Xbox Game Pass he drops two titles later today, bringing his total eliminations to date to 128 — though he's already made up for it in spades. While 2025 was a significant net positive for the Xbox Game Pass library overall, this year's data is skewed by an unusual event that is unlikely to repeat itself in 2026.
The December 31st Xbox Game Pass removal includes an innovative horror game Carrion and a tactical first-person shooter Hell Let Loose. This will mark the last platform catalog update in 2025. In addition to being the last to leave, Carrion was also the first title added to Xbox Game Pass this year. Meantime, Hell Let Loose was the second to join the service in 2024.
The 15 best games of 2025 for Xbox Game Pass Day One
Xbox Game Pass has had one of its strongest years yet, with several contenders for Game of the Year in 2025.
Xbox Game Pass added 88 more titles in 2025 than were lost
Those Xbox Game Pass departures at the end of December brought the platform's 2025 total to 128. But that's still well below its year-over-year additions; ignoring extended releases – such as a title reaching multiple XGP levels or platforms – 216 games joined the service during 2025. In other words, Xbox Game Pass added 88 more titles than it removed in the last 12 months. The difference is much smaller for non-Ultimate subscribers, as the Premium tier (until recently called Standard) received 163 titles this year, outnumbering the removals by 35. The Essential tier (recently rebranded from Core) only received 10 new games in 2025, but also lost none.
Xbox Game Pass 2025 catalog changes in numbers
|
2025 |
Games added |
Games removed |
Pure change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
January |
13 |
12 |
+1 |
|
February |
8 |
16 |
-8 |
|
March |
9 |
17 |
-8 |
|
April |
14 |
14 |
|
|
May |
17 |
10 |
+7 |
|
June |
17 |
13 |
+4 |
|
July |
17 |
9 |
+8 |
|
August |
13 |
8 |
+5 |
|
September |
14 |
6 |
+8 |
|
October |
66 |
7 |
+59 |
|
November |
20 |
10 |
+10 |
|
December |
8 |
6 |
+2 |
|
Total |
216 |
128 |
+88 |
“Games Added” only counts brand new standalone catalog items. New retro classics and expansions to other Game Pass levels or platforms are excluded, while returning titles are included.
Xbox Game Pass exclusive Retro Classic also added 82 titles over the course of 2025. Including these releases, the total net change for the year rises from +82 to +170. However, while the service often focuses on essential or otherwise well-known retro games, many subscribers don't see these old-school additions as equivalent to receiving stand-alone new titles through Xbox Game Pass.
The Xbox Game Pass 2025 network change was marred by an unprecedented event
The net change of +88 represents the most significant annual increase in the Xbox Game Pass library since its launch in 2017. However, such growth is unlikely to be repeated in the near future. This year's expansion was largely overshadowed by Microsoft's 48 new titles, which fueled a substantial price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in October 2025, raising the monthly fee from $19.99 to $29.99. The move was unprecedented and may not happen again anytime soon, even if Microsoft eventually finds itself wanting to justify another price increase.
Xbox Game Pass 2025 stats
- A new retro classic: 82
- New Ultimate Games: 216
- New PC Games: 204
- New standard/premium games: 163
-
New base/core games: 10
- March 26: Tunic, Batman: Arkham Knight, Monster Sanctuary
- October 1st: Cities: Skylines – Remastered, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Hades
- December 3rd: Medieval Dynasty, Stellaris, World War Z: Aftermath
- Returning games: 12
- Removed games: 128
-
Games have been added and removed this year: 6
-
Paw Patrol World (3 months)
-
Barbie Project Friendship (5 months)
-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed (5 months)
-
Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition (4 months)
-
Gigantic: Rampage Edition (6 months)
-
Master Blacksmith (2 months)
-
-
Average monthly increments (without retro classics):
- final: 18
- pc: 17
- Standard/Premium: 13.58
- Core/Essential: 0.83
- Average monthly subscription: 10.67
-
Annual net changes in catalog size:
- final: +88 games
- pc: +76
- Insurance premium: +35 games
- Basic: +10 games
In terms of platform, the vast majority of Game Pass arrivals for 2025 were released for both PC and Xbox Series X/S. In addition to PC exclusives, virtually every 2025 addition has also been made available through Xbox Cloud Gaming. The exception for PC is to be expected, as Microsoft's game streaming service runs on its own Series X consoles, making it impossible to play PC titles.
