What you need to know
- Soulslike based on the classic tale of Pinocchio, Lies of P, hits Xbox Game Pass today.
- Party Animals, the adorable jelly brawler full of cuddly animals, joins Game Pass as a day one addition on Sept. 20.
- Co-op shooter Payday 3 will join Game Pass day one on Sept. 21.
- Anticipated indie puzzler Cocoon launches day one on Game Pass Sept. 29.
- Gotham Knights and The Lamplighters League are the first titles announced to be joining the service in October.
It's been a slow news day for Xbox, what with all those new console leaks, but there are more Xbox Game Pass additions that have been properly announced today via Xbox Wire. Players can look forward to a diverse line-up hitting the monthly subscription service within the next couple of weeks, with 4 of the 5 titles announced today being Day One additions.
The most recent title to hit Xbox Game Pass was the Soulslike Lies of P, but we've barely had time to drop the first boss before announcements of additional Game Pass titles landed in front of us.
Among the upcoming new releases is console-exclusive jelly brawler Party Animals. Pick your animal, grab a plunger, and team up to fight with or against your friends in what is undeniably one of the cutest physics brawlers in existence. Party Animals launches day one into Game Pass via console and cloud on Sept. 20.
If fluffy animal brawlers aren't your preferred method for taking a break from the brutal hellscape of a Pinocchio-inspired Soulslike, then you may prefer to look forward to the day one launch of Payday 3. The Payday series is an incredibly popular co-op shooter where players can enjoy the thrill of planning and executing the ultimate bank heists in full first-person glory.
Despite the series' popularity, Payday 2 was infamously abandoned on Xbox and there's a degree of hesitancy when it comes to the launch of Payday 3 even with its inclusion in Game Pass. Payday 3 will launch on Game Pass on Sept. 21, and will be available on the cloud, PC, and the Xbox Series consoles.
Developed by Geometric Interactive and published by Annapurna Interactive, Cocoon is the latest from Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer behind Limbo and Inside. The hauntingly gorgeous world-jumping puzzler is one of the most-anticipated 2023 releases for fans of indie games, and it's launching day one on Xbox Game Pass on Sept. 29. Cocoon will be available on consoles and PC, but not the cloud.
The last of the game announcements from today kick off the start of October's Game Pass additions. WB Games Montreal's gritty, post-Batman open-world RPG will be hitting Game Pass on the cloud, PC and Xbox Series consoles on Oct. 3. With Bruce Wayne officially dead, players will have to suit up as his family — Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin — to protect the streets of Gotham City. Gotham Knights is the only game to be joining the Xbox Game Pass service from this announcement that was not a day one addition.
The final game announced today is The Lamplighters League, a turn-based strategy game developed by Harebrained Schemes and published by Paradox Interactive. The game is set in an alternative history of the 1930s and requires the player to assemble a team of agents to stop a cult known as the Banished Court. The Lamplighters League will launch on cloud, PC, and Xbox Series consoles as a day one addition to Xbox Game Pass on Oct. 3.
Game Pass giveth, and Game Pass taketh away, unfortunately. 5 new titles may be joining the service, but 7 will no longer be available to Game Pass subscribers after September 30. This includes:
- Beacon Pines (Cloud, Console, PC)
- Despot's Game (Cloud, Console, PC)
- Last Call BBS (PC)
- Moonscars (Cloud, Console, PC)
- Outriders (Cloud, Console, PC)
- Prodeus (Cloud, Console, PC)
- Weird West (Cloud, Console, PC)
Of course, games leaving the service are still available for purchase in the Microsoft store with a discount of up to 20% until they are removed from Game Pass. Just in case you were worried about your backlog getting any lighter.
