Xbox has published the second September 2026 Game Pass wave, and the back half of the schedule is carrying two major day-one releases: Minecraft Dungeons II arrives September 29 and Gears of War: E-Day follows on October 6.
Both are listed for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Microsoft says Minecraft Dungeons II will be available across cloud, console, handheld and PC, while Gears of War: E-Day is listed for Xbox Series X|S, handheld, PC and cloud. Gematsu independently reported the same September-to-October lineup after Microsoft's announcement.
The value of this update is not one surprise game. It is the shape of the calendar: Game Pass is stacking several additions across a three-week stretch instead of treating the two first-party launches as isolated events.
The wave starts before the biggest releases
RuneScape: Dragonwilds was added on September 15 for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass. On September 16, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Planet of Lana II, Routine and Ultimate Sheep Raccoon join or expand their Game Pass availability.
September 17 brings Kernel Hearts to Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day-one release. Ninja Gaiden 4 is also listed for that date, with Microsoft saying it is now available through Premium while joining Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Dune: Awakening and Well Dweller arrive September 22. Mad King Redemption follows September 23, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is listed for September 25. Microsoft is also moving Rematch into Game Pass Essential on September 25.
Then the first big first-party marker lands. Minecraft Dungeons II launches September 29 as a day-one Game Pass title for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Microsoft's earlier showcase coverage described the sequel as expanding the original dungeon-crawling formula with a new story, new gear systems and a new dimension called the Sift.
Gears of War: E-Day closes the wave on October 6
Gears of War: E-Day is the October 6 endpoint. It is an origin-story campaign set 14 years before the original Gears of War, following Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust emerge. The Game Pass announcement confirms day-one access through Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
That does not change E-Day's release date or turn it into a newly announced game. The news here is service availability: Microsoft has now placed it inside this specific Game Pass wave, directly after Minecraft Dungeons II and a run of other September additions.
For subscribers, the tier labels matter as much as the dates. Not every game in the list enters every plan at once. Some are Ultimate and PC-only additions, some include Premium, and Rematch is specifically expanding into Essential. Anyone planning around one title should check its individual tier rather than reading "Game Pass" as one universal library.
There is also a leaving-soon list. Atomfall, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition, Little Rocket Lab, Sifu, SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato, Sworn and Terminull Brigade are scheduled to leave on September 30.
That makes this wave a fairly clear snapshot of Microsoft's current subscription strategy: frequent catalog movement around a pair of recognizable day-one releases, with different tiers used to stagger or segment access. For players, the practical job is less glamorous but more useful—match the game you want to its date and membership level before the late-September pile-up begins.
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