Xbox Game Pass October 2026: Gears of War: E-Day is the headline
Xbox Game Pass October 2026 is built around one release. Gears of War: E-Day reaches Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on 6 October, according to Xbox Wire, with a worldwide launch at 8:00 a.m. PT. Premium Edition owners, and Game Pass subscribers who buy the Premium Upgrade, got early access from 1 October.
Xbox Wire describes it as an origin story set 14 years before the original game, following Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde emerges. It includes a campaign, a four-player Horde Siege mode and a 4v4 Versus mode, built in Unreal Engine 5 with 4K and up to 60fps support. On launch day, studio head Mike Crump said: 'Today is a moment we've been looking forward to for a long time.' We covered the launch details in our earlier piece on [the Gears of War: E-Day early access offer](/news/gears-of-war-e-day-early-access-october-1-what-you-get).
The week of 5 to 9 October: only two Game Pass games
Xbox Wire's 'Next week on Xbox' post, published on 2 October, lists 22 releases for 5 to 9 October. By our count of its table, only two are flagged as Game Pass games: Gears of War: E-Day on 6 October and Echo Weaver on 8 October. Everything else, from Star Wars: Galactic Racer to Kingdom Hearts Collection, is a purchase.
That is a useful correction to the idea that a Game Pass month means a big list of free games. The 22 releases include a lot of small indie titles, a few notable licensed games, and a couple of big console and PC launches. Treat the Game Pass column as the one that decides what you can play without paying extra.
One caution on the count: the Xbox Wire table is the source for the two-of-22 figure, and it conflicts with another outlet on one title, covered below.
The practical effect is a lopsided week. Two days carry the subscription news, 6 October and 8 October, and the rest is a catalogue of paid releases, many of them small. A subscriber who wants to spend nothing extra has Gears of War: E-Day and Echo Weaver to play, plus whatever is already in the library.
“Today is a moment we've been looking forward to for a long time.”
Echo Weaver and the other Game Pass dates
Echo Weaver is the second Game Pass title this week. Xbox Wire describes a time-loop Metroidvania in which players exploit time-altering anomalies to break cycles and uncover mysteries. It launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC on 8 October and is listed on Game Pass.
Pure Xbox's October calendar adds the later dates. Deep Dish Dungeon and Valor Mortis arrive on 13 October, Beyond These Stars and Chained Beasts on 15 October, The Seance of Blake Manor on 27 October and Terrible Lizards on 29 October. Most are listed for Ultimate and PC Game Pass, with Beyond These Stars listed for PC only. We covered the [Valor Mortis price and Game Pass details](/news/valor-mortis-price-39-99-game-pass-no-pre-orders-october-13) separately.
Keeper is the other notable entry. Pure Xbox lists it joining the Premium tier on 2 October, across Series X|S, PC and Cloud. That is a tier addition rather than a new launch, so it matters mostly to Premium subscribers who had not yet played it.
Where sources disagree: Neon Abyss 2
Neon Abyss 2 is the one conflict we found. Pure Xbox lists it joining Game Pass on 8 October for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Xbox Wire's 5 to 9 October table lists the release on Xbox Series X|S and PC and marks it as not on Game Pass.
We could not resolve this from the pages we opened. Xbox Wire is the first-party source, but its table may reflect launch-day purchase availability while a later Game Pass announcement is still pending. If you plan to play it through your subscription, check the game's Xbox store page on release day before you rely on it.
This is also why we count two Game Pass games in the week, not three. If Neon Abyss 2 is confirmed, the real figure is three of 22, and the point about most of the week's releases being paid titles stands either way.
The non-Game Pass releases worth knowing
A few of the week's paid releases are worth a mention. Star Wars: Galactic Racer arrives on 6 October on Xbox Series X|S, described by Xbox Wire as a runs-based racing game in the Outer Rim, and we have the [price, editions and PC requirements](/news/star-wars-galactic-racer-price-editions-pc-requirements-october-6) in a separate piece. Kingdom Hearts Collection, also on 6 October, bundles HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts III with the Re Mind DLC.
Horror fans have Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival on 8 October on Xbox Series X|S, a first-person survival game. Strategy players get Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts on 8 October, which combines warship design with combat across 1890 to 1950 technology eras. None of these are on Game Pass according to Xbox Wire.
Free Play Days and what it means for subscribers
There is one more offer worth knowing about. Xbox Wire's Free Play Days for 1 to 4 October listed Far Cry 6, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Skull and Bones and The Crew Motorfest, free to try for all Xbox members. That window has closed, but the programme repeats, so it is worth watching if you want to try a game before buying.
For subscribers, the practical read is simple. The month has a real centrepiece in Gears of War: E-Day, a handful of smaller games to fill the weeks, and a lot of releases that are not part of the subscription. Decide what you will play before you buy anything.
Xbox Wire's post is a vendor listing, so it tells you what is available and when, not whether any of it is good. We have not played any of these games, and reviews will land after launch. Our advice is to wait for those before spending on anything outside the subscription.
We will update this page if Xbox Wire publishes a later wave that changes the dates, or resolves the Neon Abyss 2 question.
Frequently asked
What is on Xbox Game Pass October 2026?
Pure Xbox's calendar lists Keeper (Premium, 2 October), Gears of War: E-Day (6 October), Echo Weaver and Neon Abyss 2 (8 October), Deep Dish Dungeon and Valor Mortis (13 October), Beyond These Stars and Chained Beasts (15 October), The Seance of Blake Manor (27 October) and Terrible Lizards (29 October). Xbox Wire's 5 to 9 October table marks only Gears of War: E-Day and Echo Weaver as Game Pass titles, so Neon Abyss 2 is unclear.
When does Gears of War: E-Day come to Game Pass?
Gears of War: E-Day reaches Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on 6 October 2026, per Xbox Wire, with launch at 8:00 a.m. PT. Premium Edition owners, and Game Pass subscribers who buy the Premium Upgrade, got early access from 1 October at 8:00 a.m. PT. It launches on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam, and is also available through cloud gaming on Game Pass Ultimate.
Is Echo Weaver on Game Pass?
Yes, according to Xbox Wire's 5 to 9 October list, which flags Echo Weaver as a Game Pass game. It is a time-loop Metroidvania launching on Xbox Series X|S and PC on 8 October 2026, where players exploit time-altering anomalies to break cycles and uncover mysteries. Pure Xbox also lists Echo Weaver for Ultimate and PC Game Pass on the same date, so two sources agree on this one.
Is Neon Abyss 2 on Game Pass?
Sources disagree. Pure Xbox lists Neon Abyss 2 joining Ultimate and PC Game Pass on 8 October 2026, while Xbox Wire's 5 to 9 October table lists the release for Xbox Series X|S and PC and marks it as not on Game Pass. We could not resolve the conflict from the pages we opened, so check the store page on release day before relying on your subscription.
Which Xbox Free Play Days games were there in October 2026?
Xbox Wire's Free Play Days for 1 to 4 October 2026 listed Far Cry 6, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Skull and Bones and The Crew Motorfest. They were free to try for all Xbox members, and players who liked a game could buy it at a discount while keeping the achievements and Gamerscore earned during the trial. That window has now closed.
How many releases are on Xbox this week and how many are Game Pass?
Xbox Wire's 'Next week on Xbox' post, published on 2 October 2026, lists 22 releases for 5 to 9 October. By our count of its table, two are flagged as Game Pass games: Gears of War: E-Day on 6 October and Echo Weaver on 8 October. If Neon Abyss 2 is confirmed for Game Pass, as Pure Xbox reports, the total would be three of 22.