Xbox Game Pass Loses 7 Games Today, But There’s Good News

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Seven more games are being removed from Xbox Game Pass today, bringing the total number of games leaving the service this month to twelve. These include some highly-rated titles. Despite these removals, January 2026 has still been a good month for Xbox Game Pass overall, with more games added than removed compared to last year.

Microsoft regularly removes games from its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, typically twice a month. Recently, on January 15th, they took off titles like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn and Neon White, along with three others. Another seven games are scheduled to be removed soon.

Multiple Acclaimed Titles Departing Xbox Game Pass Today

Several popular games are leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 31st, including Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, Starbound, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, and Cataclismo. These four titles have all received very positive reviews, with average scores in the 80s on OpenCritic. Also leaving later in January 2026 are Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, Paw Patrol World, and Shady Part of Me. Microsoft usually removes games from the service around midnight on February 1st. Players who are currently playing any of these games at that time will likely have a short period to finish their session, similar to how these removals have been handled in the past.

Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving Today, January 31

Game Added OpenCritic Avg. How Long To Beat
Cataclismo Sep 2025 84 17–41 hours
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Jan 2025 87 10–18 hours
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Jan 2025 81 3–11 hours
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Jan 2025 69 15–75 hours
Paw Patrol World Sep 2025 65 4–9 hours
Shady Part of Me Jan 2025 77 5–7 hours
Starbound Jan 2025 85 25–165 hours

The games leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 31st have generally been available for about a year, starting in 2025. The exceptions are Cataclismo and Paw Patrol World, which were added—and in Paw Patrol World’s case, re-added—in September 2025. Players looking to earn more Gamerscore still have time to get achievements in Paw Patrol World and Shady Part of Me. Shady Part of Me was created by Douze Dixièmes, a small French studio that recently released the well-received metroidvania MIO: Memories in Orbit, which launched on Xbox Game Pass on January 20th.

Even though Xbox Game Pass removed a number of games this January, it still ended the month with a net gain of six titles for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members – adding 18 games overall. Interestingly, games are usually available on the service for about a year, but this January saw a shorter average lifespan of just 8.9 months. This was due to the temporary addition of seasonal games like The Grinch: Christmas Adventures, and the brief availability of titles such as The Ascent, Paw Patrol World, and Cataclismo.

Xbox Game Pass January 2026 Stats

  • Games added: 18
    • To Ultimate: 18
    • To Premium: 16
      • 12 new + 4 that were already available on Ultimate
    • Handheld-optimized: 4
    • Cloud-supported: 13
  • Games removed: 12
    • Average XGP stint: ~9 months
    • Average OpenCritic score: 76
  • Net change: +6 (Ultimate) / 4 (Premium)

Xbox Game Pass is getting a few new games soon! The adventure game Indika will be available starting February 2nd, followed by the classic JRPG Final Fantasy 2 on February 3rd. On February 5th, you can try the early access strategy RPG Menace. Microsoft is expected to announce the full list of Game Pass games coming in February 2026 around February 3rd, shortly after Final Fantasy 2 is added.

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2026-01-31 08:04