There’s a little something for everyone this month.
Xbox Game Pass isn’t adding any blockbuster releases in the first half of August, but there’s plenty for fans of sims and strategy, plus a wild new arcade racing game.
August 2 (Cloud/Console/PC)
You may remember Ghost Recon Wildlands as the game that portrayed Bolivia in such a bad light the government threatened legal action against Ubisoft. There’s a decent multiplayer experience here if you drown out the questionable story with voice chat.
August 4 (PC)
Last month, Game Pass debuted the final game from developer Zachtronics. Now one of its greatest hits, the programming puzzle game Shenzhen I/O, joins as well.
August 4 (Cloud/Console/PC)
Turbo Golf Racing lets you feel what it’s like to get your ass kicked in Rocket League and Mario Kart at the same time. It’s a chaotic arcade racer that grants you special abilities for knocking giant golf balls around the course.
August 9 (Cloud/Console/PC)
Two Point Campus is an absurd satirical take on college from the developer of Two Point Hospital. You’ll have to manage your school and gouge the students enough to keep expanding — er, prepare them for an exciting future career.
August 11 (Cloud/Console/PC)
Fans of last month’s PowerWash Simulator take note. Cooking Simulator gives you the kitchen of your dream to practice making culinary masterpieces or affronts to the very concept of food.
August 11 (PC)
The excellent Expeditions: Rome lets you guide the course of the Roman Empire through turn-based tactical battles and political intrigue. Pro tip: Put away the fiddle when the fires start.
August 11 (PC)
Live out Elon Musk’s dream of starting a capitalist space empire in Offworld Trading Company. This economic strategy game replaces the RTS genre’s usual combat with cutthroat political maneuvering.