You’re never too old for toys, right? Because Game Pass hits with two very different toy sets to tinker with today.
As of time of writing, neither are showing up on the Store via Game Pass play – Microsoft be like that sometimes, waiting until the latter parts of the day to update – but you can be sure that you will get to play both Train Sim World 3: Standard Edition (Cloud, Console and PC) and Disney Dreamlight Valley (Console) today.
Train Sim World 3 is one of those games where you’re the target audience, or you very much aren’t. You have to be juiced by statements like “haul hundreds of containers through Cajon Pass with the ES44C4”, or “drive Britain’s fastest train, the Class 395”. If you find your heart racing and your loins girded, then Train Sim World 3: Standard Edition (DLC is going to cost you, mate) is your go-to game on Game Pass.
Already out in Deluxe Edition, taking a peak at trailers, it does look rather AAA. Extreme weather systems look realistic, while volumetric skies give a bit of twinkle to the environment. You can even customise your trains and liveries to add a bit of razzmatazz.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is something of an oddball from Gameloft. It sits somewhere between Animal Crossing and MMO, but distinctly flavoured with the Disney and Pixar IP. You are a mysterious hero, arrived to Dreamlight Valley, where thick, purple brambles are covering the land and your favourite characters have forgotten who they are and which characters they particularly like.
It’s the background for some handy-personing, as you complete tasks and generally be dogsbody for Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Moana, Merlin and the rest. By completing their tasks, their relationship with you also levels, and more of the island opens up. Soon, more guests are arriving, and you’ve turned the island into a boutique holiday destination that even Cruella De Vil would book. Expect a review soon, as we try to untangle what we like and don’t like about this deep game.
The rest of the month’s launches aren’t official yet, as we are still awaiting word from Major Nelson, Phil Spencer and the rest. But there are some isolated games that have been confirmed: expect You Suck At Parking (Console) as it arrives on September 14th; Outer Wilds (Xbox Series X|S version) flies in on September 15th; Beacon Pines (Console, PC) and Slime Rancher 2 (Early Access – Console, PC) drop in on September 22nd; while Grounded (1.0 release – Console, PC, Cloud) and Moonscars (Console, PC) make landfall on September 27th.
Plenty are leaving, too, including some classics. Say arrivederci on September 15th to A Plague Tale Requiem (Console, PC, Cloud), Aragami 2 (Console, PC, Cloud), Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (Console, PC, Cloud), Craftopia (Game Preview – Console), Final Fantasy XIII (Console, PC, Cloud), Flynn: Son of Crimson (Console, PC, Cloud), I Am Fish (Console, PC, Cloud), Lost Words: Beyond The Page (Console, PC, Cloud), Mighty Goose (Console, PC, Cloud), SkateBIRD (Console, PC, Cloud) and The Artful Escape (Console, PC, Cloud).
When we get the full list of September: The First Half for Game Pass, we will let you know. For now, enjoy your toys, and let us know what you think of them on our social channels or in the comments below.
