August has just begun, and like clockwork, the first batch of games headed this month to Xbox Game Pass has been revealed. Here’s a closer look at what you can expect to play in the first half of the month.
Xbox Game Pass August wave 1 games
Available today, you can jump into some old-school first-person spellcasting action with Heretic + Hexen. A re-release of the classic shooters, each game has been updated with several new features and enhancements.
While we weren’t blown away by it, you can still check out the day-one release of Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation, an action-RPG set in a harsh but beautiful post-apocalyptic world.
Starting August 6, things heat up with Monsters Are Coming (to Game Pass Premium), the return of PowerWash Simulator, and the early access launch of the Gears of War: E-Day beta. Remember, if you want in, you’ll need to preorder the game or have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass subscription. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait until August 13 for the open beta to begin.
Once the dust has settled from those arrivals, you can check out Bounty Star and Date Everything when they hit Game Pass on August 11. Bounty Star is an over-the-shoulder 3D action game themed around combat and farming–and now available through Game Pass Premium–while Date Everything lives up to its name by allowing you to romance everything from your bed to your smoke alarm, who are fortunately all presented as anthropomorphic beings. Grounded 2 will also be available through Xbox Game Pass Premium as it continues its early access journey.
On August 12, the Game Pass Premium gates open for the brick-breaking and base-building fun of Ball X Pit; Cricket 26 tasks you with using your balls to break some wickets instead, and you don’t want to miss out on the hand-crafted metroidvania Mio: Memories in Orbit when it arrives on August 13. It’s worth noting that Ball X Pit and Mio: Memories in Orbit have been available through Xbox Game Pass for a while now, but they’re being added to the lower tier of the subscription service this month.
There’s also the day-one release of Sandustry to look forward to, and in a sneak peek at August’s second wave of games, you can guide a fragile egg through a gauntlet of danger in Egging On.
There’ll also be four games leaving Game Pass on August 15, so you only have a few days left to play titles like Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Firewatch.
August 4
Heretic + Hexen (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Beast of Reincarnation (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
August 6
Gears of War: E-Day Open Beta – Early Access
Monsters are Coming! (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
PowerWash Simulator 2 (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
August 11
Bounty Star (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Date Everything! (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Grounded 2 (Game Preview) (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
August 12
Ball x Pit (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
August 13
Cricket 26 (Cloud, Console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Mio: Memories in Orbit (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Sandustry via Game Preview (PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
August 18
Egging On (Cloud Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
