While unconfirmed, it is likely that Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be losing access to two of the service’s highest-rated games in the form of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince by the end of April 2026. The big selling point of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier is immediate access to brand-new, day one releases. Microsoft ensures that all its Xbox Game Studios-published games are day one Game Pass titles, but it also secures deals with other companies to bring their games to the service on the day of release.
2025 was a year full of incredible Xbox Game Pass day one games, and in fact, it’s hard to imagine how it will ever be topped, especially April 2025. In April 2025, within the span of just a couple of weeks, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers were treated to heavy hitters like the Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered shadow drop, record-breaking Game of the Year winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and the mind-bending, critically-acclaimed puzzler Blue Prince. Since Microsoft owns Bethesda, Game Pass subscribers won’t have to worry about Oblivion Remastered ever leaving the service, but they may want to brace themselves for the possibility that Expedition 33 and Blue Prince are on their way out.
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Expedition 33 and Blue Prince Could Both Be Leaving Game Pass in April 2026
Generally speaking, most day one Game Pass games that are not published by Microsoft remain on the service for about one year’s time. After that, they are removed and anyone interested in keeping them will need to buy them. The games are available at a 20% discount while they are available on Game Pass though, so at least subscribers don’t have to pay full price. With April 2026 marking the one-year anniversary of Expedition 33 and Blue Prince joining Game Pass Ultimate, it’s entirely possible that both games will be getting the boot by April 30. Now, before subscribers get too worried, it should be stressed that this has not been confirmed by Microsoft yet. It’s possible that the Game Pass deals for Expedition 33 and Blue Prince extend beyond the one-year availability window, and so we won’t know with 100% certainty if the games are leaving next month until the official announcement comes. Still, established patterns show that the more likely scenario is that both games will be leaving Game Pass by the end of April.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
If Expedition 33 and Blue Prince both leave Xbox Game Pass at the end of April 2026, it will be a considerable blow to the service. Expedition 33 won Game of the Year in 2025 and has in fact won more GOTY awards than any other game in history. The beloved turn-based RPG from Sandfall Interactive has been hailed as one of the greatest games the genre has ever seen, and its 92 overall rating on review aggregate site OpenCritic makes it one of the highest-rated games currently available on the platform.
Blue Prince also won its fair share of awards and, like Expedition 33, is one of the highest-rated games on Xbox Game Pass. Blue Prince has a 90 overall rating on OpenCritic, putting it just a couple of points behind E33. Blue Prince is a brilliant blend of roguelike mechanics and puzzle solving, offering a wholly unique experience that is easy to lose dozens of hours in.
Any Xbox Game Pass subscribers that have yet to play through Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Blue Prince should make sure to do so while they’re still available. Luckily, both games can be completed well before the end of April. Blue Prince can be beaten in 10 to 15 hours, while Expedition 33‘s runtime is generally somewhere in the 25 to 30 hour range. Both games do feature extensive extra content for those that want more though. In fact, I have over 80 hours in Blue Prince and still haven’t even seen everything that the game has to offer. Considering just how much fantastic content Blue Prince and Expedition 33 bring to the table, it will be really sad to see them leave Game Pass, so hopefully subscribers get to keep access to them a little longer than expected.
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
