Xbox Game Pass is losing two titles later today, bringing the total number of its year-to-date removals to 128—though it has already made up for them by orders of magnitude. Although 2025 has overall been a significant net positive for the Xbox Game Pass library, this year’s data is skewed by an unusual event that’s unlikely to be replicated in 2026.
The December 31 Xbox Game Pass removals include the innovative horror game Carrion and the tactical first-person shooter Hell Let Loose. This will mark the platform’s final catalog update in 2025. Apart from being the last to leave, Carrion was also the first title added to Xbox Game Pass this year. Meanwhile, Hell Let Loose was the second to join the service in 2024.
The 15 Best Day One Xbox Game Pass Games of 2025
Xbox Game Pass has had one of its strongest years yet, with multiple game of the year contenders hitting the subscription service in 2025.
Xbox Game Pass Added 88 More Titles Than It Lost in 2025
These late December Xbox Game Pass departures bring the platform’s total number of 2025 removals to 128. However, that’s still well below its year-to-date additions; ignoring expanded releases—like a title reaching more XGP tiers or platforms—216 games have joined the service over the course of 2025. In other words, Xbox Game Pass added 88 more titles than it removed over the past 12 months. The difference is a lot smaller for non-Ultimate subscribers, as the Premium tier (called Standard until recently) received 163 titles this year, outnumbering removals by 35. The Essential tier (recently rebranded from Core) received only 10 new games in 2025, but it also didn’t lose any.
Xbox Game Pass 2025 Catalog Changes in Numbers
|
2025 |
Games Added |
Games Removed |
Net Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
January |
13 |
12 |
+1 |
|
February |
8 |
16 |
-8 |
|
March |
9 |
17 |
-8 |
|
April |
14 |
14 |
|
|
May |
17 |
10 |
+7 |
|
June |
17 |
13 |
+4 |
|
July |
17 |
9 |
+8 |
|
August |
13 |
8 |
+5 |
|
September |
14 |
6 |
+8 |
|
October |
66 |
7 |
+59 |
|
November |
20 |
10 |
+10 |
|
December |
8 |
6 |
+2 |
|
Total |
216 |
128 |
+88 |
“Games Added” counts only brand-new standalone catalog entries. New Retro Classics and expansions to additional Game Pass tiers or platforms are excluded, while returning titles are included.
The Xbox Game Pass-exclusive Retro Classic service has also added 82 titles over the course of 2025. Including those releases, the overall net change rises from +82 to +170 for the year. However, while the service often focuses on seminal or otherwise well-known retro games, many subscribers do not view these old-school additions as equivalent to receiving standalone new titles through Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass’ 2025 Net Change Was Skewed by an Unprecedented Event
The +88 net change represents the most significant annual increase to the Xbox Game Pass library since its 2017 launch. However, such growth is unlikely to recur in the near future. This year’s expansion was largely driven by Microsoft shadow-dropping 48 new titles to support a substantial Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price increase in October 2025, which raised the monthly fee from $19.99 to $29.99. The move was unprecedented and may not be repeated anytime soon, even once Microsoft eventually finds itself wanting to justify another price hike.
Xbox Game Pass 2025 Stats
- New Retro Classics: 82
- New Ultimate games: 216
- New PC games: 204
- New Standard/Premium games: 163
-
New Core/Essential games: 10
- March 26: Tunic, Batman: Arkham Knight, Monster Sanctuary
- October 1: Cities: Skylines – Remastered, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Hades
- December 3: Medieval Dynasty, Stellaris, World War Z: Aftermath
- Returning games: 12
- Removed games: 128
-
Games both added and removed this year: 6
- Paw Patrol World (3 months)
- Barbie Project Friendship (5 months)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed (5 months)
- Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition (4 months)
- Gigantic: Rampage Edition (6 months)
- Blacksmith Master (2 months)
-
Average monthly additions (without Retro Classics):
- Ultimate: 18
- PC: 17
- Standard/Premium: 13.58
- Core/Essential: 0.83
- Average monthly removals: 10.67
-
Annual catalog size net changes:
- Ultimate: +88 games
- PC: +76
- Premium: +35 games
- Essential: +10 games
Platform-wise, the vast majority of 2025 Game Pass arrivals were released for both PC and the Xbox Series X/S. Apart from PC exclusives, virtually every 2025 addition was also made available via Xbox Cloud Gaming. The PC exception is to be expected because Microsoft’s game streaming service runs on custom Series X consoles, leaving it unable to play PC titles.
