The biggest Xbox Game Pass game of August 2025 is yet to release. Xbox Game Pass has been a little slow lately after a blistering couple of months that saw subscribers enjoying day one games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and most recently, Abiotic Factor. That said, this is fairly typical of Xbox Game Pass. There are typically two slow periods: December and January, and then the first two thirds of summer. In the case of the latter, things usually start to pick up at the end of August, when video game releases start picking back up. To this end, one of the biggest games of August 2025 comes out at the end of the month, and it will be available via on Xbox Game Pass the moment it does.
What is coming to Xbox Game Pass subscribers at the end of the month? Well, on August 26, Sumo Digital, Disbelief, and Xbox Game Studios are set to deliver Gears of War Reloaded, a remaster of the first Gears of War game that will be free for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition owners and free with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
This is separate from Xbox Game Pass, but what makes this release even more notable is the game is going to introduce the series to PlayStation consoles for the first time. Interestingly, on the same day PlayStation will introduce Helldivers 2 on Xbox for the first time. This is not as consequential because Helldivers is not synonymous with PlayStation like Gears of War is Xbox, but it is an interesting coincidence.
Playing it Right Away
What is important to remember with this release is you are going to want to play it right away. The legendary campaign of the first Gears of War can be played at any time, however, the multiplayer is going to fade. There will likely always be a playerbase for it throughout this console generation, but over time this will filter down into a hyper competitive and small pool of hardcore players. The vast majority of players are going to stop playing in a few weeks, or a few months at best, so it will be important to play Gears of War: Reloaded multiplayer the moment it releases to maximize the experience.
Prequel Coming Soon
What also juices the significance of this release and addition to Xbox Game Pass is the fact that a prequel to this game, Gears of War: E-Day is the next Gears of War game and expected to release sometime in 2026. As a prequel, it can technically be enjoyed without experiencing the games that come after it, but having played at the first Gears of War game should go a long way in enhancing the experience of Gears of War: E-Day, one of 2026’s biggest releases.
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