Each month, Xbox Game Pass refreshes its catalog to offer gamers fresh gameplay experiences, and this month, *Assassin’s Creed Mirage* takes center stage.

It’s that time of the month once again. The moment when Xbox Game Pass introduces nine new games to the platform while removing a few others to make space is upon us, and [Xbox has laid out the welcome mat](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/08/05/xbox-game-pass-august-2025-wave-1/) for Ubisoft’s top titles in August 2025. Recently, fans have come to anticipate Game Pass updates in pairs each month, as new releases have been launching on the service roughly twice a month since the start of the year.

Last month, Xbox Game Pass [granted fans early access](https://www.cgmagonline.com/news/xbox-game-pass-additions-for-july-2025/) to Obsidian’s follow-up to a backyard survival game, *Grounded 2*, alongside *Wuchang: Fallen Feathers*. Just last month, Xbox made room by pulling *Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess* from its list, and in August 2025, it will remove the beloved title, *Persona 3 Reload*, from the service.

Ubisoft’s *Assassin’s Creed Mirage* leads the nine new games being added to Xbox Game Pass. [CGMagazine’s review](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/assassins-creed-mirage-ps5-review/) describes *Assassin’s Creed Mirage* as “a wonderful return to form for the franchise,” noting that the developers’ approach to combining gameplay with “more contemporary sensibilities” has put the series back on a favorable path. Gamers will be able to enjoy Mirage at no additional charge with a Game Pass membership this month. Below is the list of additions to Game Pass, along with their release dates on the platform.

## Xbox Game Pass August 2025 Wave 1 Additions

– Available Today – *Rain World*
– Available Today – *Descenders Next*
– August 6 – *Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector* (Xbox Series X|S)
– August 6 – *Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders* (Xbox Series X|S)
– August 6 – *MechWarrior 5: Clans* (Xbox Series X|S)
– August 6 – *Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap* (Xbox Series X|S)
– August 7 – *Assassin’s Creed Mirage* (Cloud, Console, and PC)
– August 12 – *Aliens: Fireteam Elite* (Cloud, Console, and PC)
– August 14 – *9 Kings* (Game Preview) (PC)

Three titles will be leaving Xbox Game Pass on August 15 to accommodate the new additions. Fans are advised to take note, as once these games are removed, there will be no indication of when they might return, so players should wrap up *Persona 3 Reload* if they are nearing completion. The following games will be removed on August 15:

– *Anthem* (Console and PC) EA Play
– *Farming Simulator 22* (Cloud, Console, and PC)
– *Persona 3 Reload* (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Gamers have just 10 days left before *Anthem, Farming Simulator 22,* and *Persona 3 Reload* are taken off the platform, so unless they wish to pay extra to keep playing these games, they should complete their sessions by the 15th.

Last month, a playful remark from Matt Ryan, the actor portraying Edward Kenway in “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag,” ignited excitement and speculation among fans regarding a possible remake of the cherished game. While attending an autograph session, Ryan suggested that fans may need to replay the game, which many took as a hint towards an impending remake. This comment, along with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot’s earlier statements about future remakes, intensified the speculation.

Nonetheless, a recent video has emerged featuring Ryan at another signing event, where his demeanor was significantly more circumspect. When queried about the remake, he replied in a vague manner, indicating he was unaware of being recorded during his earlier comment and noted that Ubisoft had warned him of legal action for the slip. This situation underscores Ubisoft’s attempts to manage leaks and uphold confidentiality regarding their initiatives.

In spite of the absence of confirmation, fans continue to hold out hope for a “Black Flag” remake, eagerly anticipating any official updates from Ubisoft.

Last week, the indie gaming platform Itch.io took a page from the Steam marketplace by imposing a shadowban on NSFW content from its storefront. The platform asserted it was ‘deindexing’ the material, but this meant that items classified as NSFW would not appear in search results, even when searching for those specific titles directly. Both platforms began this collective shadowbanning following the aggressive response to Zerat Games’ NSFW title, *No Mercy,* which was removed by Collective Shout, a grassroots campaign opposing the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls. This week, Itch.io seems to have reinstated ‘some’ of the shadowbanned content.

Fans quickly voiced their discontent after the deindexing announcement, turning to forums like Reddit to express that these gaming platforms were censoring developers and creators who share their work on these sites, leading to significant backlash. Numerous commenters on the forum warned that this “censorship” could extend beyond NSFW titles and might gradually encompass anything considered “inappropriate,” such as LGBTQ+ related titles, raising concerns among fans.

Following this decision, the IDGA (International Game Developers Association) issued a statement regarding game censorship, expressing, “We are concerned by the ambiguous enforcement of policies that delist and deplatform legal, consensual, and ethically-created games, particularly those from LGBTQ+ and marginalized creators. Developers deserve clear guidelines, fair notifications, and the opportunity to appeal.” Indie game developer Aggro Crab Games elaborated on this censorship in a detailed post on BlueSky, discussing how it can, and has, negatively affected developers in the field.

The backlash prompted Itch.io to change course, and today, the administrators released a statement declaring that free NSFW content will be reinstated on the platform. The statement reads, “We are re-indexing free adult NSFW content,” and adds, “We are still in ongoing discussions with payment processors and will be gradually bringing back paid content to ensure we can confidently support a broad spectrum of creators in the long term.” The statement is followed by guidelines on how to list your title on Itch.io for free in the interim until they are ‘permitted’ to gradually reintroduce paid NSFW content.

It is important to note that while some NSFW free content has been restored (a positive step for fans), a GOTY contender, *Mouthwashing,* still remains unsearchable on the website.