The second half of October on Game Pass has a headliner. Xbox Wire's 20 October update lists Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade arriving on 29 October, the same day as horror game Mouthwashing and Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted. Nine games are joining between 21 October and 3 November in all, and nine more are leaving at the end of the month.
Here's what's coming, what's going, and which tiers get what.
What's joining, sorted by who gets it
The dates matter, but the tier matters more, so here's the list sorted the way you'll actually use it. Dates, platforms and tiers are as Xbox lists them.
On Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass:
- Dodo Duckie, 22 October (cloud, Series X|S, PC)
- The Séance of Blake Manor, 27 October (cloud, Series X|S, PC)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, 29 October (cloud, Series X|S, PC)
- Mouthwashing, 29 October (cloud, Series X|S, handheld, PC)
- Pit of Goblin, 3 November (cloud, Series X|S, PC)
- Sandustry, 21 October, a Game Preview on PC that Xbox lists for Premium and as joining Ultimate and PC Game Pass
On Ultimate and PC Game Pass only:
- Scramble Knights Online, 26 October (Game Preview; cloud, Series X|S, PC), available on day one
- Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, 29 October (cloud, console, PC), also in EA Play
- Terrible Lizards, 29 October (cloud, Series X|S, PC), on day one
That split is the useful bit. A Premium subscriber gets the Final Fantasy and Mouthwashing double bill but not Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, which in Xbox's listing sits with Ultimate, PC Game Pass and EA Play. Pure Xbox's same-day rundown lists the same nine games, and Xbox notes Mouthwashing was added after its announcement at the ID@Xbox x IGN October showcase.
If you only start one, our pick is the obvious one: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the biggest game here and the one that'll eat the most of your November. Mouthwashing is the better fit if you want something unsettling for Halloween week. That's editorial opinion, not anything Xbox says.
Perks and updates
Two in-game benefits are on offer across all paid tiers, Essential included:
- The Finals Welcome Pack, available now: 500 Multibucks, a 25% XP boost and the "Pretty Hostile" set. Xbox says it's only available while the current season lasts.
- World of Tanks Modern Armor XP Stock, from 3 November: 20 Enhanced Repair Kits, 20 Enhanced Med Kits and 20 Automatic Fire Suppressors.
On the update side, The Elder Scrolls Online gets its Season 2 update, Echoes of Skyrim, on 21 October. It comes with free and premium versions of the Season Two Tamriel Tome, available until 27 January.
What's leaving
If any of these are on your list, you've got until 31 October:
- Day of the Tentacle Remastered
- Dead Static Drive
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Full Throttle Remastered
- Grim Fandango Remastered
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Wartales
- Wildgate
Football Manager 26 and Football Manager 26 – Console Edition follow on 10 November.
The pattern is the usual one: big names in, a batch of older favourites out. The practical move is simple. Finish anything on the leaving list this week, then clear some space for the 29th, when four games arrive in one go. Xbox hasn't announced the next wave yet, so this list covers you through 3 November.
Reporting notes