Xbox Game Pass Standard Adds Hollow Knight: Silksong-Like…

Xbox Game Pass Standard has added Nine Sols to its ever-expanding content catalog. This is the first Standard tier-only addition to Xbox Game Pass since August 20.

In terms of fan fervor, Hollow Knight: Silksong is shaping up to be the most anticipated Xbox Game Pass release for September 2025. However, being a day-one title, it won't be available on the Standard tier at launch. Access will require an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscription once the game materializes on September 4.

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By Dalton Cooper

Nine Sols Joins Xbox Game Pass Standard

In the meantime, the Xbox Game Pass Standard library has expanded to include Nine Sols earlier today, September 3. While not a like‑for‑like replacement for Silksong, Nine Sols and Hollow Knight share enough DNA that the former may well soothe the wait for the latter. Both are side-scrolling metroidvanias featuring ability-gated progression, hand-drawn visuals, and "corpse run" mechanics that challenge players upon death, ultimately appealing to similar gameplay sensibilities.

Yi using Shadow Strike on an enemy in Nine Sols

Where they differ is in their core combat philosophy: Hollow Knight is built around precision platforming and spacing, encouraging players to experiment with as many tools as possible due to the varied and ever-rotating influx of bosses. Conversely, Nine Sols is built around a Sekiro-style parry system, that may seem daunting at first but offers a greater power fantasy for those who master it. Nearly every attack in the game can be parried, enabling skilled players to remain aggressive even against the biggest, baddest bosses.

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Nine Sols first debuted on Xbox Game Pass in late November 2024, with its console ports and Xbox Game Pass launch materializing simultaneously. Microsoft isn't in the habit of announcing how long individual titles will stay on its service upon release, but historically, its licensing deals have rarely been shorter than 12 months. The newly expanded availability of Nine Sols marks the second Xbox Game Pass catalog update since the beginning of the month, following the September 2 release of I Am Your Beast, which was added to all non-Core tiers of the service.

New and Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games

Game	Game Pass Tier(s)	Platform(s)	Date	Notes
Nine Sols	Standard	Series X/S	Sep 3	Available on PC GP and XGP Ultimate since Nov 2024.
Hollow Knight: Silksong	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, Console, PC	Sep 4	Day-one release.
Cataclismo	Ultimate, PC	PC	Sep 4
PAW Patrol World	Standard, PC, Ultimate	Cloud, Console, PC	Sep 10	Returning title; originally available in the Mar 2024–Feb 2025 period.
RoadCraft	Ultimate, Standard	Cloud, Series X/S	Sep 16	Unclear if it's coming to PC Game Pass later.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Sep 17	Day-one release.
Frostpunk 2	Ultimate	Series X/S	Sep 18	Available on PC Game Pass since Sep 20, 2024.
Ball x Pitt	PC, Ultimate	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Oct 15	Day-one release.
Keeper	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Oct 17	Day-one release.
Ninja Gaiden 4	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Oct 21	Day-one release.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC	Oct 23	Day-one release for 2025. Game preview. XSX version possibly coming to XGP after early access.
Bounty Star	Ultimate, PC	PC, Series X/S	Oct 23	Day-one release.
The Outer Worlds 2	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Oct 29	Day-one release.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7	Ultimate, PC	Console, PC	Nov 14	Day-one release. Cloud version to be confirmed.

Looking ahead, Hollow Knight: Silksong isn’t the only new title arriving on September 4, with Cataclismo also set to join Xbox Game Pass that day. PAW Patrol World is scheduled to return on September 10, followed by the console version of RoadCraft six days later. That will conclude the Wave 1 lineup for the month. The roster for the second half of September is not entirely unknown, either, as it has already been confirmed to include Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and the console port of Frostpunk 2.

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