Xbox Game Pass September Wave 2 Adds Dune: Awakening, Minecraft Dungeons 2 and Gears of War: E-Day

Microsoft has detailed the second wave of Xbox Game Pass additions for September, laying out a particularly busy run that stretches from September 15 through October 6. The schedule includes the survival RPG Dune: Awakening, day-one arrivals for Minecraft Dungeons 2 and Gears of War: E-Day, and new Premium-tier access for several previously Ultimate and PC Game Pass titles.

There is one date discrepancy in the announcement materials: introductory text refers to a September 2027 Wave 2 selection, while the headline and the complete game list identify the lineup as September 2026. The dated release schedule itself runs across September and October without otherwise indicating a year change. With that caveat in mind, subscribers have a broad mix of cloud, Xbox console, handheld, and PC games to work through--though eight titles are also scheduled to leave the service on September 30.

Dune: Awakening leads the late-September additions

Dune: Awakening is one of the largest releases in this batch, arriving September 22 for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass. It will be playable through cloud streaming, Xbox Series X/S, handheld devices, and PC.

The sandy survival RPG brings players to Arrakis, where the hostile desert, scarce resources, and the ever-present threat of sandworms shape the experience. Its Game Pass debut gives Premium members access alongside the Ultimate and PC audience, making it one of the more widely available additions in the second wave.

For useful background on this topic, read Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Delays Nintendo Switch 2 Version to Early 2027.

It is part of a week that also includes Well Dweller on September 22. Described as a dark-fairytale Metroidvania, Well Dweller joins Ultimate and PC Game Pass with cloud, console, handheld, and PC support. One day later, September 23, the 2.5D roguelite beat 'em up Mad King Redemption comes to Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass across cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, and PC.

For players after a more action-focused option, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 reaches Game Pass Premium on September 25. It had already been available to Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers, and the new Premium access covers cloud, console, handheld, and PC. Its arrival substantially expands the choice for Premium members late in the month.

Two major games are set for day one

The headline new releases for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers arrive at the end of September and the start of October. Minecraft Dungeons 2 launches into those memberships on September 29, offering cloud, console, handheld, and PC availability. The original Minecraft Dungeons translated Minecraft's recognizable world into an accessible action-RPG format, so its sequel is a notable addition for groups seeking cooperative dungeon-crawling.

Then, on October 6, Gears of War: E-Day arrives day one for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The game is listed for Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC, and cloud. E-Day is especially important for Xbox's first-party lineup, returning the series to the devastating Emergence Day event that defined the earliest days of the Locust conflict.

Neither Minecraft Dungeons 2 nor Gears of War: E-Day is listed for Game Pass Premium in this announcement. That distinction continues to make Ultimate and PC Game Pass the required memberships for subscribers looking to play those specific releases through Game Pass at launch.

Premium receives a major catalog boost

A considerable portion of September's Wave 2 update is dedicated to titles becoming available through Game Pass Premium after joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass previously. The group spans very different genres, giving Premium subscribers a sizable range of games beyond the month's brand-new releases.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion, a comic-book beat 'em up, joins Premium on September 16. It is listed across cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, and PC. The same date brings Planet of Lana II to Premium. The sci-fi puzzle adventure supports cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, and PC, offering a calmer alternative to the beat 'em up action.

September 16 also sees three further Premium additions. Routine, a sci-fi horror game, becomes available on cloud, console, handheld, and PC. Bike-racing party game Ultimate Sheep Raccoon arrives for cloud, console, and PC. Meanwhile, all of these September 16 games remain available through Ultimate and PC Game Pass as well.

On September 17, Ninja Gaiden 4 joins Game Pass Premium after its earlier availability on Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The action game is listed for cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, and PC. The Premium expansion means the service's mid-month selection contains an unusually wide spread: superhero brawling, contemplative puzzle-solving, space-set horror, party racing, and high-speed ninja action all land within two days.

Another Premium title arrives just after the end of September. Keeper is scheduled for October 2 on cloud, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It is also making an appearance on PlayStation 5 at that time, while the Game Pass version is listed for Premium, Ultimate, and PC Game Pass subscribers. Its inclusion is another example of the Premium catalog gaining access to a title that had already been part of the higher Game Pass tiers.

The complete Xbox Game Pass Wave 2 schedule

Here is the full announced lineup and the membership tiers attached to each game:

• RuneScape: Dragonwilds -- September 15; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, PC; Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass.
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion -- September 16; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Planet of Lana II -- September 16; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Routine -- September 16; cloud, console, handheld, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Ultimate Sheep Raccoon -- September 16; cloud, console, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Kernel Hearts -- September 17; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, PC; Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Ninja Gaiden 4 -- September 17; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Dune: Awakening -- September 22; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC; Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass.
• Well Dweller -- September 22; cloud, console, handheld, PC; Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Mad King Redemption -- September 23; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC; Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 -- September 25; cloud, console, handheld, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Minecraft Dungeons 2 -- September 29; cloud, console, handheld, PC; Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Keeper -- October 2; cloud, Xbox Series X/S, PC; now on Game Pass Premium, also on Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
• Gears of War: E-Day -- October 6; Xbox Series X/S, handheld, PC, cloud; Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Kernel Hearts is among the less prominently discussed releases but may appeal to players looking for an action RPG roguelike. It enters Ultimate and PC Game Pass on September 17, with cloud, Xbox Series X/S, and PC versions listed. Its lack of Premium availability puts it in the same membership bracket as Well Dweller, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and Gears of War: E-Day.

Eight games leave on September 30

As usual, the incoming catalog is paired with a set of departures. Subscribers have until September 30 to play the following titles through Game Pass before they leave:

• 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

Every departing game is listed for cloud, console, and PC. The biggest priority for many may be Atomfall, the British-set, Fallout-like experience, though the rest of the departing group covers an equally varied range of action, horror, platforming, and roguelike play.

September's second wave is consequently one of the more substantial Game Pass updates in recent memory. It has a large selection of Premium upgrades, several smaller and experimental games, a major survival RPG, a new Call of Duty option for Premium users, and two high-profile day-one launches positioned at the turn into October. Subscribers with limited time may want to balance the new arrivals against the September 30 removals--especially because Minecraft Dungeons 2 follows immediately before that cutoff.