Microsoft is doing everything it can to bolster its Xbox Game Pass lineup and attract new subscribers. A big part of Microsoft's strategy has been securing new games for Xbox Game Pass through major company acquisitions, like how Microsoft is acquiring Activision. If this acquisition goes through, it will undoubtedly result in an influx of Activision titles for Xbox Game Pass, and will likely see future Activision games hit the service on day one.
There's no denying that Microsoft does a great job of regularly adding new games to Xbox Game Pass. In fact, it has confirmed nine new Xbox Game Pass games for January 2022, including some high profile day one releases like Rainbow Six Extraction. But while Xbox Game Pass adds games regularly, it also removes games from the lineup as well, with a set of titles getting the boot at the beginning of the month and another set removed at the end of the month.
January 2022 is no exception to that rule. A number of games have already left Xbox Game Pass in January 2022, and now four more are set to leave come Monday, January 31. As always, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can buy these games to keep at a 20% discount while they're available through Game Pass, so anyone that wants to add these titles to their collection for a bit cheaper than usual should act soon.
Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving January 31
- Cyber Shadow (Cloud/Console/PC)
- Nowhere Prophet (Cloud/Console/PC)
- Prison Architect (PC)
- Xeno Crisis (Cloud/Console/PC)
After January 31, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will lose access to Cyber Shadow, Nowhere Prophet, Prison Architect, and Xeno Crisis. None of the games are particularly long, so any Xbox Game Pass subscribers that want to get through them while they're still available to play on the service should have plenty of time to do so.
Out of the four Xbox Game Pass games leaving on January 31, the most notable may be Cyber Shadow. Cyber Shadow is a retro-style throwback game in the vein of the NES-era Ninja Gaiden games, but with some modern conveniences and improvements to bring it up to today's standards. Cyber Shadow reviews were mostly positive at the time of its release last year, so it's definintely worth checking out for fans of 2D action games.
While Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be sad to see these games go, the bright side is there are plenty of new games to look forward to in January. Day one titles like Rainbow Six Extraction, Windjammers 2, and Hitman Trilogy are all coming to Game Pass soon and so fans should have no shortage of games to play, even with some titles making their departure.
