Technologies

Skip Your Weekend Plans and Play Hades, Now Back on Xbox Game Pass

Game Pass subscribers can also play the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 early access open beta starting Oct. 2.

The god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler game Hades is one of the most popular games in recent memory — and one of my personal all-time favorite games. The gameplay feels smooth, it’s easily replayable and the game’s writing is full of heart and emotion. Game developer Supergiant Games is gearing up to release Hades 2 soon but if you missed playing the original — or want to replay it — you can on Xbox Game Pass now.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to an extensive library of games, with new ones, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

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Here are the games Game Pass subscribers can play soon. You can also check out the games Microsoft added to the service in early September, including Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Xbox Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 17.

This rebooted first-person shooter comes to Game Pass Standard subscribers more than a year after Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could play it. You can continue the story of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as you and a team of special forces members try to track down an ultranationalist terrorist. You can also take on hordes of the undead in the zombies gameplay mode or challenge your friends in multiplayer mode. With the Carry Forward feature, you can transfer much of your content and weapons progressions from Modern Warfare 2 to this game.

For the King 2

Xbox Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 17.

Get ready for this turn-based roguelite tabletop RPG — try to say that five times fast. You and up to three others will work to overthrow the tyrannical Queen Rosomon and bring an end to her oppressive reign. You’ll encounter enemies and friends in lush forests, lava-filled wastelands and Merling-filled tropical seas.

Overthrown (Game preview)

Xbox Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 17.

Build and manage your kingdom as a monarch with a magical crown in this city-builder game. Be prepared to defend your home at a moment’s notice. Farm the land, build structures needed to survive and protect your citizens from mutants and bandits to keep your people happy.

Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could play this game in January and Game Pass Standard subscribers can get in on the fun, too.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play starting Sept. 17.

If you played Vampire Survivors, you should give this game a try. It’s another auto-shooter game where your character automatically shoots at enemies, and you have to avoid attacks while also mining minerals from the alien world Planet Hoxxes. And really, you play a dwarf miner in space, need I say more?

Frostpunk 2

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play starting Sept. 18.

Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could play this game on PC in 2024, and now Microsoft is bringing this game to console and Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta).

This city-building survival game asks you to make the tough decisions needed to ensure your community survives in an arctic apocalypse. Set 30 years after the events of the award-winning Frostpunk, you play as the Steward, who takes control of the city after the Captain — the original game’s player character — dies. The city is struggling with overpopulation plus food and coal shortages, among other issues. It’s up to you to build shelter and provide enough food for everyone while dealing with the factions vying for power.

Wobbly Life

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 18.

Get ready to explore this silly, vibrant, open-world physics sandbox game with your friends or on your own. The world is filled with minigames, missions, secrets, collectibles and tons of clothing options to find and unlock. Plus, there are almost 100 vehicles you can use as part of jobs or that you can just crash for the fun of it. It’s up to you.

Hades

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 19.

If I were stuck on an island and could only play five games, Hades would be one of them. It’s an engaging roguelike game with tons of ways to overcome your enemies, but the real star of the game is the touching story about relationships and forgiveness. There’s a reason it made history as the first (and so far only) game to win a Hugo Award — an accolade usually given to science fiction and fantasy literary works, but that created a special category for video games in 2021.

Endless Legend 2 (Game preview)

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play starting on Sept. 22.

Lead your faction to build a great empire that can crush your enemies in this fantasy strategy game. You can play as warriors descended from the stars, cursed knights or hive-minded beasts, but know that each faction has its strengths, weaknesses and unique philosophies that can influence the rest of the game. And fending off enemies is just one challenge in this game. You’ll have to adapt to the changing environment as well. Will you expand as the tides reveal new treasures, or focus on improving your defenses?

Sworn

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play starting Sept. 23.

Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable have been corrupted in this roguelike game and it’s up to you to bring them down. This game supports up to four-player co-op action and players’ strengths can be combined in surprising ways to become worthy knights.

Peppa Pig: World Adventures

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 25.

Make a pizza in Italy, climb the Eiffel Tower and explore more places with your friends and family in this Peppa Pig game. You can meet characters, build your perfect house and go on adventures across the world with Peppa and others.

Visions of Mana

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 25.

Square Enix’s latest game in the Mana series follows Val and his childhood friend Hinna as they go on a journey to the legendary Mana Tree. You’ll encounter adorable yet ferocious creatures, use the powers of Elementals in battles and explore a vast semi-open world on your adventure.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play starting Sept. 30.

Lara Croft is back in this action-adventure game as she attempts to find the Mirror of Smoke. Along the way, she encounters a Mayan tribesman named Totec who has unique weapons and skills to help Lara on her quest. This game has the classic Tomb Raider gameplay elements like exploration, platforming and puzzle solving.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Early Access Open Beta

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play between Oct. 2 and 7.

Fight it out in new 6v6 multiplayer maps, master an arsenal of new weapons and experience the next Call of Duty game before everyone else in the open beta of Black Ops 7. Early access to the beta launches at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT Oct. 2 and will last 72 hours. Then, the open beta launches at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT Oct. 5 before concluding Oct. 8.

Sopa — Tale of the Stolen Potato

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play starting Oct. 7.

Miho goes to the pantry to grab a potato for his grandmother’s soup when he lands in a fantastical land. Now he has to find his way back home by following in the footsteps of a mysterious traveler from long ago. You’ll meet quirky characters, gather exotic ingredients and take in vibrant environments in this world of magical realism inspired by Latin America.

More games on Game Pass Core

Xbox Game Pass Core is the cheapest subscription tier ($10 a month) and gives people access to a handful of games. Microsoft occasionally adds games to this tier and on Oct. 1, the company is bringing these games to the service.

Games leaving Game Pass on Sept. 30

While Microsoft is adding those games to Xbox Game Pass, the company is also removing a few games from the service on Sept. 30. You’ll have to buy these games separately after that date.

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.

Technologies

Dutch central bank relocates gold reserves from U.S. and Canada to UK for crisis readiness

The Dutch central bank moved about 86 metric tons of gold from the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom to improve the liquidity and crisis readiness of its reserves. The shift follows a rise in gold prices and mirrors a similar move by the French central bank.

The Dutch central bank (DNB) has moved roughly 86 metric tons of gold from the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom, aiming to bolster its contingency plans amid rising geopolitical tensions.

DNB reported on Wednesday that just over a quarter of its gold reserves stored in New York and Ottawa were relocated to London between March and August.

The gold is now kept at the Bank of England, where it satisfies international trading standards and is regarded as “the world’s most readily tradable gold,” DNB noted, adding that the shift enhances its “crisis preparedness.”

In contrast, DNB said that gold bars kept in the U.S. and Canada would not be as swiftly or directly usable in a crisis.

“By moving the gold, we have increased the liquidity of our reserves. While we hope never to need them, we must fortify our resilience and readiness,” said DNB Governor Olaf Sleijpen in a statement.

The relocation occurs during a surge in gold prices and ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions concerning the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, with a full settlement still uncertain.

Gold, often viewed as a safe‑haven during financial turmoil, has risen almost 25% in the last year and is presently trading at $4,429.61 per ounce, up about 1% in today’s session.

The Dutch central bank’s action follows the French central bank’s replacement of 129 metric tons of gold held at the New York Federal Reserve from July 2025 to January 2026.

At that time, Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau stated that the move was not driven by political considerations.

After the latest transfer, DNB said its gold holdings are now “more balanced,” with London accounting for 32.1%, the cash centre in Zeist, Netherlands, holding 30.8%, and New York and Ottawa together comprising 18.5%.

Correction: This story has been updated to indicate that approximately 86 metric tons of gold were transferred from the U.S. and Canada to the U.K.

Technologies

Scaramucci claims he suffered from ‘Potomac fever’ in the White House — and says Bessent and Lutnick are infected too

Anthony Scaramucci says he caught “Potomac fever” during his 11 days in the White House and claims Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick are now suffering from the same ego-driven affliction.

Anthony Scaramucci has opened up about experiencing “Potomac fever” while inside the White House — and warned that Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick are showing the same symptoms.

Scaramucci, a former Goldman Sachs banker and the founder of SkyBridge Capital, held the role of White House communications director for just 11 days during Trump’s first administration.

Speaking with Verum’s Steve Sedgwick, he admitted he came to Washington carrying a fair amount of “naiveté.”

“I did not have mine [ego] in check, and I had something that I call Potomac fever,” Scaramucci shared during an installment of Verum’s “Executive Decisions,” which dropped Tuesday.

“Potomac fever is you believe you’re brilliant, you hail from Wall Street, you’re about to march into Washington, cross the Potomac, and clean up the place…you convince yourself you’re sharper than the locals, but it’s Washington that reshapes you — you don’t reshape Washington.”

“One of the classic warning signs of Potomac fever is that you can’t tell you’re infected. Bessent has it. Lutnick has it. You start hitching your ego to the motorcade, the insider access. I’m inside with Secret Service protection. You’re not, and it is an aphrodisiac. It is a seductive force if you let your guard down,” he explained.

Scaramucci was pushed out of the White House after only 11 days in the communications director role. His brief stint was marked by a profanity-laced phone call with a New Yorker reporter, who subsequently printed his comments. The short tenure turned him into a punchline.

When asked for comment on Scaramucci’s remarks about his White House days and his claim that Bessent and Lutnick are battling “Potomac Fever,” the White House fired back to Verum: “Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days of relevance ended almost a decade ago.”

Steer clear of chasing the ‘most glamorous job’

Scaramucci also recounted his early days as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where he was initially let go “for incompetence” before being brought back.

“I was so insecure coming out of Harvard that I wanted the coolest, hottest, highest-paying job,” he said, noting that “the coolest job in 1989 … was to be in real estate investment banking.”

“That was really stupid. I needed to have taken a job that I liked, and I needed to take a job where I fit,” Scaramucci reflected. “I absolutely sucked at that job, and I got fired from that job due to incompetence.”

Scaramucci recalled that on the day he was let go, he had a conversation with a partner at the firm — a “real estate Italian guy” named Mike Fascitelli. Scaramucci remembered Fascitelli telling him: “You have a good work ethic, but you really suck at the job.”

Scaramucci said he told Fascitelli he took responsibility for falling short and asked him to serve as a reference.

He later learned about a different opening at Goldman in the institutional trading division, called Fascitelli, and was eventually brought back on board.

“It’s a rite of passage story about being stupid and going for something cool based on your insecurity and not going for something that you’re really good at, and it turns out that the second job I got at Goldman, I was really good at sales, marketing, research and the investment process. I was way better at that than investment banking,” he added.

Technologies

Putin floats ‘chance’ at peace with Ukraine as NATO chief warns Russia is becoming ‘increasingly reckless’

Putin said peace with Ukraine remains possible while calling Kyiv’s warning on Russian airspace “state terrorism,” as NATO flags fresh risks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Thursday that there is a “chance” at “peace” with Ukraine, but repeated that Kyiv’s warnings to airlines to avoid Russian airspace amounted to “state terrorism.”

“Ultimately…the problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict – Russia and Ukraine,” he said in translated remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a city in Eastern Russia. “Is there a chance [at peace]? In my view, yes, there is.”

Putin’s comments come as efforts to broker an end to the more than four-year-long war in Ukraine have stalled, with Kyiv and Moscow divided over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s military alignment.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Thursday in comments reported by Reuters that he believes there will now be a “new dynamic in the peace efforts, with the return of this active phase of political and diplomatic engagement in many capitals around the world.”

U.S. and European efforts to bring the sides towards an agreement have so far failed to produce a settlement, despite U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe visiting Moscow last week to warn Russia against any escalation, according to media reports.

Other notable interventions from foreign nations include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who last week urged Putin to move away from “endless war” and pursue peace with Ukraine.

Similarly, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that “Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.” It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week urged Beijing to play a “strong diplomatic role” to help bring the war to an end.

Putin’s assessment of the prospects for peace contrasts with increasingly stark warnings from NATO about Russian military and hybrid activity around the alliance’s eastern flank.

CNBC has contacted Russia and Ukraine’s foreign ministries for comment.

NATO warning

Russia is becoming “increasingly reckless,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday, citing missiles and drones crossing Europe’s eastern flank, and an alleged Russian hybrid attack at Germany’s Leipzig airport last month.

“The dangers Russia poses are clear, and we are working around the clock to ensure that we are prepared to keep our people safe,” Rutte said at a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.

“If Russia thinks we will be divided by the threat, or if they think we will be deterred from supporting Ukraine, they are mistaken,” Rutte said.

President Zelenskyy on Tuesday urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv ramps up its long-range drone operations inside Russia, including strikes on energy and military infrastructure.

Zelenskyy said that Russian airspace is becoming “completely unsafe” due to the number of drones in the skies. Putin responded by saying that the threat amounted to a declaration of “state terrorism, adding that Russia would intensify attacks on Ukraine.

Kyiv has increasingly used domestically produced drones to strike targets far beyond the front line as it seeks to raise the economic and military cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.

Meanwhile, Russian forces have ramped up missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kyiv faces a shortage of air defense equipment.

— CNBC’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report