2023 has been a bit of a mixed year forXbox Game Pass, with some extremely high highs, and some really low lows, but the further fans get into the year, the more things seem to be leveling out.July 2023’s Xbox Game Pass line-upfeatured some great titles, withGrand Theft Auto 5being the standout pull for the month, and thankfully, August 2023’s Xbox Game Pass selection is already looking fairly healthy. While just four games have been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in August 2023 so far, all four are great.
Up first on August 1 is the beautiful indie platformerCeleste, then the expansive sci-fi action-RPGEverspace 2launches on Xbox Game Pass on August 15. A few days later, on August 18, the asymmetrical multiplayer horror gameTheTexas Chain Saw Massacreis set to hit Xbox Game Pass day one. And then right at the end of the month, the eagerly anticipatedSea of Starsis set to hit Xbox Game Pass, also on day one. But while all four of these Xbox Game Pass August games are bound to be great additions to the service, it could always do with a few more.
RELATED:The Best Games On Xbox Game Pass (July 2023)
Xbox Game Pass New Game for August 2023: Stray
Originally launched as a PlayStation Plus day-one exclusive, it would be incredible to seeStrayhit Xbox Game Pass when it launched on August 10. Despite their recent tensions, exacerbated by the very public FTC court case, PlayStation and Xbox have been getting on quite well recently, with both companies agreeing to share the upcomingSea of Stars, which lands on both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Passon day one.
The ultimate sign of cooperation between the two juggernauts would be PlayStation allowingStrayto come toXbox Game Passwhen it hits the console for the first time later next month. Aside from that,Strayis also just an excellent game filled with charm and a breathtaking art style, making it a perfect title for Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass New Game for August 2023: GTA Definitive Trilogy
As mentioned up top,Grand Theft Auto 5was July 2023’s best Xbox Game Pass addition, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow that up this month with even moreGTA. Though they were extremely controversial when they first dropped, theGTA Definitive Trilogyis still a solid way to experience three absolute classics, and having them all in one spot with Xbox Game Pass would be great. If gamers need anything this Summer it’s content, and theGTA Definitive Trilogyoffers plenty of that, with around 70 hours of story content alone across all three games.
Xbox Game Pass New Game for August 2023: Immortals of Aveum
One of the more high-profile, but still potentially under-the-radar releases this August isAscendant Studios’Immortals of Aveum. Launching on August 22,Immortals of Aveumis a first-person arena shooter that’s been heavily inspired by the likes of old-school shooters likeDoomandQuake. Though, the big hook here is that players aren’t shooting regular old guns, but a vast range of magical spells. While its plot looks a little silly,Immortals of Aveumdoesn’t look like it’ll disappoint in the gameplay department.
Xbox Game Pass New Game for August 2023: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
In the last few weeks, classicCall of Dutytitles have seen a resurgence on Xbox. With Microsoft mysteriously fixing some server issues, fans are flocking back to iconic titles likeBlack OpsandModern Warfare 2, putting them right at the top of the bestsellers list on Xbox Game Pass. It would be great to see Microsoft lean into this unique trend by puttinga classicCoDgame on Xbox Game Pass, and there’s none better thanCall of Duty: Black Ops 2, currently the best-selling game on the Xbox Marketplace.
