Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

GTA V is leaving Xbox Game Pass again, but Skate is in

Microsoft has announced the titles that are entering and exiting its Xbox Game Pass service in August. The biggest name is Grand Theft Auto V, which will be leaving the platform on August 8 for both cloud and console play. In exchange, Microsoft is adding indie heavyweights like Hades, Katamari Damacy Reroll, and two entries in the Skate franchise to Game Pass in August. Starting on August 10, the service will also feature several titles from racing game developer Codemasters, including Dirt 4, F1 2020, and more.

Xbox Game Pass encompasses traditional console gaming on Xbox, PC gaming through Windows, and cloud gaming for a variety of mobile devices. Each of the games coming this month is available on one or more of these three platforms. All of this month’s titles are available on PC, with the exception of Skate 3 and Skate, which are available on cloud gaming and console, respectively.

Recommended Videos

Codemasters’ games will be available to Game Pass subscribers through EA Play starting on August 10. The additions of Dirt 4, Dirt Rally, Dirt Rally 2.0, F1 2020, and Grid give racing game fans a variety of titles to choose from. Microsoft didn’t say how long the titles will be available, but like just about everything on Game Pass, they’ll likely be available for a limited time.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Other titles coming to Game Pass this month include Curse of the Dead Gods, a roguelike; Dodgeball Academia, an indie sports RPG from Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program; and Lumines Remastered, a sound and light puzzle game. Subscribers will also get to preview Starmancer, an upcoming space management sim from Ominux Games and Chucklefish, the publisher behind Stardew Valley.

Besides GTA V, several titles are leaving Game Pass. On August 15, Ape Out, Crossing Souls, Darksiders Genesis, Don’t Starve, Final Fantasy VII, and Train Sim World 2020 will no longer be available. The full list of arriving and departing titles can be seen on the Xbox website.

Emily Morrow
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (December 6-8)
Crash Bandicoot in Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled.

Microsoft outlined the last batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass this year in a post earlier this week, and many of those titles got added to the service later in the week. One surprising trend in this final Game Pass game batch of 2024 is that three great racing games came to different subscription service tiers. Running (or I guess driving) the gamut from extremely cartoonish to overtly simulation-focused, fans of racing games have many new options to choose from this weekend on Xbox Game Pass.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Reveal Trailer

In the wake of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy's success, Activision had its studio Beenox remake Crash Team Racing for modern gaming platforms. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is undeniably the king when it comes to the best cartoon kart racers available nowadays, but Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is the closest any game has come to taking that crown. The wacky world and characters of Crash Bandicoot are a perfect fit for a Kart Racer, and this game even features some crossover content featuring Spyro the Dragon and extras from Crash Team Racing games other than the PS1 original. Its adventure mode also gives it a meatier single-player offering than most racing games, so there's a lot for Game Pass subscribers to sink their teeth into here.

Read more
Xbox Game Pass will lose 13 games in December, including Forza Horizon 4
forza horizon 4 xbox windows october

Xbox Game Pass games come and go every month, but December sees a total of 13 games leaving the service, including Rise of the Tomb Raider and Forza Horizon 4.

It's a definite bummer for subscribers, especially since Forza Horizon 4 still holds up even next to its successor (but not unexpected, as its DLC was delisted in June). All of these games are 20% off while they're still in the Game Pass library, so you can save a little dough to keep your favorites.

Read more
3 new Xbox Game Pass games you should play this weekend
Aliens: Dark Descent key art.

It's Black Friday weekend, so there's a good chance that you just picked up an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S and are planning to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Standard. If so, you'll need to decide what you should play first. While first-party games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are good choices, some other new Xbox Game Pass titles are also worth your time this weekend.
Aliens: Dark Descent

If you've been on an Aliens kick this year thanks to Alien: Romulus and the announcement that Alien Isolation is finally getting a sequel, then you'll want to check out Aliens: Dark Descent. This is a real-time strategy game where players control a small squad of Colonial Marines dispatched to Planet Lethe to take care of a Xenomorph threat. It's a tense, exhilarating title that finds a middle ground between the bombastic shootouts of Aliens: Fireteam Elite and the quiet horror of Alien: Isolation. Aliens: Dark Descent flew under the radar when it launched last year, so I'm happy it has another chance at notoriety by getting added to Game Pass.

Read more