Those are the headlines, but we knew them already — and, in Microsoft’s new pricing tier structure, they’re limited to PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about subscribers to the Standard tier for console users. These members get a few older games — some returning to Game Pass after an earlier run on the service — that are still well worth checking out if you haven’t played them before: 2017’s comedy role-playing sequel South Park: The Fractured but Whole, 2018’s physics puzzler Donut County (in which you play as a hole in the ground), and Ashen, a compellingly moody indie Soulslike, also from 2018.
Elsewhere in the lineup, there’s expanded availability for a few games already on the service. Dead Island 2, already available on cloud and console, comes to PC Game Pass players. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which was added for PC and console players back in July, will be available to play on the cloud from the day of Black Ops 6’s release, as will battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone.
Here’s what’s coming to Game Pass in the rest of October and early November:
It is ordained that a few games must leave the service as new games are added, in order to maintain balance in the universe. The following games are all leaving Game Pass on Oct. 31. I must give a shout-out here to the fantastic mountain biking game Lonely Mountains: Downhill. Check it out when you still can — or if, like me, you’ve made it a staple of your Game Pass catalog, consider taking advantage of the member’s discount to add it to your collection permanently.
