Summary
- Three games are leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 31, including the highly-rated game A Short Hike.
- New games coming to Game Pass in July include Flintlock, Dungeons of Hinterberg, and Kunitsu-Gami.
- While the same number of games are leaving as coming, subscribers can look forward to big titles like Avowed and STALKER 2 later in 2024.
Three games are leaving the Xbox Game Pass subscription service on July 31, including the critically acclaimed game A Short Hike, which is one of the higher-rated games on the platform. Games are removed from Xbox Game Pass every single month, though Microsoft usually makes sure that there are more games added to Game Pass than there are titles that are leaving. The second half of July 2024 is an exception to that rule, as three games are coming and three games are going.
Microsoft just recently pulled the curtain back on the new Xbox Game Pass games for the second half of July 2024. As it so happens, only three more games are coming to Game Pass in July, with all three of them being added to the service this week. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn and Dungeons of Hinterberg are coming to Xbox Game Pass on Thursday, July 18, while the new Capcom action-strategy game Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is making its debut on Friday, July 19. These three games will replace the three titles leaving the service on July 31.
Xbox Game Pass Adds 2 Day One Games Today
Xbox Game Pass adds two more unique indie games for subscribers to try out, both launching day one on the service on July 16.
The three games leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 31 are the aforementioned A Short Hike, Train Sim World 4, and Venba. A Short Hike is the highest-rated game out of these, and in fact, it is one of the highest-rated games on the entire Game Pass platform with its impressive 87 overall rating. A Short Hike is a unique adventure game that combines elements of Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Animal Crossing. It's about exploring an island, interacting with cute animal creatures, and completing various tasks to earn items that can upgrade the player's character and in turn let players explore more of the map. A Short Hike is a brief experience, but it's a lot of fun while it lasts.
Xbox Game Pass Games Leaving on July 31
- A Short Hike
- Train Sim World 4
- Venba
Train Sim World 4, meanwhile, earned mixed reviews at the time of its original release in 2023. The game is exactly as it sounds, a train simulator, and so it will likely only appeal to a niche audience. Venba, on the other hand, is a narrative-driven cooking game that earned mostly positive reviews and even managed to win some awards. Venba won four awards in total from various ceremonies, including Best Debut and the Social Impact award. Like A Short Hike, Venba can be completed in no time at all, so it's definitely something Xbox Game Pass subscribers should play while it's still on the service.
A Short Hike's 87 overall rating on OpenCritic makes it one of the highest-rated games on all of Game Pass.
While it's disappointing that the same number of games are leaving Xbox Game Pass in the second half of July 2024 as they are making their debut, the good news is that there are plenty of new Xbox Game Pass games to look forward to later in 2024. Big day-one games like Avowed and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl are on the horizon, along with dozens of other games, so subscribers should have no shortage of games to play this year.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
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