Xbox Game Pass is drawing fresh attention as new additions and a packed October release schedule give subscribers plenty to watch this week.
One of the surprises is Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, which has quietly become playable through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Pure Xbox reports that the Ubisoft title appeared on the service without a major announcement from either Xbox or Ubisoft.
The game originally followed Valiant Hearts: The Great War and tells an emotional story set during World War I.
Another title highlighted for Game Pass is Kingdom Two Crowns, with its arrival adding to an increasingly busy period for Microsoft's subscription service.
But the biggest Game Pass release is just around the corner.
Gears of War: E Day officially launches October 6 and will be available on day one through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Microsoft says the game takes players back 14 years before the original Gears of War, following Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during the beginning of the Locust invasion.
Premium Edition players and eligible Game Pass subscribers with the Premium Upgrade have already been able to play through early access since October 1.
More games are coming immediately afterward.
Echo Weaver and Neon Abyss 2 are scheduled to arrive on October 8, while Deep Dish Dungeon and Valor Mortis are currently listed for October 13. Other confirmed October Game Pass releases include Beyond These Stars, Chained Beasts, The Seance of Blake Manor and Terrible Lizards.
There is also some bad news for subscribers.
Eight games are currently listed to leave Game Pass on October 15, including A Plague Tale: Requiem, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Crime Scene Cleaner, Donut County, Evil West, The Casting of Frank Stone and Pacific Drive.
With surprise additions appearing alongside one of Xbox's biggest releases of the year, October is shaping up to be a particularly active month for Game Pass subscribers.
