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Best Games on Xbox Game Pass: Starfield Is Here

Give these games a try.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Oscar Gonzalez Former staff reporter
Oscar Gonzalez is a Texas native who covered video games, conspiracy theories, misinformation and cryptocurrency.
Expertise Video Games, Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories, Cryptocurrency, NFTs, Movies, TV, Economy, Stocks
Dan Ackerman
Oscar Gonzalez
a space ship doing a gravity jump
Bethesda Game Studios

Xbox Game Pass continues to show its value for most Xbox owners -- even with its recent price increase. The service not only includes a large, ever-changing catalog of games to download and play, it also bundles access to online multiplayer services. Each month, Microsoft adds new games to the service.

If you're on the fence about Game Pass, or just looking for some suggestions about what to play, below are some games coming to the service in September.

Read more: Best Game Subscription Services

Starfield is one of the biggest games of the year, and it's currently out on Game Pass. The space role-playing game is a Day 1 release for the service and is easily one of the best games subscribers can play on their Xbox Series console or PC. Those in the mood for a more classic RPG can check out Sea of Stars. Other players in need of raising their blood pressure can check out Texas Chain Saw Massacre, where they can take the role of victims trying to survive the nightmare while other players control the Slaughter family, which includes the horror icon Leatherface. 

New and noteworthy

Recent hits

Read more: Best Cloud Gaming Services

Must-play classics 

PC gaming picks

We'll keep this list updated with new additions and new staff suggestions. You can also check out our picks for the best games on PlayStation Plus

Dan Ackerman/CNET

Game Pass has evolved far beyond its Xbox-bound origins to become a subscription that delivers something for everyone who plays games, and now encompasses console and PC game downloads, access to online multiplayer services, a deal with gaming giant EA and a cloud-based service that streams games to nearly any device. 

Microsoft offers several versions, but because of how the features are sliced up between them, only the $17-per-month Ultimate plan, with all the benefits detailed above, really makes sense. Read our Xbox Game Pass review