The Games Leaving Xbox Game Pass in July 2021 Explained

Xbox Game Pass is one of the best deals in gaming. Its ever-expanding library sweetens the deal each month and with the promise of more first-party Xbox games coming to the service the day they release, it makes sense why Game Pass is the industry's hottest subscription service. While it is constantly adding games to its library, Game Pass also periodically loses titles monthly.

Five games are leaving Game Pass on July 14 and 15, so there's still roughly a week to grab the following games. Fortunately, all games leaving Game Pass are discounted for subscribers by 20 percent so if someone wants to purchase one of the titles leaving the service, it'll come at a discounted rate. Although five games are leaving, some pretty big titles are coming to replace them, including Microsoft Flight Simulator and The Ascent. Here are the five games parting ways from Game Pass soon:

EA Sports UFC

The first of two mixed martial arts EA Sports games, EA Sports UFC has been on Game Pass for a while, but following the release of EA Sports UFC 4 in the summer of last year, the original EA Sports UFC is now a bit dated. The game has a roster of 97 fighters from the official 2014 UFC lineup but players can make their own fighter using an in-game character creator. While players can choose from a few different game modes, EA Sports UFC has a Career mode that has the player train and fight their way to the top of the UFC. The game is leaving Game Pass on July 14 and will be delisted from EA Play.

EA Sports UFC 2

A sad day for UFC fans, July 14 is also seeing EA Sports UFC 2's departure from Game Pass. The fighting game is similar to its predecessor in many ways as they both include a Career mode with custom characters and similar gameplay features. EA Sports UFC 2 over doubles the original's roster by toting 250 playable fighters and includes more cosmetic details such as visible damage as the fights go on and more enhanced fight environments. Along with EA Sports UFC, the sequel is also being delisted from EA Play, but fans of the series still have access to Ea Sports UFC 3 and 4. UFC 4 is available on Xbox Game Pass for consoles starting July 8.

CrossCode

CrossCode only recently made its way to consoles in summer 2020, and has been on Game Pass ever since. The game is a 2D action RPG that has a retro 16-bit art style and is one of the champions of crowd-funded indie games. CrossCode has a storied history of development supported by fans on Indiegogo so its console release was highly anticipated.

The story of CrossCode follows Lea, a woman who has no memories but discovers that she can recover her memories through playing the fictional MMORPG CrossWorlds. Although it's leaving Game Pass, fans can still pick it up on just about anything with a screen barring graphing calculators. A next-gen update came to the Xbox Series X version of CrossCode late last year and PS5 owners got an update this June. CrossCode is leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 15.

Downwell

There is a seemingly endless supply of indie rogue-likes, but Downwell is still a refreshing take on the genre nearly six years after its initial release. The game is reminiscent of the challenging arcade games that inspired it but still feels like a new idea based on its premise alone. Downwell has the player character Welltaro constantly falling down a well where they need to avoid traps and enemies using their gunboots. Instead of a sidescrolling 2D action game, Downwell is in a constant state of downwards momentum only interrupted when Welltaro shoots his gunboots or jumps on a monster. The game is a must-play solo indie game that was initially released in 2015. It's only available on Xbox Game Pass for PC, but it leaving the service on July 15 along with Endless Space 2: Deluxe Edition.

Endless Space 2: Deluxe Edition

Turn-based strategy 4X games aren't the most popular genre out there, but those who love them usually can't get enough. Endless Space 2: Deluxe Edition's spot in Game Pass makes it the perfect 4X for newcomers to give a try. Popular games in the genre like Sid Meier's Civilization might have introduced gaming enthusiasts to it when they were younger, but Endless Space 2 is enough to hook those willing to give it a chance into the genre for good. While the seven days that Endless Space 2 has left on Game Pass isn't nearly enough time for players to really sink their teeth into it, the game is a worthy purchase as it has nearly endless content in its galaxy-spanning maps. The game is set to leave PC Game Pass on July 15.

Game Pass Additions in July 2021

While it's a shame any time games leave Game Pass, the blow is usually softened by an even larger number of titles scheduled to be coming to the service in the weeks following their departure. There have already been several games that have been added to Game Pass in July, but starting on July 15 and going through the end of the month, the quality titles just keep coming. The games coming to Xbox Game Pass later in July are: