Xbox Game Pass has changed how fans see the Xbox ecosystem and gaming at large. With every release, there is the constant question of whether it will release on Game Pass on day one, down the line, and so on. Xbox Game Pass also dominates a lot of gaming conversations because of how affordable it is, how it keeps itself in circulation with new reveals every two weeks (with the occasional surprise between major reveals), and how promising its future is. Microsoft itself might be racing to catch up with Xbox Game Pass' popularity, but the entire idea of every first-party Xbox game being on Game Pass on day one is incredibly enticing, if perhaps a little slow right now.
Because of this structure too, additions to Xbox Game Pass often far outpace the removal of games. Microsoft also gives fans enough heads up that anything they're interested in can likely be finished before being removed, and there's even a discount should someone opt to buy it. This schedule often softens the blow of removals, but August 31 is a little different. There's no softening that punch.
Xbox Game Pass is Losing Quality and Quantity
Typically, Xbox Game Pass removes 5 games on the 15th and 5 games on the 30th/31st of the month. However, there is a total of ten games leaving on August 31. If it were just an increased number of games leaving, many fans may not bat an eye. But the truth is a lot of really good games are leaving the service.
Xbox Game Pass Leaving List - August 31
- Elite Dangerous
- Hades
- Myst
- NBA 2K22
- Signs of the Sojourner
- Spiritfarer
- Twelve Minutes
- Two Point Hospital
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- World War Z
The big loss is Hades, a game that has come to be the face of the roguelike genre. Hades is critically acclaimed, and many games are already being compared to it. It leaving Xbox Game Pass is an absolute bummer for everyone who loves it but is equally bad for anyone who was putting it off. It's one of the few games that two weeks simply does not do justice. Spiritfarer, Two Point Hospital, and What Remains of Edith Finch are all critically acclaimed games that subscribers have to say goodbye to as well; in the case of Two Point Hospital, it's also extra sad because many who check out the new Two Point Campus may want to go back to the original.
The little odds and ends fill it out too, even if they're not as acclaimed. World War Z is fun with friends, NBA 2K22 is big for sports fans (though it may be replaced by NBA 2K23 soon enough, if not officially announced, based on past trends), and all the others. Game Pass has lost a lot of games before, even big ones like Red Dead 2 and Grand Theft Auto, but the quality and quantity being lost on August 31 hits different. But Xbox Game Pass is likely to dust itself off and keep giving fans great games nonetheless, so while a day may be sad, the future is as promising as ever.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a handful of games every month.