Xbox Game Pass Leaves 8 Games Today (July 31) as More Titles Depart
Xbox Game Pass is removing eight games later today, July 31, with the exit list led by two of the service’s most highly rated titles. The departures push Xbox Game Pass removals for July 2026 to 18 total, while the service adds fewer games than it loses—at least for this month.
What’s Leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 31
A mid-month update to the Xbox app initially flagged seven removals for the July 31 rotation. A new addition was later included: Whiskerwood, a cozy city builder that has been available on the service since November 2025. That brings the total number of games leaving today to eight.
The lineup of removals includes:
- Celeste
- Crusader Kings 3
- Whiskerwood
- My Friendly Neighborhood
- Back to the Dawn
- Sniper Elite: Resistance
- Rain World
- Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord
Why These Departures Matter for Players
Two of the biggest headlines are Celeste and Crusader Kings 3, both described as among the highest-rated games in the subscription library.
- Celeste is listed with a 92 average score on OpenCritic.
- Crusader Kings 3 is listed with a 91 average score on OpenCritic.
Crusader Kings 3 also stands out for its length on the service. It originally joined Xbox Game Pass as a day-one title in September 2020 and is now set to leave after nearly six years. The report notes this follows another long-running removal: Payday 2, which ended a roughly nine-year run on Xbox Game Pass in late June 2026.
July 2026 Xbox Game Pass: Removals vs. Additions
With the July 31 departures, Xbox Game Pass will have removed 18 titles across July 2026 while adding 15 in the same period. The comparison excludes releases that are only available through Xbox Game Pass Premium.
This means July 2026 will be the first month in 2026 where Xbox Game Pass removes more games than it adds.
What’s Coming Next (Including a New Day-One Horror Game)
While today’s removals land, the catalog is also expanding. The service is set to add a day-one horror title featuring a detective premise and “creepy scenarios” that support up to four players.
For August 2026, four releases are currently confirmed, including Beast of Reincarnation, an original action RPG created by Game Freak.
