Microsoft is ending the new year by removing nine games from the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, including a pair of critically-acclaimed games that many subscribers will be sad to see go. Throughout 2022, Microsoft made sure that Xbox Game Pass had a steady supply of games, including day one releases and older titles. But while a dizzying number of games were added to Xbox Game Pass in 2022, many games left the service this year as well.

For the most part, Microsoft was pretty consistent in the way it handled Xbox Game Pass game removals in 2022. Typically, games were removed from Game Pass on the 15th of each month and the last day of each month, with some occasional exceptions to the rule. Xbox Game Pass subscribers were usually given at least two weeks notice about the games being removed, with Microsoft laying them out clearly in an official blog post. However, things were handled a little differently for the second half of December 2022.

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Perhaps because it didn't add any new games to Xbox Game Pass in the second half of December 2022, Microsoft did not come out with an official blog post like it usually does where it reveals the upcoming games and highlights the titles that are getting the boot. Because of this, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have had to go by the "Leaving Soon" section on their Xbox consoles to figure out which games would be leaving Game Pass on December 31. As it turns out, the games leaving Xbox Game Pass after today are Embr, Gorogoa, Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars, Iron Harvest, Outer Wilds, Scarlet Nexus, Secret Neighbor, The Pedestrian, and Tropico 6.

Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving Soon

Science Fiction Games No Humans The Outer Wilds
  • Embr
  • Gorogoa
  • Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars
  • Iron Harvest (PC Game Pass only)
  • Outer Wilds
  • Scarlet Nexus
  • Secret Neighbor
  • The Pedestrian
  • Tropico 6

Out of all the games leaving Xbox Game Pass on December 31, the two that are perhaps the most notable are Gorogoa and Outer Wilds, as they are the two highest-rated games of the bunch. Gorogoa is a unique puzzle game that first launched in 2017 to rave reviews, while Outer Wilds is an action-adventure game that has players trying to solve the mystery behind a strange time loop. As usual, the games leaving Xbox Game Pass are available at a 20% discount while they're still available on the service, so anyone that wants to buy these games to keep for their digital libraries will want to act fast.

Xbox Game Pass subscribers may be sad to see these nine games removed from the lineup, but the bright side is that there are many new games to look forward to in 2023. Xbox Game Pass already has six games announced for January 2023, including heavy hitters like Persona 4 Golden and Monster Hunter Rise, so there should still be no shortage of games to play in the new year.

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