Valheim and Slime Rancher 2 join Deathloop on Xbox Game Pass

Hardspace: Shipbreaker, Blackbird Interactive’s sci-fi take on an honest day’s work in space, joins the previously announced Deathloop on Xbox Game Pass today. They’ll be followed by Slime Rancher 2 and eight more games to round out the month of September on Microsoft’s games subscription service.

Hardspace: Shipbreaker launched on Windows PC (and PC Game Pass) in May after two years in early access. In the game, players take on the role of a laborer cutting apart space ships in an orbital salvage yard. The wrinkle is they’re working off a massive debt to their employer — a nod to the company towns and labor struggles of the early 20th century.

Slime Rancher 2 likewise launches in early access on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on Sept. 22. Other day-one launches on Sept. 22 include SpiderHeck (a “fast-paced couch co-op brawler,” says Microsoft) for consoles and PC, and Beacon Pines (a “cute and creepy storybook adventure.”)

On Sept. 27, Game Pass adds the full release of Grounded, Obsidian Entertainment’s honey-I-shrunk-the-kids backyard adventure which launched in early access in July 2020. That will be joined on Sept. 29 by the PC Game Pass launch of Valheim, the 2021 survival game set in Norse lands. Valheim will launch on Xbox Game Pass as a console exclusive sometime in early spring 2023.

Here’s a full list of the games coming to Game Pass in the back half of September:

• Deathloop — Sept. 20 (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X)
• Hardspace: Shipbreaker — Sept. 20 (Cloud, Xbox Series X)
• SpiderHeck — Sept. 22 (Cloud, Console)
• Beacon Pines — Sept. 22 (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Slime Rancher 2 (Game Preview) — Sept. 22 (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X)
• Moonscars — (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Grounded — Full Release — Sept. 27 (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Let’s Build a Zoo — Sept. 29 (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Valheim (Game Preview) — Sept. 29 (PC)
• PAW Patrol Grand Prix — Sept. 30 (Cloud, Console, PC)

In other news, Microsoft reminds Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers that they have a 10-hour trial, via EA Play, of FIFA 23, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 27. They’ve also added touch controls for nine more games to stream to mobile devices — including Grounded, as well as the recently announced Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition.

Like most months, Xbox will also be removing several games from Game Pass in September as well. Here’s a list every everything that’s leaving the service on Sept. 30:

• AI: The Somnium Files (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Astria Ascending (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Dandy Ace (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Dirt 4 (PC) EA Play
• Dirt Rally (PC) EA Play
• Going Under (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lemnis Gate (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Slime Rancher (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Subnautica: Below Zero (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Procession to Calvary (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Unsighted (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Visage (Cloud, Console, and PC)