Game Pass: big churn + adds

Xbox Game Pass is dropping Grand Theft Auto V and four other games on April 15, even as Microsoft rolls out a crowded April slate of new additions. (news.xbox.com) (purexbox.com) The games marked “leaving soon” for April 15 are Ashen, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Grand Theft Auto V, My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery, and Terra Invicta. Pure Xbox reported the list from the official Xbox mobile app, and IGN separately reported that Grand Theft Auto V is among the titles exiting this month. (purexbox.com) (ign.com) Microsoft’s April 7 “Wave 1” post listed new arrivals starting with Final Fantasy IV on April 7 for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and personal computer, followed by DayZ on April 8, Planet Coaster 2 on April 9, Tiny Bookshop on April 10, and Football Manager 26 on April 13. The same post also included Hades II, Replaced, Aphelion, Kiln, and Vampire Crawlers among April releases. (news.xbox.com) Screen Rant counted “nearly 20 games” coming to Game Pass across April tiers, including Premium-only additions such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and day-one releases from Microsoft’s April lineup. Its April 11 story singled out Final Fantasy IV as one of the month’s most notable role-playing game additions. (screenrant.com) That mix is normal for Game Pass, which works like a rotating catalog rather than a permanent library. Microsoft adds games in waves, tags some titles as “leaving soon,” and offers members a discount to buy departing games before they exit the subscription. (news.xbox.com) (purexbox.com) Grand Theft Auto V is the biggest name in the April departures because it only returned to Game Pass on April 15, 2025, when Microsoft also brought the enhanced personal computer version to PC Game Pass. Its latest run on the service will end almost exactly one year later, on April 15, 2026. (news.xbox.com) (purexbox.com) Final Fantasy IV also fits a broader Square Enix pattern on the service. Xbox Wire’s March 17 post had already announced Final Fantasy IV for a later March-April window, and the April 7 update made it live for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass members. (news.xbox.com 1) (news.xbox.com 2) For subscribers, the practical deadline is April 15. After that date, the month’s story shifts from what is leaving to whether Microsoft’s next Game Pass wave is enough to replace Grand Theft Auto V’s pull. (purexbox.com) (news.xbox.com)