Skip to main content

Xbox Game Pass is adding a ton of indies this month

Xbox Game Pass’ library of games is getting an infusion of a different sort in September. While other monthly updates for the subscription service have tended to focus on AAA releases, this one’s all about the indies. September’s update for Xbox Game Pass includes both established indie hits and unreleased titles that have earned their share of early attention.

Starting September 16, Game Pass users can download a slew of sizable indies, including I Am Fish, Skatebird, and Superliminal. The two animal-themed games are fairly straightforward, with I Am Fish having players help an aquatic pet escape to the ocean, while Skatebird is, naturally, about a bird that can skateboard. Superliminal, meanwhile, is a perspective-bending puzzle title that requires players to think outside of their typical notions of scale.

Just days later, on September 23, another sizable group of titles will launch on Game Pass, including the incredibly stylish Sable, in which players adventure across a cel-shaded world to guide Sable through an ancient rite of passage.

Also coming on September 23 are Lost Words: Beyond the Page and Tainted Grail: Conquest, a roguelike deck-builder filled with grotesque monsters and strange allies. The Subnautica sequel Subnautica: Below Zero will likewise be making its Game Pass debut on September 23, taking players from a tropical alien planet to one that’s frozen over.

As always, a select group of titles will also be leaving Game Pass at the end of this month. On September 31, Drake Hollow, IkenfellNight in the WoodsKathy Rain, and Warhammer: Vermintide 2 will all be leaving the service. Anyone who isn’t ready to say goodbye just yet can purchase any of those titles for 20% off.

Editors' Recommendations

Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
Every summer 2024 gaming showcase: full schedule and stream recaps
Geoff Keighley shows a slide showing the top 10 selling Steam Games of 2024.

This summer, we're living in a brave new world. E3 is officially dead -- for real this time. That means there's a vacuum to be filled as publishers still look to showcase their games during high-profile events. There's both good news and bad news for anyone who looks forward to E3 season. The good news? Summer Game Fest is filling that gap, alongside several streams that'll orbit around it. The bad news? Keeping track of it all is a huge pain.

Over the next few months, we'll see scattered shows from Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and more game companies. To help make your life a little easier, we're rounding them up in one place. We'll keep this article updated throughout the summer, adding in the VODs of all the streams once they air, so check back in from now until September so you don't miss a single show.
State of Play: May 30
State of Play | May 30, 2024 | [English]

Read more
3 underrated Xbox Game Pass titles to play this weekend (May 31-June 2)
A knight with a large sword prepares to stab a dragon in Lords of the Fallen.

We're right on the precipice of June, which will be chock-full of new game announcements from every publisher. In fact, that wave already started with Sony's May 30 State of Play. Still, just because this time of year is mainly focused on video game announcements doesn't mean you shouldn't be playing anything new. If you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber in particular, there are three titles you can have a great time with this weekend.

For those excited about Until Dawn's PC and PS5 remake, I recommend you check out developer Supermassive Games' previous narrative title, which is actually available through Game Pass. The other two games are new to the service. One is a Soulslike that was nearly a decade in the making, but paid off that wait by being an impressive title that stands toe-to-toe with FromSoftware's work. The other is one of 2023's best games, a puzzler that will make you think more deeply about how people interact with each other.
The Quarry

Read more
Xbox Game Pass has its own Super Mario Odyssey, and it’s a delight
A giant ghost is wrapped in chains in Hauntii.

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have a lot of advantages over the Switch, but there's one advantage Nintendo never loses: games. While Sony and Microsoft struggle to put out consistent exclusives, Nintendo always manages to put out fairly high-quality games on a monthly bases (even if some recent releases have felt like filler). The fact that you can only play Super Mario Odyssey on a Nintendo console will always be the company's ace in the hole.

Thankfully, enough developers have been influenced by Nintendo's design that it's not hard to find a great title that scratches the same itch as a Nintendo classic on competing platforms. Just look at games like the Pikmin-inspired Tinykin. Xbox has been especially smart about seeking out games like that over the years and adding them to Xbox Game Pass. It's done that once again with one of its newest additions, the delightful Hauntii.

Read more