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Our monthly update on new games being added to PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass and other subscription services.
Editors’ Pick
The following hand-picked games are either part of a subscription services at the time this articles gets published or were made available recently.
A Short Hike (Included in Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass since August 3rd, 2023) (Patrick)
Anthropomorphic bird-girl Claire spends her summer in Hawk Peak Provincial Park with Aunt May. Your goal is to scale the eponymous mountain Hawk Peak. For this she needs golden feathers, which she can exchange for money in the visitors shop or find in the freely exploreable game world. Another way to get the popular feathers that enable Claire to jump multiple times as well as to sprint and glide through the air longer is to do smaller side quests for the colorful cast of characters she meets on her journey. Claire can beat the high score in beachstickball, a variant of beach volleyball with sticks, or win a speedboat race made up of a couple of checkpoints. Fishes you catch in a mini-game can be sold. Water collected in a bucket from hot springs causes flowers to sprout that catapult you into the air. Some fast travel points can also be uncovered at buried mine shafts.
Your skills can also be improved. In the course of the adventure you can find running shoes and a compass that will make orientation a little easier. The dialogues are witty and the pixel art presentation adds its own charm. Mark Sparling’s cheerful melodies support the player’s actions. If you’re looking for a laid-back 1-2 hour adventure, then you should give A Short Hike by Adam Robinson-Yu a try. The game has been available since 2019 for PC, since 2020 for Switch, since 2021 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and since August 3rd, 2023 it’s been included in Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
Monthly update
It’s easy to lose track of new games being added to the countless subscription services. Catch the latest titles below. All information is subject to change. We try to update this post as soon as new titles get announced.
PlayStation Plus Essential
€8.99/£6.99/$9.99 per month. Included in PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium. Playable on PlayStation 5/PlayStation 4. Available from August 1st – September 4th, 2023.
- Death’s Door (PS5, PS4)
- Dreams (PS4)
- PGA Tour 2K23 (PS5, PS4)
PlayStation Plus Extra
€13.99/£10.99/$14.99 US-Dollar per month. Included in PlayStation Plus Premium. Playable on PlayStation 5/PlayStation 4. Available since August 15th, 2023.
- Cursed to Golf (PS5, PS4)
- Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (PS5, PS4)
- Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed (PS5, PS4)
- Dreams (PS4)
- Hotel Transylvania: Scary-Tale Adventures (PS5, PS4)
- Lost Judgement (PS5, PS4)
- Midnight Fight Express (PS4)
- Moving Out 2 (PS5, PS4)
- PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night (PS5, PS4)
- Source of Madness (PS5, PS4)
- SpellForce 3 Reforced (PS5, PS4)
- Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition (PS5, PS4)
- Lawn Mowing Simulator (since August 28th, 2023, PS5, PS4)
- Sea of Stars (since August 29th, 2023, PS5, PS4)
Left PlayStation Plus Extra on August 15th, 2023:
- 8-Bit Armies (PS4)
- Borderlands 3 (PS5, PS4)
- Carmageddon: Max Damage (PS4)
- DCL – The Game (PS4)
- GRIP: Combat Racing (PS4)
- Nidhogg (PS4)
- The Crew 2 (PS5, PS4)
- Yakuza 0 (PS4)
- Yakuza Kiwami (PS4)
- Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4)
PlayStation Plus Premium
€16.99/£13.49/$17.99 per month. Playable on PlayStation 5/PlayStation 4. Available since August 15th, 2023.
- Ape Escape: On the Loose (PSP)
- MediEvil: Resurrection (PSP)
- Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice (PSP)
Xbox Games with Gold
€6.99/£6.99/$9.99 per month. Included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Playable on Xbox Series/One.
- Blue Fire (Xbox One) – Available from August 1st – 31st, 2023.
- Inertial Drift (Xbox One) – Available from August 1st – 31st, 2023.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass for Console / PC: €9.99/£7.99/$9.99 per month each, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Console + PC + Games with Gold): €12.99/£10.99/$14.99 per month. Playable on Xbox Series/One.
- Celeste (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 1st, 2023
- A Short Hike (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 3rd, 2023
- Broforce Forever (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 8th, 2023
- Limbo (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 9th, 2023
- Airborne Kingdom (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 10th, 2023
- Quake II (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 15th, 2023
- Everspace 2 (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S) – August 15th, 2023
- Firewatch (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 17th, 2023
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 18th, 2023
- Sea of Stars (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 29th, 2023
Left Xbox Game Pass Ultimate:
- Death Stranding (PC) – August 15th, 2023
- Edge of Eternity (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 15th, 2023
- Midnight Fight Express (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 15th, 2023
- Total War: Warhammer III (PC) – August 15th, 2023
- Black Desert (Cloud, Console) – August 31st, 2023
- Commandos 3 – HD Remaster (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 31st, 2023
- Immortality (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 31st, 2023
- Nuclear Throne (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 31st, 2023
- Surgeon Simulator 2 (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 31st, 2023
- Tinykin (Cloud, Console, PC) – August 31st, 2023
Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo Switch Online: €3.99/£3.49/$3.99 per month or €19.99/17.99/$19.99 per year. Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack: €39.99/£34.99/$49.99 per year.
- Nintendo Switch Online – GameBoy – August 8th, 2023
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (GBC)
- Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack – Nintendo 64 – August 8th, 2023
- Pokémon Stadium 2 (N64)
EA Play
EA Play: €3.99/£3.99/$4.99 per month. Included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. EA Play Pro: €14.99/£14.99/$14.99. Available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One.
- EA Play Pro
- Madden NFL 24 – EA Play Pro Edition – August 15th, 2023
- Immortals of Aveum – Deluxe Edition – August 22nd, 2023
Ubisoft+
€14.99/£12.99/$14.99 per month, available on PC. Ubisoft+ Multi Access: €17.99/£14.99/$17.99, available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Amazon Luna.
- Riders Republic – Complete Edition – August 25th, 2023
Humble Choice
€9.99/£8.99 Pfund/$11.99 per month. Available on PC from August 1st – September 4th, 2023.
- Arcade Paradise
- Chivalry 2
- Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
- Hot Brass
- Road 96
- Suchart: Genius Artist Simulator
- Tin Can
- Trek to Yomi
Prime Gaming
€8.99/£8.99/$14.99 per month. Available on PC.
- PayDay 2 + The Gage Mod Courier DLC [Epic Games Store] – August 3rd, 2023
- Farming Simulator 19 [Epic Games Store] – August 10th, 2023
- Blade Assault [Amazon Games App] – August 10th, 2023
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 [Amazon Games App] – August 17th, 2023
- Foretales [Amazon Games App] – August 17th, 2023
- Driftland: The Magic Revival [Amazon Games App] – August 17th, 2023
- In Sound Mind [Amazon Games App] – August 24th, 2023
- Summertime Madness [Legacy Games Code] – August 31st, 2023
We captured the screenshots of A Short Hike on PC. Xbox and PlayStation provided us with access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus Premium.