Xbox releases September 28–October 2, 2026: Game Pass, upgrades and early access

Xbox’s schedule for September 28 through October 2 includes Game Pass additions, paid early access, a Premium Edition release and a free upgrade. The important distinction is that appearing in the official Xbox Wire weekly roundup does not necessarily mean a game is included with every Game Pass tier.

This guide focuses on the week’s most useful access details rather than reproducing the full storefront catalogue. Xbox also cautions that release dates are subject to change.

Xbox releases and access dates at a glance

• September 28: Deluxe Edition early access begins for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.
• September 29: Minecraft Dungeons II launches with day-one access through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• September 29: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered arrives as a free upgrade for existing owners.
• October 1: Gears of War: E-Day Premium Edition becomes available. The announced Game Pass date is October 6.
• October 2: Keeper joins Game Pass Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• October 2: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve reaches its listed standard release date.

Minecraft Dungeons II is dated September 29

Use September 29 for the Minecraft Dungeons II release date. Xbox Wire’s weekly roundup labels the game September 28, but two more specific official Xbox sources give September 29. The Xbox Store listing shows a September 29, 2026 release date, and Xbox’s separate Game Pass announcement uses the same date. Xbox has not said that it formally corrected the weekly post.

Xbox lists day-one access through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The announcement does not list Game Pass Premium or Essential, so subscribers to those tiers should not treat inclusion as confirmed.

Readers following the wider Minecraft news cycle can also use our Minecraft Live guide. That separate guide does not claim that Minecraft Dungeons II will appear during the broadcast.

Keeper joins three Game Pass tiers on October 2

Keeper arrives October 2 for Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Xbox lists it for cloud, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

The tier difference matters: Keeper is announced for Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass, whereas the Minecraft Dungeons II announcement names only Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Our guide to last week’s Xbox releases and Game Pass access applies the same distinction between a release date and a subscription entitlement.

Gears of War: E-Day is not a Game Pass release on October 1

Xbox’s weekly roundup schedules Gears of War: E-Day Premium Edition for October 1. That is separate from the subscription date: the official Game Pass announcement says Gears of War: E-Day will join Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on October 6.

Subscribers waiting to play through either of those Game Pass plans should therefore use October 6, not October 1, as the relevant date. For more background on the game, see what has changed in Gears of War: E-Day.

Ace Combat 8 starts early access on September 28

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has two dates in the weekly schedule. Xbox lists October 2 as its standard release date, while people who pre-order the Deluxe Edition receive early access beginning September 28. The earlier date should therefore be treated as a pre-order benefit rather than the general launch.

The Witcher 3 Remastered is an ownership upgrade

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered is scheduled for September 29, but Xbox describes it as a free upgrade for owners of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is not presented in the cited announcements as a new Game Pass addition.

Which date applies to you?

• Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass: Minecraft Dungeons II is announced for September 29, followed by Keeper on October 2 and Gears of War: E-Day on October 6.
• Game Pass Premium: Keeper is announced for October 2. Premium access for Minecraft Dungeons II is not listed in the cited Game Pass announcement.
• Waiting for Gears of War: E-Day through Game Pass: Use October 6 rather than the Premium Edition date of October 1.
• Already own The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Xbox says the Remastered release is a free upgrade for owners on September 29.
• Considering Ace Combat 8: September 28 is Deluxe Edition pre-order early access; October 2 is the listed standard release date.

The complete release slate is available in Xbox Wire’s September 28–October 2 roundup. Check the relevant store page before purchasing or downloading because Xbox says scheduled dates may change.