Xbox Game Pass Losing One of the Highest-Rated Games of 2022 Today, and More

Xbox Game Pass is losing five titles later today, January 15. The departures include one of the highest-rated games of 2022, Neon White, which has been part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog since 2024.

Neon White is an action platformer designed around speedrunning. It is named after one of the Neons, sinners plucked from the depths of hell and offered a chance at redemption if they kill enough demons. While running through levels, they collect Soul Cards that can be used to attack or discarded in exchange for one-time movement options, such as a grapple hook, dash, or jump. Developer Angel Matrix does a lot with this simple premise, offering a variety of increasingly complex levels that challenge players to complete them as fast as possible. The premise resonated with many reviewers, as underlined by Neon White‘s 89 average rating on OpenCritic, which makes it one of the highest-rated games of 2022.

Neon White and 4 Other Titles Leaving Xbox Game Pass Today

The critically acclaimed action platformer is now set to leave Xbox Game Pass later today, January 15. It is scheduled to depart after approximately 18 months, having originally joined the service in July 2024. The mid-January 2026 Xbox Game Pass departures include four other titles: Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Road 96, The Ascent, and The Grinch: Christmas Adventures.

All Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving January 15, 2026

The Grinch: Christmas Adventures was only added to Xbox Game Pass in October 2025. While a three-month stint on the service is way below average, it is not unprecedented for seasonal or family-friendly titles, with this Casual Brothers-developed platformer checking both of those boxes. The second-shortest stint among the titles departing on January 15 belongs to The Ascent, a cyberpunk action RPG from developer Neon Giant. Praised for its compelling co-op and atmospheric world, the 2021 release has been part of the Xbox Game Pass library for just six months, having joined the service in July 2025.

After Neon White, the second highest-rated game among today’s departures is Road 96. The first-person adventure developed by Digixart tasks players with completing a procedurally generated road trip through an authoritarian nation, where their choices influence the fates of numerous characters and potentially the world itself. Road 96 was among the first titles added to Xbox Game Pass in 2025, having just marked its first anniversary on the service on January 7. Along with The Grinch: Christmas Adventures, it is the shortest title from today’s departure wave, though still not short enough to be easily beatable in a single day, with crowdsourced data suggesting a typical playthrough runs for about eight hours.

Xbox Game Pass Lost as Many Titles as it Added in the First Half of January 2026

Earlier today, Xbox Game Pass added My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery to its content catalog, marking its fifth arrival this month. The upcoming departures will thus offset all the net gains the service has made since the beginning of January 2026. Whether the month will ultimately result in a net increase to the XGP catalog should become clearer in the days ahead. The January 31 Xbox Game Pass removals are expected to be formally confirmed around January 20, as part of Microsoft’s Wave 2 lineup announcement for the month. Some of them may be revealed beforehand via the Xbox app, which often signals departures early, though it hasn’t always been fully reliable, occasionally displaying premature or otherwise incorrect removal notices.

Released

June 16, 2022

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco

Developer(s)

Angel Matrix