We continue our overview of Xbox Game Pass games for August by taking a look at the titles expected for the second half of the month for subscribers to the service.
Practically in the middle of Gamescom 2024, the official announcement on the Game Pass games planned for the second half of this month arrived, with a reduced quantity, but still very interesting, which also includes a first taste of one of the most important and representative games for the Microsoft subscription service, namely Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. In the meantime, many interesting news emerged from the Cologne fair on the games planned for Game Pass, as we saw with the updated program of first-party games planned between now and 2025, which clearly also closely concern the release plan of the subscription service.
In short, it looks like a very intense autumn/winter, despite some notable postponements. Among these is the now well-known postponement of Avowed to next February and the fact that Towerborne will arrive as free-to-play, coming out first as early access on Steam and only later on Game Pass, but apart from this there is a lot of interesting stuff coming, including obviously Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle, scheduled for December 9th according to the announcement made during the German fair. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the Games scheduled for the second half of August in the Game Pass catalog.
Atlas Fallen – Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S, August 22
The action RPG scene is full of interesting names, but among these there should also be room Atlas Fallenwhich with its arrival in the Game Pass catalog could finally receive a further and deserved boost in terms of visibility and enjoyment by players.
Deck 13’s project was ambitious, but for various reasons it has so far failed to achieve the desired results on the market front. In any case, Focus Entertainment and the development team have decided to continue supporting it and the game has recently received the maxi-update Reign of Sand which represents, in fact, a real general relaunch of Atlas Fallen. This, together with the arrival on Game Pass, could really represent a turning point for a product that would actually deserve a second chance, at least to try to better exploit the various positive aspects visible right away such as the interesting setting and the well-layered and varied game mechanics, undermined by a less than perfect realization between the combat system and the construction of puzzles. The test is therefore highly recommended, even just to see the innovations brought by the arrival of Reign of Sand.
Core Keeper – Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S, August 27
Between survival, RPG, crafting and exploration you can find Core Keepera game that clearly draws inspiration from various famous titles such as Minecraft, Terraria and Stardew Valley but still manages to emerge with its own interesting identity.
In the shoes of an explorer, lost inside a forgotten cave, we find ourselves having to explore the area to find long-kept secrets, giving life to a complex multifaceted adventure. It is a sandbox game that can be played alone or in cooperative multiplayer for up to 8 players, in which we must venture into various settings and always obtain new relics and resources to build and improve our base as well as the main character. The mechanics then involve exploring the different settings, fighting, finding resources and dedicating ourselves to creatine, between building increasingly advanced structures and tools and getting to defeat the legendary Titans that dominate the area, finally revealing the mysterious power of the Core. Core Keeper brings together different features that always prove capable of attracting the player into their coils, and even in this case the mix works very well.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Open Beta – Console and PC, August 30
The launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 directly into the Game Pass catalog represents a particularly bold move by Microsoft, almost an “all in” on its subscription service, which leads us to await the event with great curiosity, to understand the impact it could have in terms of the number of users and any possible repercussions on sales.
Considering that it is one of the best-selling games ever on the modern market, even with a certain continuity, the direct release in the subscription service is an event of enormous importance and also quite unprecedented. However, it is not yet time to think about the release in its definitive form: for now we are only talking about access to the beta, which will be open to all Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass starting from August 30. This is the first phase of the test on the game, with the second taking place from September 6 to 9, and will allow initial access to the new features coming with this year’s chapter. Among these, one of the main ones is certainly the Omnimovement movement system which should allow for more extensive and detailed control of the character in the game, as well as obviously new features in terms of content and modes. The beta of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 introduces us to some new 6v6 maps, the control system and allows you to obtain rewards that can be redeemed in the full game.
Star Trucker – Cloud, Console and PC, September 3
In the varied world of simulations, which especially on PC has now expanded to include any type of experience, even the strangest, the space trucker was missing until now, so we welcome Star Trucker with joy since it fills what until now was an unjustifiable gap.
Jokes aside, the game also seems very interesting, as well as decidedly original: it is obviously not a Euro Truck Simulator in space, because here it is not so much a question of replicating real dynamics in a precise manner, but it is an imaginative simulation of interplanetary transport and trade aboard fantasy vehicles, which stages a truly unique science fiction representation of this world. In addition to driving the space vehicle, Star Trucker also offers a series of characteristic side elements such as the ability to communicate with other truck drivers via a CB radio and also to customize to the maximum both the appearance of the space truck and its technical characteristics, modifying the external elements but also the internal cockpit. Available at launch directly in Game Pass, the Monster and Monster game could truly be a welcome surprise at the beginning of September.
Arrivals and departures in the second half of August
Available on Game Pass from August 22nd onwards
- Atlas Fallen – Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S, August 22
- Core Keeper – Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S, August 27
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Open Beta – Console and PC, August 30
- Star Trucker – Cloud, Console and PC, September 3
No longer available on Game Pass as of August 31st
- Atomic Heart (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Guilty Gear -Strive- (Cloud, Console and PC)
- NBA 2K24 (Cloud & Console)
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