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Xbox Game Pass September 2026 wave 2: Dates, tiers and Gears of War: E-Day
September 16, 2026Xbox’s second September 2026 Game Pass wave covers a dated lineup through October 6. Here are the day-one releases, Premium tier expansions, Essential addition and eight September 30 departures.
Xbox published its second September 2026 Game Pass wave on September 15, laying out a schedule that runs through October 6. The date most likely to cause confusion is the last one: Gears of War: E-Day arrives on October 6, not during September.
The official Xbox Game Pass announcement combines day-one releases, additions to Game Pass Premium and other dated entries. Those labels are not interchangeable: a game described as “now with Game Pass Premium” is expanding to that tier rather than necessarily entering Game Pass for the first time.
Xbox Game Pass September wave 2 dates
| Date | Games and availability notes |
|---|---|
| September 15 | RuneScape: Dragonwilds is listed for cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass. |
| September 16 | Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Planet of Lana II, Routine and Ultimate Sheep Raccoon become available with Game Pass Premium while joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. |
| September 17 | Kernel Hearts arrives as a day-one release for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Ninja Gaiden 4 becomes available with Game Pass Premium. |
| September 22 | Dune: Awakening and Well Dweller, with the latter marked as a day-one release. |
| September 23 | Mad King Redemption. |
| September 25 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 becomes available with Game Pass Premium. |
| September 29 | Minecraft Dungeons II arrives as a day-one release. |
| October 2 | Keeper becomes available with Game Pass Premium. |
| October 6 | Gears of War: E-Day arrives as a day-one release for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. |
The dates and status labels above follow Xbox Wire’s September 15 schedule. Where Xbox uses “Handheld,” that wording has not been replaced with “console” or tied to a particular device.
Which games are expanding to Game Pass Premium?
Xbox identifies seven games in this schedule as becoming available with Game Pass Premium: Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Planet of Lana II, Routine, Ultimate Sheep Raccoon, Ninja Gaiden 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Keeper.
The first four are also described as joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on September 16. The Premium wording is important because these are tier expansions, not seven games that are all entering the wider Game Pass catalogue for the first time.
By contrast, Xbox applies its day-one label to Kernel Hearts, Well Dweller, Minecraft Dungeons II and Gears of War: E-Day. Xbox also mentions Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault in an “In Case You Missed It” section with a September 2 date, so it is not part of the new wave-two calendar.
Gears of War: E-Day arrives on October 6
Gears of War: E-Day closes the schedule on October 6. Xbox lists it for Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, PC and cloud, with day-one access through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
The Coalition’s official release announcement separately confirms the October 6 global launch date and says Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can play on day one without pre-ordering. Readers looking beyond subscription availability can also see what Gears of War: E-Day changes in combat.
Eight games leave Game Pass on September 30
Xbox says the following games will leave the Game Pass library on September 30:
- Atomfall
- Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
- Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition
- Little Rocket Lab
- Sifu
- SOPA Tale of the Stolen Potato
- Sworn
- Terminull Brigade
Anyone intending to finish one of those games through the subscription should plan around the September 30 removal date. Xbox’s announcement does not say how long any of the incoming third-party games will remain available.
Rematch joins Game Pass Essential
Rematch joins Game Pass Essential on September 25. Xbox presents it separately as the Essential addition, so readers should not assume that the other games in this wave are included with that tier.
While games are fun, it’s highly important to note that there’s more to life than sitting countless hours playing video games – there’s a purpose and more to life; seek out that purpose more often!
