Xbox Console Exclusive Stalker 2 Is Set to Leave Game Pass in November and Some Subscribers Do Not Like That One Bit

Microsoft has confirmed the adjacent batch of games acceptable to permission Xbox Game Pass, and 1 successful peculiar has caused a grade of vexation with subscribers: Stalker 2.

GSC Game World’s Stalker 2 launched arsenic an Xbox console exclusive past twelvemonth alongside backing from Microsoft. While it is not an Xbox Game Studios-published video game, Microsoft played a cardinal relation successful its selling up of its much-delayed merchandise day successful November 2024. It adjacent worked with the Ukrainian workplace connected a 90-minute documentary that revealed the trouble the developers faced gathering the crippled amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.

As confirmed by the Xbox app, Stalker 2 is acceptable to permission Game Pass connected November 16, 2025, alongside 4 different games elaborate below.

Stalker 2 is acceptable to permission Game Pass this month.

Games acceptable to permission Xbox Game Pass connected November 16, 2025:

• Stalker 2
• Football Manager 2024 / Football Manager 2024 Console
• Blacksmith Master
• Frostpunk
• Spirittea

It’s Stalker 2’s exit that has caused the astir kerfuffle, with immoderate Game Pass subscribers criticizing the determination a twelvemonth aft launch, and conscionable up of the game’s merchandise connected PlayStation 5 connected November 20.

“Microsoft backed GSC done each the delays and adjacent the invasion, truthful it’s astonishing they weren’t capable to unafraid a amended deal,” said redditor JBishie. “I deliberation it’s a substance of principle: the crippled was incomplete astatine motorboat and is lone present starting to lucifer a finished product, yet it’s being removed from the work conscionable arsenic the 1.7 update approaches, and with the PS5 merchandise coming up, the timing looks particularly poor.”

Indeed, the information Stalker 2 launched archetypal connected Xbox and PC with rather a fewer problems, which are lone present ironed retired successful clip for the PS5 launch, is being highlighted by those who judge the crippled should stay connected Game Pass for a portion longer.

“It's been a year, which is simply a beauteous modular clip for non MiS games,” said VickyCriesALot. “I'm not definite wherefore this is specified a daze to radical similar it's unprecedented. Lmao.”

“Because the crippled conscionable got to a decent authorities successful that year's time?” countered davepars77. “It’s going to instrumentality different twelvemonth to get everything sorted, not adjacent talking astir DLC yet. It's been successful aboriginal entree not a finished merchandise truthful now’s a large clip to rip it disconnected the service.”

“I deliberation it’s a truly atrocious precedent that a crippled stays shorter successful Game Pass than we had to hold for it to launch, beyond waiting MONTHS to go decently playable spot aft patch,” complained X / Twitter idiosyncratic @ZakkenKloot.

“It's atrocious that Stalker is going,” added @Matty_Cs_World. “It was bully but fundamentally released precise buggy. I don't similar that a premium subscription is conscionable utilized arsenic a beta investigating country for devs. I did privation to spell backmost to the game. But I conjecture that vessel has sailed.”

“Xbox has to halt backing unfinished aboriginal entree games fundamentally for Game Pass time 1 titles,” said Minute-Use-8489. “Two games that travel to caput Stalker 2 & Payday 3 came retired precise unfinished and took a twelvemonth for them to hole and update each crippled than erstwhile their bully to play they get removed from Game Pass feels similar a scam to the subscribers imo.”

It’s worthy noting astir of the games connected this database are disposable with a discount of astatine slightest 20% until they permission Xbox Game Pass successful aboriginal November.

It doesn’t assistance that Microsoft precocious sparked a important backlash by hiking the terms of Game Pass. In the lawsuit of Ultimate, it went up a whopping 50% to $29.99 a month. That amounts to an other $120 a year. To warrant the terms hike, Microsoft upped the fig of time 1 releases per twelvemonth to 75, and added Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the archetypal clip ever. There were besides upgrades to Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality.

As for Stalker 2 connected PS5, it launches connected Sony’s console with afloat enactment for the DualSense controller’s features, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Further method enhancements for the PS5 Pro are besides successful development.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].