Grand Theft Auto V, the third-best-selling game of all time, is leaving Xbox Game Pass on April 15, 2026, removing one of the service’s most powerful reasons to subscribe.
For years, Xbox Game Pass has been the most compelling reason to choose an Xbox over the competition. In a gaming landscape where Microsoft has struggled to keep pace with PlayStation and Nintendo on hardware sales, Game Pass offered something neither rival could easily replicate: a rotating library of high-quality games for a flat monthly fee. That advantage just took a meaningful hit.
Grand Theft Auto V — arguably the most recognizable title in the Game Pass catalog — is leaving the platform on April 15, 2026. Subscribers who have been using Game Pass to access the open-world classic without an additional purchase will need to act before then if they want to keep playing.
GTA V’s record-breaking legacy
The scale of what Game Pass is losing here is worth acknowledging. Released in 2013 by Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V has sold 225 million copies worldwide, making it the third-best-selling video game of all time, behind only Tetris and Minecraft. It is one of a small number of games to sustain that level of commercial reach and cultural relevance well over a decade after its original launch.
Critically, it holds up just as well on review. GTA V sits among the 10 highest-rated games in Metacritic history with an aggregate score of 97. Within the current Game Pass library, no other title comes close — the only game sharing that score is Perfect Dark, which has faded considerably in cultural relevance since its own release.
Why GTA V is leaving on April 15
The timing points clearly to one thing: Grand Theft Auto VI. Set to release on Nov. 19, 2026, GTA VI is one of the most anticipated game launches in recent memory. With that release now less than eight months away, both Rockstar and Microsoft have every reason to redirect attention toward what is coming rather than keep the spotlight on a 13-year-old predecessor, however exceptional that predecessor remains.
The move also means Game Pass will no longer carry any title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Grand Theft Auto IV has not been available on the service either, leaving the platform without a single entry from one of gaming’s most enduring series once GTA V departs.
What it means for the Game Pass library
The departure is a genuine blow to the service’s appeal. Game Pass has built its reputation largely on providing access to titles that subscribers might otherwise hesitate to pay full price for, and GTA V has been one of the strongest examples of that promise. A game with 225 million copies sold that continues to draw an active player base more than a decade after launch is an exceptional library inclusion by any measure — and its absence will create a noticeable gap in what the service can offer new and existing subscribers.
Game Pass Premium and Ultimate subscribers still have access to a strong and varied catalog overall, but the loss of the franchise’s most recent mainline entry is not easily replaced in the short term.
What subscribers can do before April 15
Active Game Pass subscribers are not entirely without options. The membership comes with a 20 percent discount toward an outright purchase of Grand Theft Auto V, and given how affordable the game has become more than a decade after its original release, the cost for most players should be manageable.
GTA V remains available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Windows — so there is no shortage of ways to keep playing well beyond April 15.
Source: CBR