The Xbox Game Pass service has proven to be a successful venture for Microsoft, with the catalog of games that it offers being ever-expanding. While Microsoft's massive frequency of high-profile studio acquisitions has come with some controversies, it has allowed the gaming giant to feature an increasing selection of high-profile games on the service. Games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 recently dominated a lot of discussion around Game Pass, but the fresh titles do not stop there.
As always, fans have a fairly good overview of what the next few months are going to look like for Xbox Game Pass. Games like Grounded 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4 will soon make their way over to the service, but one genre in particular is set to have a concerted flurry of Xbox Game Pass additions from August to October. Through already-confirmed games and titles that are extremely likely to become day-one Game Pass additions, fans of shooters are in for a wild ride throughout the near future.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Update Adds New Perk for Subscribers
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can benefit from a brand-new perk that opens up how they engage with their library of games for the popular console.
Gears of War: Reloaded Just Scratches the Surface of the Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Additions
Gears of War: Reloaded comes to Xbox Game Pass as a day-one release on August 26, being a faithful remaster of the 2006 debut game. Other than through Gears Tactics in 2020, fans have waited a very long time for some fresh content for the iconic franchise, with the upcoming remaster featuring the same high-octane experiences as the original game.
Alongside a remastered campaign experience, players will be able to dive into full cross-platform co-op and multiplayer, with Gears of War: Reloaded launching on PS5 and Windows. The original Gears of War is considered one of the most iconic third-person shooters of all time, with August 26 understandably being a huge day for shooter fans and Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
It is reported that there were around 35 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers in mid-2025, with this number only being projected to rise by the end of the year.
Gears of War: Reloaded
- Released
- August 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- The Coalition
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
- Franchise
- Gears of War
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- August 26, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- August 26, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- August 26, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Action, Third-Person Shooter, War & Military
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Local Co-Op Support
- Yes
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
The Outer Worlds 2 Offers the Other Side of the Shooter Genre Coin
The Outer Worlds 2 is another shooter title that will soon come to Xbox Game Pass, being expected to drop on October 29. Coming from Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds 2 is a sci-fi RPG with core skills, perks, and character traits, offering quite an in-depth level of gameplay. Contrasting the linearity of Gears of War: Reloaded, The Outer Worlds 2 will provide Xbox Game Pass subscribers with an expansive open world experience.
The Outer Worlds 2's gunplay is one particular area of reported improvement compared to its 2019 predecessor, with gunplay now being a much more responsive and stylish core aspect of the franchise. While Gears of War: Reloaded will reunite fans with a classic and entrenched gaming adventure, shooter fans will hopefully get their hands on a completely fresh experience when The Outer Worlds 2 comes to Game Pass in late October.
The Outer Worlds 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- October 29, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Prequel(s)
- The Outer Worlds
- Franchise
- The Outer Worlds
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 29, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 29, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- October 29, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- Wiki
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is Likely to Take a Lot of Xbox Game Pass Spotlight Over the Coming Months
While unconfirmed, it seems extremely likely that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches on Xbox Game Pass as a day-one title. Microsoft and Activision set a new precedent with 2024's Black Ops 6 and its own immediate appearance in the Game Pass catalog, with it only seeming logical that this treatment will extend to the game's successor.
Black Ops 7 is confirmed to be a direct narrative sequel to 2012's Black Ops 2, while featuring the expected core multiplayer and Zombies experiences that CoD is renowned for.
Interestingly, Black Ops 7 features a co-op campaign, much like Gears of War: Reloaded. Black Ops 6 stands as the most successful Call of Duty launch in the franchise's history, largely thanks to Xbox Game Pass, and Treyarch will be wanting to repeat this with its upcoming near-futuristic title. Black Ops 7 is expected to launch around October or November, adding another notch to the deeply exciting shooter experiences that will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the near future.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
WHERE TO PLAY
In Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever.
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite JSOC team on a covert mission to the sprawling Mediterranean city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts.
Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience. Take on high-stakes challenges across a wide spectrum of environments, from the neon-lit rooftops of Japan to the Mediterranean coast, and even into the deepest corners of the human psyche.
Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. From futuristic Tokyo vistas to the frozen, unforgiving wilds of Alaska, every environment is brimming with danger and opportunity. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system.
In Treyarch’s legendary Round-Based Zombies mode, the nightmare begins where reality ends. Trapped in the heart of the Dark Aether, the crew is thrust into a vast, ever-shifting hellscape. This isn’t just survival. It’s a descent into madness.
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S