developers get in on the action, there has now been an influx of changes that has certainly muddied the waters of subscription services. Game Pass is going the way of Netflix by introducing confusing new tiers, with a recent alteration adding a new tier to the service that strips players of day one releases for increased savings.

It’s not an ideal system, as it has made picking out the right subscription for any given player pretty needlessly difficult – but it certainly hasn’t kept Xbox from wheeling out plenty of new games on the service, which recently have been very much in service of those keen on the day one releases.

The Xbox Game Pass September releases so far have been impressive fulfilments of promises made some time ago, with Age of Mythology Retold and Star Trucker appearing for players this month in the first September Game Pass drop. They’ve made for a great deal of excitement, but the September launches aren’t finished just yet, as Xbox Game Pass has reminded players that more impressive day one releases are set to come before the month’s end. Here’s everything that Microsoft has revealed to be coming to the service.

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Xbox Game Pass update September 2024 games lineup update

The official Xbox blog has confirmed that these games are set to join Xbox Game Pass before the end of September:

• Wargroove 2 (console, cloud, PC) – Available now

• Frostpunk 2 (PC) – September 20

• Ara: History Untold (PC) – September 20

It’s not a massive update overall, but for tactics fans on PC, it’s an impressive one, with Frostpunk 2 and Ara: History Untold debuting as day-one releases, luckily not falling behind a tier of Xbox Game Pass that restricts users from playing them despite their fresh arrival. Even so, there are only three games to share here, which isn’t ideal for a lot of players, especially those on console who only have one game to enjoy here – and it hasn’t done much to dampen the fact that a huge swathe of games are going to be leaving the service at the end of the month too.

Games leaving Xbox Game Pass in September 2024

Joining FIFA 23 and Payday 3 among others set to leave the service this month is a collection of titles that’s going to make it tough to look at this Xbox Game Pass September 2024 reveal feel like a particularly fun one. Here is the collection of games that Xbox has revealed will be leaving the service on Monday, September 30:

• Gotham Knights (console, cloud, PC)

• Let’s Build a Zoo (console, cloud, PC)

• Loop Hero (console, cloud, PC)

• My Time at Portia (console, cloud, PC)

• PAW Patrol Grand Prix (console, cloud, PC)

• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (console, cloud, PC)

• The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PC)

• The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC)

• Valheim (console, cloud, PC)

It’s a sad collection of losses, especially with a huge title like Valheim departing the service. With only three games joining the service before the end of the month, and two of them being exclusive to the PC version of the service, it’s hard to feel like players are winning right now, especially as they try to work out if they need to change their subscription model with recent changes to day one releases on the service. It’s a messy end to a quiet month for Xbox, and with so much open space for them to impress players after the PS5 Pro price scandal, it feels like a seriously wasted opportunity. Maybe they’ll get ‘em next time.