Xbox Game Pass Is Losing A True 10/10 Open World Masterpiece On August 31

Published Aug 19, 2026, 6:06 AM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Games leave Xbox Game Pass all of the time as licenses expire or Xbox doesn't deem it to be worth holding onto. However, while the majority of titles that leave the service tend to be older games or ones that players have simply lost interest in, occasionally a true staple of the industry and a huge draw for the service will inexplicably disappear. It always tends to be just when one has decided to finally give it a go, which is why it stings all the harder when it leaves potentially forever. The latest title that fits this very description happens to not only be one of the greatest open-world games ever made, but also one of the best titles on Xbox Game Pass. It has been a staple of the service for quite a long time, and a legitimate reason players may have even exclusively signed up for Game Pass. Players only have until the end of the month to complete it if they've started it, although even then, it seems unlikely that one will have enough time to beat everything it has to offer. Whenever any game leaves Xbox Game Pass, new ones always take their place. So, fans can absolutely rest assured that as soon as what many consider to be the greatest RPG available on Game Pass departs, a handful of highly-sought after titles will be there to ease your pain. However, for some, that may not be enough, especially as they may very well be halfway through a playthrough or interested in finally getting around to beating its DLC, and simply won't have enough time to complete it all before it leaves the service. The game in question is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, a game that many consider to be a must-play and feels especially at home on a platform like Xbox Game Pass. Considering it is still being supported a decade later and CD Projekt Red is even working on an upcoming Witcher 3 DLC, it feels like poor timing for it to leave Game Pass. This is especially true when one takes into consideration that it was only just added to the service back in February 2026, meaning it has been around for about half a year. Once The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition leaves Xbox Game Pass on August 31, 2026, players will no longer have access to it unless they pay for the game themselves. Fortunately, it frequently goes on sale for extremely low prices and features cross-save across all platforms, meaning if you own it on another platform or see it for a deeper discount on PlayStation, for example, you could buy it there and continue right from where you left off. Additionally, this isn't the first time The Witcher 3 has left Xbox Game Pass. The base game was added to the service back in 2019 and subsequently removed in 2021. It then returned, as aforementioned, in 2026. It is altogether possible that CD Projekt Red merely wants players to pay for the game when the new DLC comes out, and will then add the Complete Edition back onto Xbox Game Pass at a later date. Regardless, losing The Witcher 3 is a huge blow to Xbox Game Pass users, and it will be a title that many will sorely miss. Systems Released May 19, 2015 ESRB M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Engine REDengine 3 Cross-Platform Play yes Cross Save yes Expansions The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Franchise The Witcher