Microsoft has confirmed the next batch of games set to leave Xbox Game Pass, and one in particular has caused a degree of frustration with subscribers: Stalker 2.
GSC Game World’s Stalker 2 launched as an Xbox console exclusive last year alongside backing from Microsoft. While it is not an Xbox Game Studios-published video game, Microsoft played a key role in its marketing ahead of its much-delayed release date in November 2024. It even worked with the Ukrainian studio on a 90-minute documentary that revealed the difficulty the developers faced building the game amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
As confirmed by the Xbox app, Stalker 2 is set to leave Game Pass on November 16, 2025, alongside four other games detailed below.
Games set to leave Xbox Game Pass on November 16, 2025:
It’s Stalker 2’s exit that has caused the most kerfuffle, with some Game Pass subscribers criticizing the move a year after launch, and just ahead of the game’s release on PlayStation 5 on November 20.
“Microsoft backed GSC through all the delays and even the invasion, so it’s surprising they weren’t able to secure a better deal,” said redditor JBishie. “I think it’s a matter of principle: the game was incomplete at launch and is only now starting to resemble a finished product, yet it’s being removed from the service just as the 1.7 update approaches, and with the PS5 release coming up, the timing looks especially poor.”
Indeed, the fact Stalker 2 launched first on Xbox and PC with quite a few problems, which are only now ironed out in time for the PS5 launch, is being highlighted by those who believe the game should remain on Game Pass for a while longer.
“It’s been a year, which is a pretty standard time for non MiS games,” said VickyCriesALot. “I’m not sure why this is such a shock to people like it’s unprecedented. Lmao.”
“Because the game just got to a decent state in that year’s time?” countered davepars77. “It’s going to take another year to get everything sorted, not even talking about DLC yet. It’s been in early access not a finished product so now’s a great time to rip it off the service.”
“I think it’s a really bad precedent that a game stays shorter in Game Pass than we had to wait for it to launch, beyond waiting MONTHS to become properly playable patch after patch,” complained X / Twitter user @ZakkenKloot.
“It’s bad that Stalker is going,” added @Matty_Cs_World. “It was good but basically released very buggy. I don’t like that a premium subscription is just used as a beta testing area for devs. I did want to go back to the game. But I guess that ship has sailed.”
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
“Xbox has to stop funding unfinished early access games essentially for Game Pass day one titles,” said Minute-Use-8489. “Two games that come to mind Stalker 2 & Payday 3 came out very unfinished and took a year for them to fix and update each game than once their good to play they get removed from Game Pass feels like a scam to the subscribers imo.”
It’s worth noting most of the games on this list are available with a discount of at least 20% until they leave Xbox Game Pass in early November.
It doesn’t help that Microsoft recently sparked a significant backlash by hiking the price of Game Pass. In the case of Ultimate, it went up a whopping 50% to $29.99 a month. That amounts to an extra $120 a year. To justify the price hike, Microsoft upped the number of day one releases per year to 75, and added Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the first time ever. There were also upgrades to Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality.
As for Stalker 2 on PS5, it launches on Sony’s console with full support for the DualSense controller’s features, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Further technical enhancements for the PS5 Pro are also in development.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
