Game Pass September Wave Adds Black Ops Cold War, and Cyberpunk 2077 Leaves on the 15th
Microsoft has confirmed the first wave of Game Pass September games, and the headline addition is Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which joins the catalogue on 8 September. Nine titles arrive across the first half of the month on cloud, console and PC, while ten more leave the service on 15 September, including Cyberpunk 2077.
Which Game Pass September games arrive first, and on which tiers
The wave is spread over sixteen days rather than dropping in one batch. Tier matters here: two of the additions are not on every plan, so check which subscription you actually hold before planning a download.
- Shelldiver — 1 September, available now on Cloud, console and PC for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
- SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed — 3 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Ultimate and PC Game Pass only, not Premium.
- Dice a Million — 4 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld and PC for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — 8 September on Cloud, console and PC for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
- The Royal Writ — 10 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld and PC for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
- Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage — 10 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
- RuneScape: Dragonwilds — 15 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
- TCG Card Shop Simulator — its 1.0 release lands 15 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld and PC.
- Aniimo — in-game benefits from 16 September on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC. This is the one entry that includes Essential subscribers alongside Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass.
Black Ops Cold War is the draw for most people. The 2020 Treyarch and Raven shooter carries a full campaign, Zombies and multiplayer, and its arrival on the service is the cheapest route into that trio of modes for anyone who skipped it. It runs on Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X|S, since it is listed for console broadly rather than current generation only.
What is leaving Game Pass on 15 September
Ten games drop out on the same day, and the list is unusually strong. Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells, Spiritfarer and Frostpunk 2 are all long-standing catalogue anchors.
- Commandos: Origins
- Cricket 24
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Dead Cells
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
- Frostpunk 2
- Mullet Madjack
- Spiritfarer
- Superliminal
- Train Sim World 5
Two weeks is enough time to finish most of them. Cyberpunk 2077 is not one of those. If you are partway through a run, members get a discount on the purchase price while a game is still in the catalogue, and cloud saves carry across to the bought copy. Dead Cells and Mullet Madjack are the realistic finishes in the window.
The EA Play trial and what else changed
EA Sports NHL 27 gets a 10-hour early access trial through EA Play from 4 September on console. That is the standard EA Play trial structure — the clock runs while you play, progress carries into the full game, and it is bundled with Ultimate rather than sold separately.
Note the tier split running through this wave. SpeedRunners 2 skips Premium entirely, and Aniimo is the only entry Essential subscribers get. Microsoft has been sorting its catalogue by plan more aggressively since the tier rework, so a game showing on the Game Pass app does not always mean it is included on yours. We covered the same pattern in August's second Game Pass wave, and the day-one split behaved the same way.
How this compares to last month and to PS Plus
August's departures were smaller in profile — Firewatch, Atlas Fallen and Aliens: Fireteam Elite headed the list in the mid-August removals. September takes out more of the catalogue's recognisable names at once.
On the other side of the fence, Sony's line-up went live yesterday: our rundown of the PS Plus September monthly games covers MLB The Show 26 and Sniper Elite: Resistance, which is a smaller haul than Microsoft's nine.
Xbox has been busy elsewhere too. The disc-to-digital conversion tool went live for Insiders this week, and if you play through the cloud on a phone, our list of Android games with gamepad support covers which controllers pair cleanly.
Wave two, covering the back half of September, is usually announced around the middle of the month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What games are coming to Xbox Game Pass in September 2026?
The first wave brings nine titles: Shelldiver on 1 September, SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed on 3 September, Dice a Million on 4 September, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on 8 September, The Royal Writ and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage on 10 September, RuneScape: Dragonwilds and the 1.0 release of TCG Card Shop Simulator on 15 September, and Aniimo in-game benefits on 16 September. A second wave covering the rest of the month is usually announced mid-month.
Is Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on Game Pass?
Yes, from 8 September 2026. It is included with Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass, and it is playable through the cloud, on console and on PC. The Game Pass version includes the campaign, Zombies and multiplayer.
What is leaving Game Pass on 15 September 2026?
Ten games leave that day: Commandos: Origins, Cricket 24, Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Frostpunk 2, Mullet Madjack, Spiritfarer, Superliminal and Train Sim World 5. Members get a discount if they buy a title before it leaves, and cloud saves transfer to the purchased copy.
Which September Game Pass games are not on Premium?
SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed is listed only for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, so Premium subscribers do not get it. Aniimo's in-game benefits go the other way and are the only entry in this wave that includes Game Pass Essential.
Is NHL 27 free on Game Pass?
Not in full. EA Sports NHL 27 gets a 10-hour early access trial through EA Play from 4 September on console, which is bundled with Game Pass Ultimate. The clock counts play time, and progress carries over if you buy the full game.
