With the year winding down, many fans are looking forward to what 2023 has to offer from the game industry from new game releases to potential changes to Xbox Game Pass. For example, there are rumors that a new cheaper, ad-supported Tier is coming to the service, but no matter how one dices it, there are a few things Xbox Game Pass has to wrap up for this year.
The official announcement has yet to come, as of this writing, but the official Xbox app has already been updated to show the games leaving Xbox Game Pass on December 31. The service always loses some games in the middle and end of the month, though it's worth mentioning that new additions often outpace removals. Sometimes, losing major games on Xbox Game Pass hurts, but luckily, it seems the year is ending on a rather standard note.
Of the nine games being removed, almost all of them are leaving Console and PC. Only one game is simply leaving PC Game Pass: Iron Harvest. This essentially means that console players are only losing eight games, including Embr, Gorogoa, Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars, Outer Wilds, Secret Neighbor, The Pedestrian, and Tropico 6. Arguably, the biggest losses are Outer Wilds and Tropico 6, but fans still have time to check out Outer Wilds. It takes about 16 hours to beat Outer Wilds.
Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving December 31
- Embr - Console and PC
- Gorogoa - Console and PC
- Iron Harvest - PC
- Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars - Console and PC
- Outer Wilds - Console and PC
- Secret Neighbor - Console and PC
- The Pedestrian - Console and PC
- Tropico 6 - Console and PC
Another game fans may want to check out before it's gone is The Pedestrian. It's very easy to get 1000 gamerscore on it, so it's one of the best, easy achievement buffs on Xbox Game Pass until the end of the year. Otherwise, fans may want to check out discounts on any of these games or check them out before they leave if they've been waiting.
Xbox Game Pass is expected to announce new games for the rest of the month soon, but it should be noted that Xbox Game Pass already has a stacked deck for January 2023. Confirmed games already include Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, Monster Hunter Rise, Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition, and Roboquest.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a handful of games every month.
Source: Pure Xbox