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

By Emily Morrow August 3, 2021

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.

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.

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.

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Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

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I’m always excited for those two days every month when Xbox drops a blog post detailing the new additions coming to Game Pass. Even in slow months, there’s usually a hidden gem on there that I’m curious about digging into. Though as curious as I am about checking out what’s new, I often forget to scroll to the bottom and see what’s leaving the service. And just as there are a few standouts added to the service each month, Game Pass also tends to quietly lose just as many with each new batch.

That’s exactly the case this July. While the service gains Grand Theft Auto V and Exoprimal this month, it’s also losing two standout indies: Spelunky 2 and Exo One. If you’re looking for some games to play during a slow month for big releases, here’s why you should check out both before they leave the service on July 15.
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Early in the Xbox Game Pass era, Microsoft would offer $1 onboarding deals for the service. The trick helped the company build a massive user base early on, but it has moved away from that cheap deal in recent years as the service has become a household name with gamers. It's finally available again for anyone who's been waiting for a reason to subscribe, though it's not as eye-popping a deal as it once was.