Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass offers a diverse library of over 100 games, catering to gamers of all skill levels and genres.
- While new games are regularly added to Xbox Game Pass, some highly-rated titles, like Persona 5 Royal, may also leave the service.
- Despite the departure of Persona 5 Royal, Xbox Game Pass still offers other Persona games, such as Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, and will be receiving Persona 3 Reloaded in the future.
Xbox Game Pass currently has an incredible library of video games. With well over 100 titles available, gamers of all skill levels, and fans of all types of video game genres will be able to find at least one or two games on Xbox Game Pass that they can sink their teeth into, and in the unlikely event that they can't, there's more always just around the corner. Xbox Game Pass is constantly updated with new games, but unfortunately, when new ones land on the service, a handful has to leave, and that can lead to some genuinely disappointing moments.
The end of October 2023 is set to be a pretty great time for Xbox Game Pass. Along with day-one titles like Cities: Skylines 2 and Jusant, Xbox Game Pass is also getting one of this year's best horror games with Dead Space, which hits Game Pass on October 26 via the built-in EA Play. But while the end of October is looking bright for Xbox Game Pass, it's not all good news, with one of the service's most highly-rated games leaving Game Pass at the worst possible time.
Persona 5 Royal Leaves Xbox Game Pass At the Worst Possible Time
An improved version of the already-phenomenal P5, Persona 5 Royal adds hours of new content to the game, including a new party member, a whole new dungeon, and multiple new endings that can drastically change the story from its original release. When Royal released back in 2020, it received near-perfect reviews, making it one of Xbox Game Pass' highest-rated games. Hitting the service in October 2022, Persona 5 Royal has been on Xbox Game Pass for an entire year now, but unfortunately, its time is coming to an end. On October 31, Persona 5 Royal is set to leave Xbox Game Pass, and it really couldn't be at a worse time.
On November 17, Persona 5 Tactica is set to come to Xbox Game Pass, being one of next month's most highly-anticipated day-one releases. A spinoff that sports an incredibly cute chibi art style, Persona 5 Tactica takes place around the same time as the events of Persona 5 Royal, and sees the Phantom Thieves trapped in an alternate dimension. Unlike its big brother, Persona 5 Tactica is a turn-based strategy game that sees players move their Phantom Thieves squad around a tile-based arena.
While Persona 5 Tactica will still have a slew of RPG elements and more than enough dialogue to fill an entire novel, it's presumably a bit smaller-scale than Persona 5 Royal, and as such might be a great jumping-on point for the new fans of the franchise. While a sprawling 100+ hour RPG isn't for everyone, a turn-based strategy spinoff might manage to convince a few intrigued folks to hop on board the Persona bus, but now it's a big missed opportunity that Persona 5 Royal won't be ready and waiting for those fans when they decide to try out the series' most acclaimed entry.
Thankfully, those looking to try out some mainline Persona games won't be completely out of luck. Xbox Game Pass currently has both Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden available to play right now, and there are no immediate signs that those titles are leaving anytime soon. Additionally, Xbox Game Pass is set to receive the highly-anticipated Persona 3 Reloaded at the beginning of next year. So while losing Persona 5 Royal is a real blow to Xbox Game Pass, especially with Tactica on the way, there's more than enough Persona on Xbox Game Pass for new fans to try out.