October has been a pretty wild month for Xbox Game Pass. On October 1, it was announced that Xbox Game Pass would be receiving a new Premium tier, and that the price of its Ultimate tier was increasing by $10 a month. Naturally, this news was met with some fierce backlash from Xbox fans, with many rushing to unsubscribe from the service before they could be charged the new rates.
But Xbox Game Pass' price hike announcement wasn't all doom and gloom. Along with Ubisoft+'s entire library being added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the service also received Hogwarts Legacy on October 1, as well as a few solid titles over the last few weeks to help ease the sting of that $10/month increase. Xbox Game Pass is also rounding out this month with a bang, with four titles set to hit the service between October 21 and 23.
Xbox Game Pass New October 2025 Game: Ninja Gaiden 4
Available on October 21 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- Will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Cloud
- A direct sequel to 2012's Ninja Gaiden 3
- Long-running series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa is returning, joined by new playable character Yakumo
- Being co-developed by Platinum Games and Team Ninja
- Action-adventure game set in a futuristic Tokyo that's been consumed by Underworld forces
13 long years after the last mainline entry, Ninja Gaiden 4 is about to hit Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This long-awaited sequel will see players controlling the brand-new protagonist Yakumo, who must fight his way through an Underworld-infested Tokyo city to defeat the Dark Dragon.
Throughout Yakumo's journey, he'll encounter Ryu Hayabusa, Ninja Gaiden's most prominent protagonist and the fourth entry's secondary playable character. With both Team Ninja and Platinum Games working together on this highly anticipated sequel, fans are hoping Ninja Gaiden 4 can bring the franchise back in a big way.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is the pièce de résistance of the franchise's self-proclaimed "Year of the Ninja," with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound both launching earlier this year.
Ninja Gaiden 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- October 21, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games, Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd.
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
Xbox Game Pass New October 2025 Game: Evil West
Available on October 21 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Premium
- Will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Cloud
- Originally released in November 2022
- Third-person hack and slash/shooter developed by Shadow Warrior's Flying Wild Hog
- Players control Wild West vampire hunter Jesse Rentier
- 73 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic
A third-person shooter with hack and slash elements, Evil West is a 2022 game that's heading to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Premium on October 21. In Evil West, players take control of Jesse Rentier, one of the last members of the Rentier Institute, a secret organization of vampire hunters.
Evil West received a bit of a mixed critical reception upon its November 2022 release, with IGN scoring it a 7/10, GameSpot giving it a 6/10, and The Best War Games giving Evil West a 3.5/5. Though its core combat mechanics and environments were praised, Evil West's level design, difficulty, and short length were all common points of criticism among reviewers.
Evil West
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 58%
- Released
- November 22, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Flying Wild Hog
- Publisher(s)
- Focus Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Xbox Game Pass New October 2025 Game: PowerWash Simulator 2
Available on October 23 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- Will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC
- A new Multi-Stage job type
- New tools such as an abseiling rig
- Customizable home base
- Split-screen and online co-op with shared campaign progression
A little over three years after the original hit digital storefronts, PowerWash Simulator 2 is heading to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on October 23. This day-one Game Pass title sees players methodically cleaning a variety of environments with their arsenal of powerwashers, soaps, and other cleaning gadgets. Along with new settings, new jobs, a new Multi-Stage job type, new tools, and a new customizable home base, PowerWash Simulator 2 is upping the ante by introducing shared campaign progression for those playing in either online or split-screen co-op.
- Released
- October 23, 2025
- Developer(s)
- FuturLab
- Publisher(s)
- FuturLab
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, First-Person, Sandbox
Xbox Game Pass New October 2025 Game: Bounty Star
Available on October 23 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- Will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Cloud
- Third-person action game that blends mech combat with base-building and farming mechanics
- Players take on the role of Clem, a bounty hunter in a post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest known as the Red Expanse
- Players will be able to customize their Desert Raptor MKII mech with new weapons, thrusters, and defensive systems
Being developed by DINOGOD and published by Annapurna Interactive, Bounty Star is a third-person mech game that's heading to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on its October 23 launch. In Bounty Star, players take on the role of Clem, a "broken" bounty hunter who hunts down targets across the post-apocalyptic Red Expanse.
Along with a fully customizable mech suit, players will have a home base to tend to between missions. This homestead will grow alongside Bounty Star's protagonist, eventually offering useful resources that help players during battle, such as food and ammo.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault was also set to hit Xbox Game Pass on October 23, but it was recently delayed to November 19.