Xbox Game Pass subscribers now know the upcoming list of games for the first half of August 2026, as well as a special & free added bonus on top of the subscription costs. Hopefully, August proves to be a good month for Xbox Game Pass, as the service is already well underway.
Ahead of these upcoming Xbox Game Pass games, Xbox has already added a handful of games for August (despite it still being quite early this month). First is Heretic and Hexen joining Xbox Game Pass Premium, letting more fans than ever play the definitive re-releases of the magic shooters. And the big one is Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation also joining Xbox Game Pass as a day-one game. Fans can check these titles out while waiting for the new upcoming list, if they are not delving into the new freebie.
Xbox Game Pass August Wave 1 List (Games Coming Soon)
- Monsters Are Coming (August 6)
- PowerWash Simulator (August 6)
- Bounty Star (August 11)
- Date Everything (August 11)
- Grounded 2 (August 11)
- Ball x Pit (August 12)
- Cricket 26 (August 13)
- Mio: Memories in Orbit (August 13)
- Sandustry Game Preview* (August 13)
-
Egging On (August 18)
- Every Xbox Game Pass game listed here joins via Cloud, Xbox Series X/S consoles, and PC unless otherwise noted by an asterisk*
On the dates listed above, Xbox Game Pass Premium is adding Monsters Are Coming, PowerWash Simulator, Bounty Star, Date Everything, Grounded 2, Ball x Pit, Cricket 26, Mio: Memories in Orbit, a game preview of Sandustry, and Egging On throughout the first two weeks of this month. Pretty much all of these games were already available on the higher tiers, like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but the Sandustry Game Preview, Cricket 26, and Date Everything are brand-new games hitting every major tier. Fans should mark their calendars for this, but to take advantage of the bonus freebie, they should also circle August 6.
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC subscribers are able to join the Gears of War: E-Day Early Access Open Beta as a benefit of the service, costing no more than the typical subscription price, and it begins on August 6 and runs through August 10. In it, players will be able to check out the all-new Horde Siege PvE mode in Gears of War: E-Day, which focuses on bigger maps, more players, and more epic battles.
As GameRant Managing Editor wrote in his preview of the Horde Siege mode, “After three days of playing Gears of War: E-Day‘s Versus and Horde Siege, I can confidently say that the game is now one of my most-anticipated of the year. I noticed some rough edges here and there that will almost certainly be polished out by the time E-Day releases on October 6, if not by the open beta when it starts on August 6. Based on what I’ve played, The Coalition has nailed Horde and Versus in Gears of War: E-Day…”
Meanwhile, fans can also expect more Xbox Game Pass additions, announcements, and so forth in the coming weeks as well. If nothing listed above tickles a fancy, something almost certainly will next.
