Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass is expected to remove four games on January 15, including highly rated titles like Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden.
- Subscribers may want to play the Persona games before they are removed and take advantage of the 20% discount on purchasing them.
- A new version of Persona 3, called Persona 3 Reload, will be added to Xbox Game Pass on February 2, providing an alternative to the departing Persona 3 Portable.
The Xbox Game Pass subscription service is expected to lose at least four games on Monday, January 15. Microsoft has yet to make an official announcement about its Xbox Game Pass plans for January 2024, but the app's Leaving Soon section has potentially let the cat out of the bag.
New games come to Xbox Game Pass all the time, but titles are removed from the service regularly as well. Whereas the new Xbox Game Pass games are added on random days, the departing games are almost always removed on the 15th and last day of each month. This is why it's safe to assume that the Xbox Game Pass games currently listed in the app's Leaving Soon section will be getting the boot come January 15.
Xbox Game Pass Has 2 Games Confirmed for January 2024 So Far
At the time of this writing, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have two day one games to look forward to in January 2024.
While it's possible that plans will change, it's looking like January 15 will be the last day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to play Garden Story, MotoGP 22, Persona 3 Portable, and Persona 4 Golden. Grand Theft Auto 5 is also expected to leave Xbox Game Pass soon, though it's unclear if it will be removed on the 15th with the rest of the games or if Rockstar's critically-acclaimed open world crime game will be removed at some point before then. While it's true that the vast majority of Xbox Game Pass departures are removed on the 15th or last day of each month, Rockstar's titles have always been an exception to the rule.
Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving January 15
- Garden Story
- MotoGP 22
- Persona 3 Portable
- Persona 4 Golden
Out of the four games leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 15, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden have the highest ratings. However, the games are absolutely massive, and so Xbox Game Pass subscribers may not have enough time to play through them before they're removed on January 15. Considering this, some may want to try the Persona games while they're still on Game Pass, and if they want to keep playing, buy them to keep. Xbox Game Pass games are available at a 20% discount while they're still on the service, so subscribers can at least pick up Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden at lower prices than normal.
That being said, Xbox Game Pass subscribers may want to hold off on Persona 3 Portable and focus their attention on Persona 4 Golden. There's actually a new version of Persona 3 coming to Xbox Game Pass on February 2 in the form of Persona 3 Reload, so subscribers will still have a way to experience that game in some capacity, whereas Persona 4 Golden won't be getting a similar replacement.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
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.