Xbox Game Pass is losing five games today, August 31, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt headlining the latest round of departures. The critically acclaimed open-world RPG is joined by four smaller titles that have spent between one and six years as part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog.
The removal ends a relatively short second stint for CD Projekt Red’s renowned RPG. The Complete Edition of The Witcher 3 returned to Xbox Game Pass in mid-February 2026, joining its library alongside Death Howl and EA Sports College Football 26.
The Witcher 3’s Second Xbox Game Pass Stint Ends After Just Over 6 Months
That means The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is leaving Xbox Game Pass after just 193 days, or about six and a half months. This time around, the departing package includes both major expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, making its removal a bigger loss for the service than after its first stint, when only the base game was available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The timing of this departure may not be accidental, considering the Gamescom 2026 announcement of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered. Scheduled for September 29, the remaster will be a free upgrade for all existing owners of the game.
All Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving Today, August 31
|
Game |
Added |
Stint Duration |
OpenCritic Avg. |
How Long To Beat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Another Crab’s Treasure |
Feb 2025 |
1 year, 6 months |
78 |
14–22 hours |
|
I Am Your Beast |
Sep 2025 |
11 months |
80 |
3–11 hours |
|
Neon Abyss |
Jul 2020 |
6 years, 1 month |
76 |
11–62 hours |
|
One Lonely Outpost |
Mar 2025 |
1 year, 5 months |
N/A |
N/A |
|
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt |
Feb 2026 |
6 months |
93 |
52–174 hours |
The remaining August 31 departures are Another Crab’s Treasure, I Am Your Beast, Neon Abyss, and One Lonely Outpost. Neon Abyss has the longest stint on Microsoft’s service from this batch, stretching back to its July 2020 launch, while Another Crab’s Treasure debuted as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release in April 2024 before expanding to the Standard tier in February 2025. One Lonely Outpost also joined alongside its March 2025 launch, whereas I Am Your Beast arrived in September 2025, nearly a year before today’s removal.
Xbox Game Pass Ends August 2026 With a Net Catalog Loss
|
Month |
Added |
Removed |
Net |
YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
January |
18 |
12 |
+6 games |
+5 |
|
February |
20 |
5 |
+15 games |
+23 |
|
March |
16 |
8 |
+8 games |
+16 |
|
April |
18 |
14 |
+4 games |
+4 |
|
May |
19 |
10 |
+9 games |
+2 |
|
June |
15 |
13 |
+2 games |
-2 |
|
July |
16 |
18 |
-2 games |
-10 |
|
August |
7 |
9 |
-2 games |
-6 |
|
Total |
129 |
89 |
+40 games |
+32 vs 2025 |
August 2026 marks the second consecutive month in which the XGP library has lost more games than it added. Microsoft’s subscription service received seven new catalog additions during the month, culminating with Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy joining Xbox Game Pass on August 27. XGP Premium users had a much busier month, with 13 titles expanding to the service’s middle tier following their XGP Ultimate debuts and two others arriving alongside their Ultimate versions: Date Everything on August 11 and Cricket 26 on August 13.
The next catalog arrival is due on September 1, when incremental resource management game Shelldiver joins three tiers of the service. Based on its typical announcement patterns, Microsoft will most likely reveal the full Wave 1 Xbox Game Pass lineup for September 2026 later that day, around 9 a.m. ET.
- Released
-
May 19, 2015
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
