Microsoft has announced the lineup for Xbox Game Pass Wave October 2, 2024.
The headline here, of course, is the release of Black Ops 6 on October 25, the first Call of Duty game to launch on Game Pass on day one. It comes a year after Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which also brought Diablo 4 and Modern Warfare 3 to Game Pass, with StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection joining the subscription in November. employ.
Launching Black Ops 6 directly into Game Pass is a big gamble for Microsoft. It hopes that the power of Call of Duty will increase its subscriber base and revenue (in itself boosted by the recent Game Pass price hike and restructuring), but this risks losing the game’s full sales prize is lost. Although Xbox executives have insisted that sales can be boosted by a game’s presence on Game Pass, some publishers remain unconvinced. For example, former Activision boss Bobby Kotick was always against putting Call of Duty in subscription services. Unlike Microsoft, console rival Sony does not release its new exclusive games directly in its subscription service.
In an interview with IGN Last year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was asked how he would deal with his and Kotick’s differing ideologies after the deal to buy Activision Blizzard closed. “Well, there’s another person making the decisions,” Spencer laughed.
In the shorter term, tomorrow, October 16, South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Cloud, Console and PC) will be released on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard. A day later on October 17, Donut County (Cloud, Console and PC) returns to the Game Pass library via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard, and MechWarrior 5: Clans (Cloud, PC and Xbox) . Series X|S) will be released as a Day One release on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Then it’s the big one: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Cloud, Console and PC) on October 25 only via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Also on October 25, last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Cloud) via Game Pass Ultimate, and battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone (Cloud) via Game Pass Ultimate.
Starting October 25, Call of Duty, Ashen (Cloud, Console and PC) will return to Game Pass on October 29 via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard.
And finally, Dead Island 2 (PC) is coming to Game Pass for PC gamers via Game Pass Ultimate this October and PC Game Pass on October 31 (it’s already available on Game Pass via Cloud and Console).
Microsoft also listed StarCraft: Remastered (PC) – November 5 (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection (PC) – November 5 (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass), which kicks off Wave 1 of the November 2024 Game Pass lineup.
Xbox Game Pass Wave 2 October 2024 lineup:
- South Park: The Broken But Whole (Cloud, Console and PC) – October 16
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard - Donut County (Cloud, Console and PC) – October 17
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard - MechWarrior 5: Clans (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S) – October 17
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass - Call of Duty: Black Ops6 (Cloud, Console and PC) – October 25
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (Cloud) – October 25
Game Pass Ultimate - Call of Duty: Warzone (Cloud) – October 25
Game Pass Ultimate - Ashen (Cloud, Console and PC) – October 29
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard - Death Island 2 (PC) – October 31
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass - StarCraft: Remastered (PC) – November 5
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass - StarCraft II: Campaign Collection (PC) – November 5
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
As usual, a number of games are leaving Game Pass as new titles arrive.
This is what keeps Xbox Game Pass enabled October 31:
- Frog Detective: The Whole Mystery (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Headbangers (cloud, console and PC)
- Inkulinati (cloud, console and PC)
- Lonely Mountain’s Downhill (Cloud, Console and PC)
- Mineko’s Night Market (Cloud, Console and PC)
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
