Battle bots, bugs, and brain-eaters.
(September 30, Console/PC)
Also coming in just under the wire, Scarlet Nexus is a flashy action RPG starring a team of operatives with mind-bending psychic abilities. Between battles, you can buddy up with your squadmates and explore the game’s gorgeous, ruined world.
(October 1, Console)
Already available on Game Pass on PC, Phoenix Point is now coming to Xbox consoles. Headed by XCOM’s creator, Phoenix Point shares that series’ alien-blasting tactical combat.
(October 6–9, Console/PC)
Battlefield 2042 launches in November, but you’ll have a chance to dive in early with an open beta running October 8–9. Game Pass subscribers get early access to the beta on October 6–7 thanks to its EA Play partnership.
(October 12, Cloud/Console/PC)
The developer of Left 4 Dead returns with... a game that’s a whole lot like Left 4 Dead. You can team up with friends to fight hordes of zombies just in time for Halloween in Back 4 Blood.
(October 19, Console/PC)
Into the Pit is a fast-paced first-person shooter where you play as not a gun-toting soldier but a mage flinging magic spells. Its retro aesthetics and pulsing soundtrack just make it stand out that much more.
(October 21, Console/PC)
Echo Generation is a lighthearted RPG set in the mystical land of Canada in 1993. Fight everything from neighborhood racoons to giant mechs in turn-based combat with timed button presses à la Super Mario RPG.
(October 26, Console/PC)
In the chill RPG Moonglow Bay, you can fish, craft, and build relationships with your neighbors all to make the titular Moonglow Bay a better place to live — and maybe encounter a few mystical monsters along the way.
(October 28, PC)
The classic real-time strategy series returns. Age of Empires IV will let you play through strategic battles as real historical civilizations with their own unique heroes.
(October 28, Console/PC)
It’s a fishing game. You know what you’re getting into. If you want to experience “the thrill of Big Bass Fishing” (in the developer’s words) without waking up before dawn or risking seasickness, this sounds like a good way to do it.