August 31 is going to be a tough day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, as it will mark the last day that they can access some of the service's best games. On August 31, a whopping 10 games are leaving the Xbox Game Pass lineup, including critically-acclaimed titles like Hades and What Remains of Edith Finch.
The 10 games leaving Xbox Game Pass on August 31 will definitely sting, but co-op gamers may be especially bummed out. The good news is that most of the games leaving Xbox Game Pass on August 31 are not co-op games, but rather single-player experiences. The bad news is the two co-op games that are being removed from Xbox Game Pass on August 31 are two of the stronger co-op experiences on the service.
Here's why August 31 is going to be a tough day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers that like co-op games.
Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving August 2022
- Elite Dangerous - Cloud/Consoles
- Hades - Cloud/Consoles/PC
- Myst - Cloud/Consoles/PC
- NBA 2K22 - Cloud/Consoles
- Signs of the Sojourner - Could/Consoles/PC
- Spiritfarer - Cloud/Consoles/PC
- Twelve Minutes - Cloud/Consoles/PC
- Two Point Hospital - Cloud/Consoles/PC
- What Remains of Edith Finch - Cloud/Consoles/PC
- World War Z - Cloud/Consoles/PC
The two Xbox Game Pass games with co-op that are being removed on August 31 are Spiritfarer and World War Z. In Spiritfarer co-op, one player takes on the role of a girl named Stella, who is tasked with ferrying souls to the afterlife, and the other plays as her cat Daffodil. Despite Daffodil being a cat, the second player in Spiritfarer isn't really treated like a second-class citizen as they may be in other games. They can do pretty much whatever the Stella player can, with some exceptions. It makes for a relaxing co-op experience akin to Stardew Valley, and it's definitely sad to see it go.
World War Z, meanwhile, is an action-packed co-op experience that has more in common with Left 4 Dead than Stardew Valley. As one might have guessed, World War Z is a shooter game where players kill relentless hordes of the undead. Up to four players can team up online to kill zombies, and while it earned mixed reviews, especially compared to Spiritfarer, World War Z can still be a great deal of fun with friends. And now that the game is being removed from Xbox Game Pass, it means it will be more difficult for players to organize co-op sessions, as they will now have to actually buy the game to play it on Xbox.
On the bright side, Xbox Game Pass games are available at a 20% discount while they're still on the service, so those that want to keep Spiritfarer or World War Z for their collections can do so without breaking the bank.