Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass subscribers can expect three new games in the second half of August 2023, which is fewer than usual, but they are in for some major releases in the coming months.
- The highly anticipated game Starfield will be available on Xbox Game Pass beginning September 6, with an early access option for Premium Edition Upgrade buyers on September 1.
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Sea of Stars are both day one releases on Xbox Game Pass, coming to the service on August 18 and August 29, respectively. Firewatch, an award-winning adventure game, is also making a return to the platform on August 17.
Microsoft has confirmed three games that are coming to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service for the second half of August 2023. Three games is fairly light when it comes to new wave of Xbox Game Pass additions, but subscribers can think of it as the calm before the storm.
The new Xbox Game Pass games for August 2023 are not as plentiful as subscribers may be used to, but the subscription service is gearing up for some of its biggest new additions ever. This includes day one game Starfield, which is set to launch for Xbox Game Pass on September 6. Those willing to pay $34.99 for the Premium Edition Upgrade can even play it on September 1, or the night of August 31, depending on their location. There's also Forza Motorsport to look forward to in October, not to mention the many other Xbox Game Pass games in the pipeline for the rest of 2023.
But while there aren't a lot of new games coming to Xbox Game Pass in the second half of August 2023, at least two of them are day one releases. This includes The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, set to join Xbox Game Pass on Friday, August 18 as a day one game, as well as throwback RPG Sea of Stars, which is joining the service on August 29. Award-winning indie game Firewatch will be added on August 17.
New Xbox Game Pass Games for August 2023
- Firewatch (Cloud/Consoles/PC) - August 17
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Cloud/Consoles/PC) - August 18
- Sea of Stars (Cloud/Consoles/PC) - August 29
For anyone out of the loop, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a new asymmetrical multiplayer horror game in the vein of Dead by Daylight or Friday the 13th: The Game, but with a Texas Chain Saw theme. In an interesting twist on the asymmetrical multiplayer horror genre, there are three killers players have to worry about, which can make things especially intense. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game is online-only, so it being part of Xbox Game Pass should go a long way in ensuring that it has a decent population of players at launch.
Sea of Stars, meanwhile, is a turn-based RPG that pays homage to 16-bit era JRPGs like Chrono Trigger. There's a great deal of hype for Sea of Stars, and so JRPG fans should be excited that they can play the game through Xbox Game Pass on day one come August 29.
And finally, Firewatch is a game that has actually been a part of the Xbox Game Pass lineup before. It won a number of awards when it first released in 2016. A narrative-driven adventure game, Firewatch's performances and atmosphere are the main draws. Anyone interested should consider checking it out when it returns to the Xbox Game Pass library on August 17.