Microsoft finally announced which games would be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the first part of August. We’re getting a good haul of games, including two Skate games and roguelikes.

The best addition of the month is undoubtedly Hades, the roguelike that swept up Game of the Year awards last year. An extended pastiche of Greek mythology, Hades is a coup for Game Pass.

The games that are coming to Xbox Game Pass for the first half of August are:

  • Curse of the Dead Gods (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 5
  • Dodgeball Academia (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 5
  • Katamari Damacy Reroll (Cloud, Console PC) -- August 5
  • Lumines Remastered (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 5
  • Skate (Console via EA Play) -- August 5
  • Skate 3 (Console via EA Play) -- August 5
  • Starmancer (Preview on PC) -- August 5
  • Art of Rally (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 12
  • Hades (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 13
  • Microsoft Solitaire Collection: Premium Edition (PC) -- August 17

Microsoft usually releases a second (and sometimes third) batch of games on the platform in the second half of the month. Considering how many games are being added in this update, it would make sense if the second announcement was a couple of weeks from now.

As always, when some games are added to Game Pass, other games are removed from it. If Hades is a great addition to the platform, then we’re getting a deep cut removal that balances it out: Grand Theft Auto V is leaving the platform again.

Here are the games that are leaving the platform in the first half of August:

  • Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud and Console) -- August 8
  • Ape Out (PC) -- August 15
  • Crossing Souls (PC) -- August 15
  • Darksiders Genesis (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 15
  • Don’t Starve (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 15
  • Final Fantasy VII (Console, PC) -- August 15
  • Train Sim World 2020 (Cloud, Console, PC) -- August 15

Xbox’s free Games with Gold for August were revealed last week.