Xbox Game Pass Brutally Removes Multiple Titles

The Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that was initially launched about 8 years ago. For around $10 per month, users get access to a variety of games, some of which can include the newest chart-topping games like Call of Duty, Far Cry 4, and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Unfortunately, like any subscription service, things get removed. Xbox is set to cut seven games from its service as of April 30, 2025, including one of its longest-surviving titles.

Game Pass’s Hard Blow to Adventure Games

The Microsoft subscription service has decided that the ‘adventure’ category should take the biggest hit. A whopping 5/7 of the titles leaving the Game Pass are adventure-based. These experiences include Kona 2: Brume, Have a Nice Death (HaND), The Rewinder, Thirsty Suitors, and The Last Case of Benedict Fox (LCBF). What’s surprising about some of the aforementioned games is that they are quite new. Kona 2, HaND, Thirsty Suitors, and LCBF were all released a mere two years ago.

Some of Game Pass’s eliminations make sense. For example, The Rewinder was not very popular on Xbox. The Rewinder is a puzzle game based on Chinese Mythology where you can explore memories and subsequently alter the past. While it may have lacked a hefty following on Xbox, it has garnered much love on Steam with over 6,600 positive reviews compared to Microsoft’s 268. A similar issue is present with Kona 2, although it is also quite unpopular on Steam.

Say Goodbye to Sports and Snipers

The final two titles to be removed from the service include EA Sports NHL 23 and Sniper Elite 5. The latter comes as the more shocking blow due to its intense popularity and long-standing status on the platform. Sniper Elite has been included in the pass for around three years and has garnered much attention during that time, both good and bad. It appears that most reviewers either love it or hate it, with most reviews being either one star or five.

On the other hand, NHL 23 has very few players who don’t regret their purchase. Even though the hockey-based co-op has almost 1000 reviews, over 75% of them are only one-star. Many of the livid commenters wrote about how the game was virtually an exact copy of the previous years and that the gameplay was terrible. Likely due to its lack of positive attention and the recent release of NHL 25, the older game will be phased out of the Microsoft Store, and avid users will have to resort to buying a physical copy to continue their gameplay.

Concluding Thoughts

Even though the Game Pass frequently removes titles, it is never easy when they decide to slash enjoyable/popular content. Gamers who enjoy the seven titles being removed will have to find alternative means to consume that content, whether it be buying a physical copy, finding similar content, or forgetting about the game altogether.