Of all the games I play on my Xbox Series X, the one I've played the most has to be Hades. It's pretty much the perfect game, a roguelike that's hard enough to have that just-one-more-go thing without being so soul-crushingly hard that I rage-quit in disgust. But while I'm many hours into it I'm still incredibly far from the end – and now I have just seven days to finish it before it's gone like tears in the rain. Unless I buy it, anyway.
That's because Hades is one of several high profile games that are leaving Xbox Game Pass on 31 August. Two other really, really big titles are away too: Elite Dangerous and Myst are going, along with some other fan favourites.
What games are leaving Game Pass on 31 August?
You've got a week left to play these Game Pass hits:
Elite Dangerous
Hades
Myst
NBA 2K22
Signs of the Sojourner
Spiritfarer
Twelve Minutes
Two Point Hospital
What Remains of Edith Finch
World War Z
That's the thing about Game Pass: it's easy to forget that games aren't there forever, so for example some of the titles going away next week have been on my to-play list for ages and I never quite got round to them.
The good news is that you don't have to pay full price if you want to keep the games that are about to leave. For example Hades is currently £14.06 if you buy it before the end of the month, and Elite Dangerous is £15.99. But you'll need to buy them before they leave Game Pass or the price will go back up to the usual RRP.
And of course, Game Pass giveth as well as taketh away: in September, there are lots of fun new titles coming to Game Pass including Outer Wilds, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Beacon Pines and Slime Rancher 2.
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
What Squid Game season 2 trailer tells us about new series – 5 easter eggs explored
What easter eggs and fun references to the original series can be found in Squid Game S2's new trailer?
By Mike Lowe Published
-
Pilates teacher shares a 10-minute bodyweight workout that will improve full-body strength and boost energy
Move your body, feel better
By Bryony Firth-Bernard Published
-
Xbox Game Pass gets one of the best combat games of recent times for free
Available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC across multiple Game Pass tiers
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Xbox Game Pass losing huge AAA action game – you only have weeks left to play
Gotham Knights is being removed from the Xbox Game Pass lineup, so play it while you still can
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Xbox Game Pass Standard will get day one games, just not on day one
More details emerge on the new Xbox Game Pass tier
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Xbox Game Pass gets the best version of one of the best shooters of all time... for free
Available to download now
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Xbox Game Pass gets the latest Call of Duty – you can download it right now
Game Pass gets COD
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
100s of Xbox games could soon be yours without needing Game Pass
Xbox allegedly plans to offer Cloud Gaming separately
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Xbox Game Pass getting a trio of brand new games real soon – including a promising Zelda-alike
Shaping up to be a busy week for the subscription
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Xbox Game Pass could get Call of Duty a lot sooner than October – this month, in fact
Hot on the heels of pricing changes comes a classic COD
By Max Freeman-Mills Published