Why Does Game Pass Remove Games?
Launched in 2017, Xbox Game Pass is something of a paradigm shift in the world of video games. For a monthly fee, members get access to a collection of games--including new releases from Microsoft--and as long as they stay subscribed, they can play those games as much as they want. That is, unless a title leaves the Game Pass catalog--and that's a regular occurrence, especially for titles from third-party companies. Whereas Microsoft's own games rarely get removed from Game Pass, third-party games regularly rotate out of the catalog.
But why does Game Pass lose games? After 17 games were removed from the Game Pass library in February 2025, some might be wondering why.
No set reason
There is no one set reason, and when Microsoft announces games that are joining Game Pass, it never says how long they'll stick around for. But the most common explanation is the same rationale for titles leaving Netflix or any other subscription service: a developer/publisher signed a contract with Microsoft for a set period of time, like one year, which was the case for Persona 5 Tactica. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has stressed that the company makes all kinds of different deals to get companies to bring their games to Game Pass.
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