Xbox Game Pass September 2026 Wave 1
See every Xbox Game Pass September 2026 Wave 1 date, platform, membership tier, day-one game, trial, update, benefit, and September 15 removal.
Current answer
Xbox Game Pass September 2026 Wave 1 adds seven dated games from September 1 through 15: Shelldiver, SpeedRunners 2, Dice a Million, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, The Royal Writ, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds. TCG Card Shop Simulator 1.0, the NHL 27 ten-hour trial, and the Aniimo reward pack are separate update, trial, and benefit items—not three more full additions. Ten games leave September 15.
- Dated additions
- 7 games · September 1–15
- Day-one addition
- SpeedRunners 2 · September 3
- Leaving
- 10 games · September 15
- Separate update
- TCG Card Shop Simulator 1.0
- Separate trial
- NHL 27 · 10 hours via EA Play
- Separate benefit
- Aniimo reward pack · September 16
- Wave 2
- Not announced
- Last verified
- September 2, 2026
Seven additions, not ten
Xbox Wire separates the seven dated catalog additions from a 1.0 update, an EA Play trial, and an in-game benefit. Counting every section as a new full game overstates the lineup and can mislead subscribers about entitlement.
September 2026 Wave 1 release calendar
Plan names and device labels are preserved from Xbox Wire. “Handheld” means Xbox has marked the game as optimized for handheld play.
| Item | Date and devices | Eligible memberships |
|---|---|---|
| ShelldiverConfirmed | Sep 1 · Cloud, Console, PC | Ultimate · Premium · PC Game Pass |
| SpeedRunners 2: King of SpeedConfirmed | Sep 3 · Cloud, Series X|S, PC · Day one | Ultimate · PC Game Pass |
| Dice a MillionConfirmed | Sep 4 · Cloud, Series X|S, Handheld, PC | Premium · Ultimate · PC Game Pass |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarConfirmed | Sep 8 · Cloud, Console, PC | Ultimate · Premium · PC Game Pass |
| The Royal WritConfirmed | Sep 10 · Cloud, Series X|S, Handheld, PC | Ultimate · Premium · PC Game Pass |
| Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World StageConfirmed | Sep 10 · Cloud, Series X|S, PC | Ultimate · Premium · PC Game Pass |
| RuneScape: DragonwildsConfirmed | Sep 15 · Cloud, Series X|S, PC | Ultimate · Premium · PC Game Pass |
Full additions versus other Game Pass items
The distinction determines whether the subscriber receives a full catalog game, a timed sample, an update, or an account reward.
| Question | Catalog additions | Update, trial, or benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Access type | Full listed game while it remains in the eligible catalog | Existing-game update, time-limited EA Play trial, or in-game item pack |
| September items | Seven games dated September 1–15 | TCG Card Shop Simulator 1.0 · NHL 27 trial · Aniimo pack |
| Purchase implication | No separate game purchase while entitlement remains active | Trial ends after ten hours; perk needs its game/account; update needs the existing title |
| Safe counting rule | Count rows under Available Today and Coming Soon | Do not add these rows to the new-game total |
Games leaving September 15
Finish, purchase, or let them go before the removal date. Cloud/Console/PC coverage is shown exactly where Xbox specified it.
- 01
Commandos: Origins
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 02
Cricket 24
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 03
Cyberpunk 2077
MonitoringCloud · Console
- 04
Dead Cells
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 05
Deep Rock Galactic Survivor
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 06
Frostpunk 2
MonitoringPC
- 07
Mullet Madjack
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 08
Spiritfarer
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 09
Superliminal
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
- 10
Train Sim World 5
MonitoringCloud · Console · PC
Build a practical download queue
Use entitlement and deadlines rather than hype to decide what gets storage first.
- 01
Claim the date-sensitive game first
Action availableA leaving title with an unfinished save is more urgent than an addition that stays after September 15.
- 02
Match the membership tier
Action availableSpeedRunners 2 is listed for Ultimate and PC Game Pass, not Premium in this Wave 1 post.
- 03
Check the device label
Action available“Console” and “Xbox Series X|S” are not interchangeable when the official row uses only one.
- 04
Treat NHL 27 as a ten-hour trial
ConfirmedProgress carries to purchase, but the Wave 1 entitlement is not the full game.
- 05
Wait for Wave 2 before assuming the month is complete
MonitoringXbox calls this the lineup “for now”; no Wave 2 list is confirmed yet.
The September 10 choice is genre, not availability
The Royal Writ and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage arrive on the same day for the same three membership groups. The difference is the task: a medieval roguelike deck builder versus a fighting game with World Stage, cross-play, rollback netcode, training, and replay tools.
Source: Xbox Wire — September Wave 1 lineup (opens in a new tab)TCG Card Shop Simulator is an update milestone
The game leaves Game Preview and reaches version 1.0 on September 15 across Cloud, Series X|S, Handheld, and PC. This is useful to existing players, but it should not be described as a brand-new catalog addition when Xbox places it under Game Updates.
Source: Xbox Wire — Game Updates section (opens in a new tab)NHL 27 trial progress carries into purchase
EA Play provides a ten-hour console trial beginning September 4. Xbox says progress carries to the full game if the player decides to buy. The ten-hour clock and console-only label matter more than treating it like another unlimited Game Pass title.
Source: Xbox Wire — EA Play early access trial (opens in a new tab)The Aniimo row is a reward pack
From September 16, eligible Game Pass memberships can unlock one Aniipod Ultra, 15 Growth Flowers, and 300 Glimmer. That is an in-game benefit. The announcement does not say the entire game is newly joining through this row.
Source: Xbox Wire — Aniimo in-game benefit (opens in a new tab)Update timeline
Shelldiver
Cloud, Console, and PC.
SpeedRunners 2
Cloud, Series X|S, and PC.
Dice a Million and NHL 27 trial
Different entitlement types; check the matrix.
Black Ops Cold War
Cloud, Console, and PC.
The Royal Writ + Virtua Fighter 5
Both arrive for Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass.
Dragonwilds arrives; ten games leave
Also the TCG Card Shop Simulator 1.0 update.
Aniimo reward pack
An in-game pack, not a full-game addition.
Frequently asked questions
What games are coming to Xbox Game Pass in September 2026?
Wave 1 names Shelldiver, SpeedRunners 2, Dice a Million, Black Ops Cold War, The Royal Writ, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds.
Which September Game Pass game is day one?
Xbox explicitly marks SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed as a day-one Game Pass release.
What leaves Xbox Game Pass on September 15?
Ten games leave, including Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells, Spiritfarer, Superliminal, and six others listed above.
Is NHL 27 fully included with Game Pass?
The Wave 1 post lists an EA Play ten-hour console trial, not an unlimited full-game entitlement.
Is TCG Card Shop Simulator a new addition?
Xbox lists its September 15 version 1.0 milestone under Game Updates.
Has Xbox Game Pass Wave 2 been announced?
No. The checked September 1 post is Wave 1 and does not publish Wave 2.