Xbox Game Pass subscribers should brace themselves, as the subscription service is going to lose one of its highest-rated and most-celebrated games in the very near future. Keeping people subscribed to Xbox Game Pass requires Microsoft to ensure that there is a steady stream of high-quality games added on a regular basis. New games are added to Xbox Game Pass all the time, but games are removed from the service regularly as well.
In any given month, chances are that more new games are added to Game Pass than there are games that are removed, but it still stings whenever a popular game is given the boot. A handful of games have already left Xbox Game Pass as part of the July 2026 updates, but soon one of the absolute best games on the service will be removed.
Xbox Game Pass is Losing Celeste
On July 31, Xbox Game Pass will be losing its next batch of games. Among the departures is Celeste, the critically-acclaimed tough-as-nails precision platformer from 2018 that won numerous awards and is often pointed to as one of the best games released in the last decade. Celeste is full of extreme challenges, but not to the point that it’s frustrating. Conquering the game is an incredibly rewarding experience, and it tells a nice story along the way, enhanced by its pixel art and tremendous soundtrack. Xbox Game Pass subscribers that have yet to play Celeste for themselves should make it a point to do so while it’s still available on the service. Celeste will be leaving on July 31, but right now it’s playable across PC, Xbox consoles, and the cloud.
Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating.
Other Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving Soon
Unfortunately, Celeste isn’t the only game leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 31. That same day, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have to part ways with Back to the Dawn, Crusader Kings 3, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, My Friendly Neighborhood, Rain World, Sniper Elite Resistance, and Whiskerwood. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are encouraged to look into each of these games and decide for themselves what they want to play, but there are a couple of titles that jump out besides Celeste.
- Back to the Dawn
- Crusader Kings 3
- Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
- My Friendly Neighborhood
- Rain World
- Sniper Elite Resistance
- Whiskerwood
Crusader Kings 3 is a grand strategy RPG that earned rave reviews, and is considered one of the better games in its genre. “Beating” the game can take somewhere between 70-100 hours on average, so might Game Pass subscribers won’t have time to complete it before it’s removed from the service. Still, they can use Game Pass to try before they buy. If they end up liking Crusader Kings 3, they can buy it at a 20% discount while it’s still on Game Pass.
Survival-horror fans, meanwhile, may want to check out My Friendly Neighborhood. My Friendly Neighborhood is a bizarre game that’s best described as Resident Evil meets The Muppets. It takes full advantage of its unique premise and leverages established survival-horror tropes effectively. It’s not a particularly long game, so Game Pass subscribers should have time to roll credits before it’s removed.
- Released
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January 25, 2018
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
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Extremely OK Games
- Publisher(s)
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Extremely OK Games
