Best Games on Xbox Game Pass (October 2026)

You’re paying for Game Pass, the catalog keeps shifting, and you want something to install tonight. This is a short, dated shortlist for October 21, 2026, with the plan each game needs.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Plan and date details come from Xbox-focused news coverage and Forza’s own FAQ. Confirm them on Xbox’s Game Pass page before you subscribe, because the catalog changes every month.

Quick Picks: The Best Games on Xbox Game Pass Right Now

Start with Forza Horizon 6, Hades II, Battlefield 6 and Gears of War: E-Day, which cover racing, action and two big shooters. Four more games round out the list, including one that leaves in ten days.

• Forza Horizon 6 (Ultimate, PC Game Pass): open-world driving across Japan with 550+ cars.
• Hades II (Ultimate, PC Game Pass; some reports add Premium): a roguelike action RPG with saves that follow you between Xbox and PC.
• Battlefield 6 (Ultimate, PC Game Pass): a big-name shooter that joined on October 13.
• Gears of War: E-Day (Ultimate, PC Game Pass): a day-one release from October 6.
• Deep Rock Galactic (leaves October 31): a co-op shooter to try now or buy.
• The Séance of Blake Manor (arrives October 27): an investigation game.
• Neon Abyss 2 (added October 8): check the plan tag on Xbox’s page.
• Keeper (added October 2): one source lists Premium, so verify before you count on it.

How These Games Were Picked

Every pick had to appear on a current Game Pass list and show a clear plan requirement. Here’s what I weighed.

• Current status: the game appears on October 2026 addition lists or recent launch coverage.
• Plan clarity: the sources agree on which plan includes it, or I flag the doubt.
• Staying power: games with a confirmed departure date are labeled as such.
• Reception: used only where a source supports it, such as the 10/10 IGN gave Hades II, as reported by T-Break.
• Play style: solo, co-op or competitive, so you can pick by mood.

So you won’t see play-length numbers here. No source I checked confirmed them, and a wrong number is worse than none.

Best Action RPG: Hades II

Hades II is the pick if you want fast, replayable action, and it landed on Game Pass on April 14, 2026. You play Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld, through punishing runs that make each attempt feel different.

It runs on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Cloud and handhelds, and it supports Play Anywhere cross-progression. In short, you can start on console and continue on PC.

Here’s the catch on plans. Ultimate and PC Game Pass include it, while two outlets also listed Premium at launch. Check the game’s page before assuming your plan covers it.

Best Racing Game: Forza Horizon 6

Forza Horizon 6 is the best racing pick, and the base game costs nothing extra on Ultimate or PC Game Pass. It launched May 19, 2026, with Japan as the setting and more than 550 real-world cars.

Now the fine print. Game Pass covers only the Standard Edition, and Forza’s FAQ says you need Ultimate to play on Xbox Series X|S. PC Game Pass members play on PC or through Cloud.

If you want early access and the extra content, the Premium Upgrade costs $59.99 on top of your subscription. Plenty of players will skip it, and the base game is a complete experience. Premium and Essential members don’t get it at launch.

Best Shooters and Co-op Games

Battlefield 6, Gears of War: E-Day and Deep Rock Galactic cover big-team shooting, campaign-style action and co-op. Kotaku called Battlefield 6 last year’s best-selling game when it joined Game Pass on October 13, just ahead of its Las Vegas-themed season.

Gears of War: E-Day arrived as a day-one release on October 6. Both Battlefield 6 and Gears need Ultimate or PC Game Pass. One more note: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is out this month but isn’t coming to Game Pass at launch.

Which shooters work for playing with friends?

Deep Rock Galactic is the co-op pick, but it leaves on October 31. Battlefield 6 suits bigger groups.

On console, online play needs a plan that includes online multiplayer. That covers Essential, Premium and Ultimate, but not PC Game Pass.

New and Smaller Games Worth Trying

Neon Abyss 2, Keeper and The Séance of Blake Manor are the easy ones to sample this month. Newer, smaller releases cost you a download, not a commitment.

Neon Abyss 2 arrived October 8 and Keeper on October 2. Sources disagree on which plans include each, so check the plan tag on Xbox’s page.

The Séance of Blake Manor arrives October 27 and is built around investigation. If you like slow, clue-driven games, put it on your calendar.

Game Pass Picks Comparison Table

This table lists each pick’s plan, platforms and arrival month, so you can see what your subscription covers.

Game	Plan	Platforms	Arrived
Forza Horizon 6	Ultimate, PC Game Pass	Series X|S (Ultimate), PC, Cloud	May 2026
Hades II	Ultimate, PC Game Pass; Premium reported	Series X|S, PC, Cloud, handheld	April 2026
Battlefield 6	Ultimate, PC Game Pass	Series X|S, PC, Cloud	October 2026
Gears of War: E-Day	Ultimate, PC Game Pass	Series X|S, PC, Cloud	October 2026
Neon Abyss 2	Check Xbox’s page	Series X|S, PC, Cloud	October 2026
Keeper	Premium per one source; verify	Series X|S, PC, Cloud	October 2026
The Séance of Blake Manor	Ultimate, PC Game Pass	Series X|S, PC, Cloud	October 27, 2026
Deep Rock Galactic	Leaves October 31	Console, PC, Cloud	Already in catalog

Which Game Pass Plan Do You Need?

Day-one releases come only with Ultimate and PC Game Pass, so that’s the line that matters most for this list. Game Pass has four plans: Essential, Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Plan	Day-one releases	Online console multiplayer	Best for
Essential	No	Yes	Online play and a small library
Premium	No, later	Yes	A bigger library, no rush on new releases
Ultimate	Yes	Yes	Console, PC and cloud together
PC Game Pass	Yes	No	Windows PC players

Is Game Pass Ultimate worth it for these games?

If you want Forza Horizon 6, Battlefield 6 or Gears of War: E-Day on an Xbox console, Ultimate is the plan that gets you there. On PC, PC Game Pass covers the same first-party releases.

Premium gets some Xbox games later, but not on launch day. Cloud access varies by plan, so check Xbox’s page. Prices also changed in April 2026, so look at the current figures there, not in older articles.

Games Leaving Game Pass on October 31

Eight games leave on October 31, so you have about ten days to try them. PureXbox lists them as Day of the Tentacle Remastered, Dead Static Drive, Deep Rock Galactic, Full Throttle Remastered, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Wartales and Wildgate.

The October 15 batch has already gone, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and A Plague Tale: Requiem. If you missed them, Xbox says members can usually buy leaving games at a discount.

Before you start any of these, run through a quick checklist:

• Is it a game you can finish by October 31?
• Would you buy it if it left? If yes, play it first.
• Is it co-op? Gather your friends now.
• Does it still show “leaving soon” in the Xbox app?

One caution. Dates can change, because publishers sometimes strike late deals to keep a game on the service.

How to Get the Most Out of Game Pass

A few habits keep your queue fresh and stop you from missing a leaving date. These work whichever plan you’re on.

• Check the “leaving soon” row in the Xbox app once a week.
• Try a game on Cloud before you download a big file.
• Free up storage before a launch day, since large games fill a drive quickly.
• Use the filters on Xbox’s Game Pass games page to narrow by platform.
• Read each month’s addition posts, which Xbox publishes in waves.

FAQ

What happens when a game leaves Game Pass?

Plan to buy it if you want to keep playing. Xbox says members can often save on a game before it leaves.

Can I play Game Pass games offline?

Installed single-player games can often run offline, but multiplayer ones can’t. Check Xbox’s support page for the current rules.

Is online multiplayer included in every plan?

Not quite. Essential, Premium and Ultimate include online console multiplayer, but PC Game Pass doesn’t.

Do I keep my saves if I resubscribe?

I couldn’t confirm Xbox’s policy, so check its support page. Some games, like Hades II, offer Play Anywhere cross-progression between Xbox and PC.

How often does the catalog change?

Often. October 2026 alone had two leaving lists, on October 15 and October 31, plus several addition waves.

In short, pick one game from the quick-picks list, check its status in the Xbox app, and start the download tonight.

Join our community