Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games have appeared without the usual advance announcement: No Man’s Sky and theHunter: Call of the Wild are now both included with Microsoft’s cheapest current Game Pass tier. Their official Xbox store listings now name Essential alongside Premium and Ultimate, despite neither game appearing as a new Essential addition in Xbox’s September 1 Wave 1 announcement.
Xbox Game Pass Essential Two Games: What Was Added?
| Game | Essential status | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|
| No Man’s Sky | Included | Huge Cosmos 7.0 update just launched |
| theHunter: Call of the Wild | Included | Long-running open-world hunting game with multiplayer |
The interesting part of Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games is the tier itself: Essential has the smallest Game Pass library, so two substantial open-world additions materially improve it.
No Man’s Sky Is the Headline Addition
Of the Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games, No Man’s Sky is the obvious traffic magnet right now because Hello Games has just released Cosmos 7.0. The update adds player-directed Space Stations, Alliances, orbital construction, deep-space points of interest and a tenth-anniversary expedition.
Our No Man’s Sky Xbox Game Pass Essential guide covers the subscription details, while the existing Cosmos Update 7.0 guide explains what new players are actually downloading into.
theHunter: Call of the Wild Is Included Too
The second of the Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games is theHunter: Call of the Wild, a much slower open-world game built around tracking, equipment and hunting reserves. Its Xbox page now lists Essential, Premium and Ultimate among the included Game Pass tiers.
The theHunter Game Pass Essential guide explains multiplayer access and why the base-game inclusion does not automatically include every paid DLC reserve or weapon pack.
Why Was There No Big Announcement?
The Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games change appears to be a genuine catalogue shadow-drop. Xbox published its September Wave 1 Game Pass article on September 1, naming the normal dated additions, but neither No Man’s Sky nor theHunter was introduced there as a new Essential release.
By September 15, the useful proof is on the live store pages themselves: both now explicitly show Essential inclusion. That makes the store entitlement more current than the earlier monthly announcement.
What Does Xbox Game Pass Essential Include?
The Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games additions sit inside a tier Microsoft describes as offering 50+ games on console, PC and supported devices, along with online console multiplayer, in-game benefits, rewards and a limited cloud-gaming allowance.
Essential does not promise new first-party releases on day one. That is why catalogue additions like these matter more to the tier than they might on Ultimate, where the library is already much larger.
Can Essential Subscribers Play Both on PC?
The Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games story is broader than console because Microsoft’s current Essential plan supports a PC catalogue as well. No Man’s Sky is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, while theHunter also has a Windows Xbox version.
Exact device availability can still vary by package and region, so the Xbox app while signed into the subscribed account is the final install check. The important shift is that Essential is no longer being presented as console-online access with a tiny console-only library.
Do You Own the Games Permanently?
No. The Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games additions are Game Pass catalogue access. If a game leaves Essential or the subscription ends, the entitlement to launch it through the tier ends too.
Save data remains attached to the account, so buying the game later or regaining a valid entitlement should let you continue rather than wiping progress.
Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games is therefore worth treating as a live-library change rather than waiting for a second announcement that may never arrive.
Could More Essential Games Appear Quietly?
Yes. The Xbox Game Pass Essential Just Added Two Games surprise is a good reminder that the monthly Game Pass announcement is not always a complete forecast of every Essential catalogue change. Live store labels can update without the sort of pre-release marketing attached to larger Game Pass waves.
For anyone on the cheapest tier, it is worth checking the library itself after major catalogue changes rather than assuming nothing new arrived because Xbox did not publish a dedicated blog post.
The official Xbox Game Pass page explains the current Essential tier, while the official No Man’s Sky and theHunter: Call of the Wild listings show both games as included.
The two surprise Essential additions
Is No Man’s Sky on Xbox Game Pass Essential?
