Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass is adding six new games in September 2023, including highly acclaimed indie game Gris and the highly anticipated Starfield.
- Starfield, releasing on September 6, is the first single-player game from Bethesda in nearly a decade and is a highly ambitious open-world sci-fi RPG.
- Party Animals and Lies of P are also joining the lineup in September, offering a multiplayer party game and a Soulslike game inspired by Bloodborne, respectively.
While the full reveal won't happen for another couple of weeks or so, previous release date announcements have already let fans know about six new Xbox Game Pass games coming in September 2023. Xbox Game Pass has had a strong 2023 so far, but next month is shaping up to be the biggest month that the service has had to date.
Xbox Game Pass has had an impressive August 2023, with the addition of day one game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the return of award-winning indie platformer Celeste. And as it so happens, there's even more for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to look forward to this month, with Sea of Stars joining the lineup on August 29. But while August 2023 was a solid month for Xbox Game Pass, it's safe to say that September 2023 is ready to blow it out of the water.
Here are all the new Xbox Game Pass games confirmed for September 2023 so far. Keep in mind that this is not the full list. Unless it breaks from its usual pattern, fans shouldn't expect Microsoft to reveal more of the Xbox Game Pass games for September 2023 until the first week of the month rolls around.
New Xbox Game Pass Games for September 2023 List
- Gris - September 5
- Starfield - September 6
- Lies of P - September 19
- Party Animals - September 20
- Payday 3 - September 23
- Cocoon - September 29
The new Xbox Game Pass games for September 2023 are getting things started with Gris on September 5. Gris is an older game, but it won various awards in the year of its original release and is generally celebrated as one of the best indie titles of the past decade. Microsoft has been making it a point to add highly-regarded indie games to the Xbox Game Pass lineup lately, with the aforementioned Celeste and Firewatch other recent examples of the trend. It will be interesting to see if Gris is the end of this or if Microsoft has plans to bring even more critically-acclaimed indie games to Xbox Game Pass in the near future.
Highly-reviewed indie games are great for Xbox Game Pass, but it's safe to say that many subscribers are more interested in the big budget day one games. Those individuals will be happy to hear that the biggest Xbox Game Pass game of the year is set to join the lineup on September 6. Starfield is the first single-player game from Bethesda since 2015's Fallout 4, so fans of the studio have been waiting nearly a decade for the game.
An open world sci-fi RPG, Starfield basically takes the Bethesda formula seen in games like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls and applies it to outer space. Starfield is highly ambitious and easily the highest profile new Xbox Game Pass game of 2023. Time will tell if the game lives up to the high bar set by Bethesda's previous games, but Xbox Game Pass subscribers will find out come September 6.
Some Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get to try Starfield out even earlier, though. Those willing to pay $34.99 for the Premium Edition Upgrade can play Starfield on September 1 (or the night of August 31, in some regions). The Premium Edition Upgrade also comes with the Shattered Space DLC, though no release date for that content has been announced at the time of this writing. While some Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be content to wait until September 6 to play Starfield, those who are especially excited about the game can still play it early for half of what the full game costs.
13 days after Starfield's addition to Xbox Game Pass, subscribers can check out yet another day one game. Lies of P is a day one Xbox Game Pass Soulslike game that takes direct inspiration from Bloodborne. A morbid twist on the Pinocchio story, Lies of P has been turning heads since it was first announced. Soulslike fans especially should be interested in Lies of P, but all Xbox Game Pass subscribers are encouraged to check the game out once it arrives on September 19.
One day later, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play Party Animals. Whereas Lies of P is meant to be a tough-as-nails Bloodborne-style game, Party Animals is a different beast entirely. A party game that has drawn comparisons to Gang Beasts, Party Animals looks promising. Its multiplayer-focus makes it a perfect fit for Xbox Game Pass, as that should make it significantly easier and more convenient for subscribers to set up play sessions with their friends.
Gris, Starfield, Lies of P, and Party Animals by themselves would be enough to make September 2023 one to remember for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, but there's even more new games confirmed for next month. On September 23, the long-awaited Payday 3 joins the service as a day one game. Payday fans have been waiting for Payday 3 for a decade, so here's hoping it lives up to the hype.
And finally, the mysterious indie game Cocoon is joining Xbox Game Pass on September 29. Cocoon has looked impressive so far, and subscribers will get to try it out for themselves next month. There will be even more new games added to Xbox Game Pass in September, and as always, some games will be leaving Xbox Game Pass next month as well, so fans should keep that in mind.