Xbox Game Pass Is Losing Some Terrific Games This Month

Yes, the big Disney Animal Crossing clone rolls out on Game Pass today. But Microsoft’s popular games-on-demand service is set to take a big hit in September with the loss of some of its best games, including a must-play Final Fantasy and some intriguing indies. Here’s everything coming to and going from Xbox Game Pass in the coming weeks:

September 6

Disney Dreamlight Valley: Founder’s Edition (Cloud, Console, PC)

Opus Magnum (PC)

Train Sim World 3 (Console, PC)

September 13

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation (PC)

DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace (Cloud, Console, PC)

September 14

You Suck At Parking (Cloud, Console, PC, Every single day you drive IRL)

September 15

Despot’s Game (Console, PC)

Metal: Hellsinger (Next-gen console, PC)

Disney Dreamlight Valley, basically the Disney+ catalog by way of Animal Crossing and The Sims, is the obvious headliner, a hotly anticipated life-sim perfect for the folks who jet off to Disneyland at least once a year (you know who you are). I’m also eager to see what Metal: Hellsinger, a rhythm-based first-person shooter with heavy Doom Eternal vibes, is all about, though it’s a bummer that console players who have yet to secure an Xbox Series X or S are unable to check it out.

But two cool-looking games makes for a relatively thin lineup compared to the raft of titles heading out the door. The following are all gone as of September 15:

A Plague Tale: Innocence (Cloud, Console, PC)

Aragami 2 (Cloud, Console, PC)

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (Cloud, Console, PC)

Craftopia (Cloud, Console, PC)

Final Fantasy XIII (Console, PC)

Flynn: Son of Crimson (Cloud, Console, PC)

I Am Fish (Cloud, Console, PC)

Lost Words: Beyond the Page (Cloud, Console, PC)

Mighty Goose (Cloud, Console, PC)

SkateBird (Cloud, Console, PC)

The Artful Escape (Cloud, Console, PC)

The moody stealth game A Plague Tale: Innocence has been a longstanding staple of Kotaku’s list of the best games on Game Pass. (Its sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem, is slated for release next month.) Though divisive, Final Fantasy XIII is far and away one of the most interesting entries in Square Enix’s RPG series. The platforming in Lost Words: Beyond the Page may be rudimentary, but a top-notch script—helmed by Tomb Raider and Mirror’s Edge scribe Rhianna Pratchett—anchors a gut-wrenching tale wrapped in fantasy escapism. Aragami 2 is a solidly fun co-op stealth game. SkateBird is THPS…except you’re a little baby bird. The Artful Escape is a four-hour fever dream of prog rock and bright lights. All are worth checking out.

Collectively, it’s a huge ding to the library, leaving a ton of holes that seemingly aren’t getting filled by any of the new additions. But hey, Disney Animal Crossing!