Xbox Game Pass subscribers have another deadline to deal with.
Eight games are scheduled to leave the service on July 31, 2026, and this batch hurts more than the usual monthly cleanup. It includes acclaimed indie games, enormous strategy titles and a fairly recent entry in the Sniper Elite series.
The biggest names are probably Celeste and Crusader Kings 3. One can be completed in a determined weekend. The other can quietly consume the rest of the year.
That makes the next few days slightly awkward for anyone with an overcrowded backlog.
Eight Xbox Game Pass Games Are Leaving on July 31
The second wave of Xbox Game Pass removals for July includes eight titles across console, PC and cloud gaming. Microsoft currently lists the affected games through its “Leaving Soon” section, with the removals expected to take place on July 31.
The complete list includes:
Back to the Dawn — Console, PC and Cloud
Celeste — Console, PC and Cloud
Crusader Kings 3 — Console, PC and Cloud
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord — Console, PC and Cloud
My Friendly Neighborhood — Console, PC and Cloud
Rain World — Console, PC and Cloud
Sniper Elite: Resistance — Console, PC and Cloud
Whiskerwood — PC
Most of the games are available across all three major Game Pass platforms. Whiskerwood is the exception, with its departure affecting PC players.
There was also some confusion around the final number. Earlier reports referred to seven departures, but the updated list contains eight games, with My Friendly Neighborhood included among the confirmed removals. Multiple Xbox-focused publications now report the same July 31 lineup.
Celeste Is the Most Obvious Last-Minute Recommendation
Celeste remains one of the strongest games in the Game Pass catalogue, even years after its original release.
It looks simple at first. Players guide Madeline up a mountain through tightly designed platforming stages filled with spikes, disappearing blocks and increasingly cruel jumps. The movement is precise, the restarts are fast and the difficulty rarely feels careless.
Then the story starts landing.
Celeste uses the mountain climb to explore anxiety, self-doubt and the exhausting effort involved in living with parts of yourself that cannot simply be defeated. It could have become overly sentimental. It does not.
Players who only want to finish the main story still have enough time before July 31. Completing every optional challenge is another matter entirely.
Crusader Kings 3 Is a Much Bigger Commitment
Crusader Kings 3 is not the kind of game most people casually finish before a subscription deadline.
There is no straightforward campaign to clear. Instead, players control a medieval ruler, manage a dynasty, arrange marriages, survive political disasters and occasionally watch carefully prepared plans collapse because an heir developed terrible personality traits.
The game can become complicated quickly. Kingdom management, succession laws, religious politics and family relationships all matter, often at the same time.
Starting it before July 31 still makes sense. Just do not expect closure.
Crusader Kings 3 is also discounted as part of the Xbox summer sale, according to Pure Xbox, giving subscribers an option to keep playing after it leaves the library.
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord Offers a Different Kind of Medieval Chaos
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is another major loss for players who enjoy historical sandboxes.
It mixes large-scale battles with trading, politics, army management and character progression. Players can begin as an unknown mercenary, build a warband and eventually control castles or establish a kingdom.
That freedom is the appeal. It is also why Bannerlord can take so much time.
There is always another battle to fight, another faction to betray or another badly timed war to survive. Anyone hoping to build an empire before the deadline may need to clear the calendar.
Sniper Elite: Resistance Has Not Been on Game Pass for Long
Sniper Elite: Resistance is one of the more surprising departures because it joined Game Pass relatively recently.
The third-person tactical shooter follows Harry Hawker during a campaign set in occupied France. Much of the familiar Sniper Elite structure remains intact: large maps, stealth routes, long-range shooting and the series’ graphic X-ray kill camera.
Resistance does not reinvent the formula. It knows exactly what kind of game it is.
Players can approach objectives quietly, set traps or create enough noise to turn the entire map into a firefight. That flexibility makes it easy to replay missions, although anyone interested mainly in the campaign should still have time to work through it before removal.
Rain World Is Brilliant but Not Particularly Friendly
Rain World may be the hardest game in this group to recommend without a warning.
Players control a small slugcat trying to survive in a ruined ecosystem filled with predators, changing weather and very little concern for fairness. The creatures do not simply wait around as traditional video game enemies. They hunt, flee, fight each other and behave in ways that can make the world feel genuinely alive.
It can also feel hostile.
Progress is often slow. Death can erase hard-earned momentum. The game explains very little and expects players to learn through failure.
For some people, that creates an unforgettable survival experience. Others may uninstall it after being eaten several times in the same room. Both reactions are understandable.
Back to the Dawn and My Friendly Neighborhood Deserve a Look
Back to the Dawn combines prison life, role-playing systems and investigation inside a tightly controlled environment. Players manage relationships, gather information and make decisions that can reshape how the story unfolds.
It is less famous than Celeste or Crusader Kings 3, but that may be exactly why it is worth trying through Game Pass before it disappears.
My Friendly Neighborhood takes a stranger approach. The game turns cheerful puppet-like characters into unsettling enemies inside an abandoned television studio. It borrows ideas from survival horror but avoids becoming another grim corridor shooter.
The contrast works. Bright colours, familiar children’s television imagery and increasingly uncomfortable situations give it a personality of its own.
Whiskerwood Is Leaving PC Game Pass
Whiskerwood rounds out the July list for PC subscribers.
The colony simulation game places industrious mice under the authority of demanding cats. Players build settlements, establish production chains and keep resources moving while dealing with the expectations of their feline rulers.
It is a cute setup covering a much harsher system.
The game is still presented as a work in progress, but its management mechanics already make it tempting for fans of automation and colony builders. Like Crusader Kings 3, Whiskerwood is reportedly receiving a larger discount during the current Xbox sale.
Game Pass Members Can Buy the Departing Titles at a Discount
Xbox Game Pass members normally receive a discount when purchasing games included in the service. Pure Xbox reports that the July departures are available with discounts of at least 20% before they leave, although prices and offers can vary by market.
Buying a game before July 31 allows players to keep their progress and continue after the title disappears from Game Pass.
There is no need to restart. Save data remains connected to the same Xbox account, provided the purchased version supports the same platform and game edition.
Which Game Should You Play First?
Celeste is the safest choice for anyone looking for a game that can realistically be completed before the deadline.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is the better option for players after a larger action game. Rain World demands more patience, while Crusader Kings 3 and Bannerlord are probably better treated as extended trials before deciding whether to buy them.
The important date is July 31, 2026.
Once that day arrives, all eight games are expected to leave Xbox Game Pass. The backlog will survive, of course. It always does.
Sources
Game Rant – Xbox Game Pass Losing Highly Rated Games in July 2026
Pure Xbox – Eight Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass in Late July 2026
TrueAchievements – Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving in July 2026
