What’s leaving Xbox Game Pass this month

Nine games leave Xbox Game Pass at the end of April, among them the troubled-but-intriguing Homefront: The Revolution and both OlliOlli games from Roll7.

Xbox Game Pass’ library of more than 200 titles is not permanent; they come and go according to whatever agreement Microsoft has reached with the games’ publishers. For subscribers who want to continue their adventures after the titles are removed, Xbox Game Pass offers discounts of up to 20 percent off their Xbox Store price, but only until the end of the month.

The games leaving (and their discounted prices) are:

• Homefront: The Revolution — The two games in this star-crossed series should have been no-brainer successes: shooters set in occupied, Red Dawn-esque America. Both games were sabotaged by the incompetence, excesses, and collapses of THQ and Crytek. Dambuster Studios (probably the least subtle name in game development) finished up the project with Deep Silver as publisher. Reviews praised the action, combat and weapon customization, but little about its story or purpose stood out. Homefront: The Revolution is $14.99 for Game Pass subscribers until the end of April (regularly $19.99).
• OlliOlli and OlliOlli 2: XL Edition — Roll7’s skateboarding side-scrollers were both favorably reviewed when they launched in 2014 and 2015, respectively. OlliOlli is $7.99 until the end of April (regularly $9.99) and OlliOlli 2: XL Edition is $11.99 (regularly $14.99).
• Sheltered — Permadeath is always on the table in this macabre survival management game, where a family has taken refuge in a disaster shelter. Sheltered is $3.74 thanks to the 75 percent discount being offered to Xbox Live Gold subscribers until April 30. It’s $14.99 regularly.
• The Golf Club — HB Studios’ 2014 golf simulation, since surpassed by The Golf Club 2 in 2017, was added to the Xbox Game Pass Library in April. (Still newer is The Golf Club 2019, with PGA Tour branding, which launched last year.) The Golf Club is $24.99 (regularly $29.99).
• Sonic & Knuckles — It’s right there in the title: Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna, in a port of their 1994 Sega Genesis game. It’s $2.99 (no discount) for Xbox 360 (backward-compatible).
• Pumped BMX + — Another side-scroller, with players performing and landing tricks on a BMX bike for huge air and big points. It’s $7.99 ($9.99 regularly).
• Unmechanical Extended — Extra levels and content in a re-release of 2012’s Unmechanical on Xbox 360. Unmechanical Extended is $7.99 (regularly $9.99).
• The Swapper — Clone yourself in a side-scrolling puzzle game for $11.99 (regularly $14.99).

There are 230 titles currently in the Xbox Game Pass library; a subscription is $9.99 a month.