Highlights
- Monster Train and Naraka Bladepoint - Deluxe Edition will be removed from Xbox Game Pass, most likely on December 31.
- Xbox Game Pass games are typically removed on the 15th and last day of the month.
- The absence of an official announcement for the games leaving on December 31 suggests Microsoft may not have any new games to reveal for the service for the second half of the month.
The Xbox Game Pass Leaving Soon section has confirmed that both Monster Train and Naraka Bladepoint - Deluxe Edition are getting removed, most likely on December 31. Xbox Game Pass games are removed from the service on the same two days every month: the 15th and the last day of the month.
The most recent batch of games removed from Xbox Game Pass were Chained Echoes, Opus Magnum, Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, and Rubber Bandits, all of which got the boot on December 15. Xbox Game Pass subscribers knew two weeks in advance that they would be losing those games thanks to Xbox's official blog post about it, but while there is no official post detailing the games leaving at the end of December, the app's Leaving Soon section has let the cat out of the bag.
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According to the Xbox Game Pass Leaving Soon section, Monster Train and Naraka Bladepoint - Deluxe Edition will both be getting removed in the near future. The most likely scenario is that both games will be removed on December 31, but there have been times when games have been put in the Leaving Soon section stick around a little longer than expected. With no official post to provide specifics, though, it's best that Xbox Game Pass subscribers just assume Monster Train and Naraka Bladepoint - Deluxe Edition are getting removed on December 31.
Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving Soon (December 2023)
- Monster Train (December 31)
- Naraka Bladepoint - Deluxe Edition (December 31)
For those unfamiliar with the games, Monster Train is a deck-building game that has often been compared to Slay the Spire. Monster Train earned mostly positive reviews at the time of its original release in 2020, and so it's disappointing to see it getting removed from the Game Pass service. Naraka Bladepoint - Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, is unlikely to impact Game Pass subscribers as much since the base game is free-to-play and will still be easily accessible even after the Deluxe Edition is removed from Game Pass.
As for why an official announcement for the Xbox Game Pass games leaving on December 31 hasn't happened yet, it's possible Microsoft doesn't plan on making one. It's rare for new Xbox Game Pass games to be added in the second half of December, and since Microsoft has no games to announce for the service, it may be hesitant to shine a spotlight on the games leaving. Then again, it's also possible that Microsoft does have a second wave Game Pass reveal for December 2023 waiting in the wings and just hasn't shared it yet, though fans shouldn't hold their breath.
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.