Xbox Game Pass September 2026 Wave 2: Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons II and More

Xbox has revealed its next major batch of Game Pass additions for September 2026, and the schedule stretches into early October with several high-profile releases. The headline arrival is Gears of War: E-Day on October 6, while Minecraft Dungeons II, Dune: Awakening and Ninja Gaiden 4 are also part of the newly announced lineup.

For subscribers trying to decide what to download next, here is the confirmed schedule and what stands out.

Featured image: official Xbox Game Pass promotional artwork provided by Xbox Wire.

Xbox Game Pass Wave 2 release schedule

Microsoft's September 15 Game Pass update confirms the following additions across Game Pass tiers. Availability varies by title and platform, so subscribers should check their tier before assuming every game is included.

  • September 16: Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Planet of Lana II, Routine and Ultimate Sheep Raccoon
  • September 17: Kernel Hearts and Ninja Gaiden 4
  • September 22: Dune: Awakening and Well Dweller
  • September 23: Mad King Redemption
  • September 25: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 joins additional Game Pass availability
  • September 29: Minecraft Dungeons II
  • October 2: Keeper
  • October 6: Gears of War: E-Day

RuneScape: Dragonwilds was listed as available September 15 as part of the same update.

Gears of War E-Day official key art
Gears of War: E-Day official promotional key art via Xbox Wire.

Gears of War: E-Day is the biggest addition

Gears of War: E-Day arrives October 6 on Xbox Series X|S, PC, handheld-supported devices and cloud, with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass access confirmed by Xbox.

The campaign is an origin story set 14 years before the original Gears of War. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago face the Locust Horde as it first erupts from below during Emergence Day. That makes E-Day especially notable for longtime fans: rather than simply continuing the series timeline, it returns to one of the defining events in Gears lore.

Xbox has separately confirmed the global October 6 launch date, with the game also coming to Steam.

Dune Awakening official promotional key art
Dune: Awakening official promotional artwork via Xbox Wire.

Dune: Awakening hits Game Pass September 22

Dune: Awakening joins Game Pass on September 22 across cloud, Xbox Series X|S, handheld-supported devices and PC. Xbox describes it as an open-world survival game mixing single-player and multiplayer systems with crafting, building, exploration and RPG elements on Arrakis.

The September 22 date also marks the game's Xbox release. Funcom previously confirmed cross-play and cross-progression support for the Xbox version, along with Xbox Play Anywhere.

Minecraft Dungeons II arrives day one

Minecraft Dungeons II is scheduled for September 29 and is a day-one Game Pass release for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The sequel sends players into the Sift, a new dimension with new environments, enemies and additional ways to customize gear.

It is one of the strongest family and co-op options in this wave, particularly for players who enjoyed the accessible action-RPG structure of the first Minecraft Dungeons.

Minecraft Dungeons II official key art
Minecraft Dungeons II official promotional key art via Xbox Wire.

Don't overlook Ninja Gaiden 4 and Routine

The wave is not only about October's biggest release. Ninja Gaiden 4 joins additional Game Pass tiers on September 17, giving action-game fans another major franchise entry to try.

Routine, meanwhile, arrives September 16. The first-person sci-fi horror game takes place on an abandoned lunar base built around a retro-futuristic 1980s vision of space exploration. Players looking for something substantially different from the wave's action-heavy headliners may want to start there.

Games leaving Game Pass September 30

Xbox also confirmed that several games will leave the service 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

If one of those is already in your backlog, September 30 is the date to keep in mind.

What should you play first?

For sheer scale, Gears of War: E-Day is the clear centerpiece of this Game Pass wave. Co-op players should keep Minecraft Dungeons II on their radar, survival-game fans have Dune: Awakening, and players who prefer fast technical combat get Ninja Gaiden 4.

The broader takeaway is that Game Pass has a busy three-week stretch ahead. With releases landing from September 16 through October 6, subscribers have several distinct genres to choose from rather than one single marquee launch carrying the entire update.

Source: Xbox Wire's official September 15, 2026 Game Pass announcement. Images in this article are official promotional assets distributed by Xbox Wire and their respective publishers/developers.

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