Where before players were limited to what was sold in stores, the digitization of games has made it easier for people to have access to more games than ever before. Xbox players have thousands of games that they can purchase from the digital store and those that buy an Xbox Game Pass subscription have access to hundreds of different games for just the price of their subscription.
There are many upsides to modern-day gaming but also a few downsides. Just as digitization makes it easier for people to get games, it makes it easier for games to be delisted, made unavailable for purchase in the online store. Several games get delisted each year for a variety of reasons.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. Created by Sega, Sonic games can be played on all consoles and PC, and, for a time, the original Sonic The Hedgehog game was available for purchase on the Xbox One starting in late 2015.
However, along with other classic standalone Sonic games, Sonic the Hedgehog was delisted back in May of 2022. Instead, the games were included in a collection of classic Sonic games remastered and optimized for Xbox One called Sonic Origins.
2 Jump Force
For fans of Manga, Shonen Jump has a great collection of series old and new to read. Jump Force is a fighting game that features characters from popular Shonen Jump series like One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball, and more.
It was the first time these characters had been created with realistic graphics as the plot of the game had a mysterious entity merge the real world with the worlds of the different series. Jump Force was delisted in February 2022 and its online servers were shut down later in August. It's thought that the game was delisted due to licensing issues.
3 SoulCalibur 2 HD Online
SoulCalibur 2 HD Online is a remaster of the original game with added content, including new online modes. It was released in celebration of SoulCalibur's 10-year anniversary and while it was first released on the Xbox 360, the game had backward compatibility and could be played on and purchased for the Xbox One.
Its Xbox 360 version was delisted in April 2022 though it continued to be available for the Xbox One until late May. The version available in Australia and Europe had been delisted from the Xbox 360 earlier in 2020, though, for some reason, it reappeared on the Xbox One Marketplace for those regions for a short amount of time.
4 Fast & Furious Crossroads
For fans of the Fast & Furious franchise who wanted to know what it was like to be in the movies, Fast & Furious Crossroads is the perfect game. It's both an action RPG and a racing game that let players race alongside popular characters like Letty, Roman, and Dom. The game features many of the cars from the movies and players are able to drive and customize them to their liking to give them the best chance at pulling off heists.
It was announced by Bandai Namco back in March 2022 that the game would be delisted the following month. It's uncertain why the game was delisted, but it's thought that the licensing for the franchise had expired.
5 GODS Remastered
The original GODS game came out in 1991 for several systems that were available at the time including the Super NES and Sega Genesis. A remaster named GODS Remastered came out in 2018 for the Xbox One, giving this platformer a new more modern look and better controls. Players journey with a nameless warrior on his quest to recover the stolen homes of the gods.
It was also possible to switch from the new 3D graphics to the original pixel ones. GODS Remastered was delisted in late March 2022 because of licensing restrictions. It's thought that these restrictions are related to the game's opening theme, which is a remix of its original opening theme "Into the Wonderful" by John Foxx and Nation 12.
6 Project CARS 2
Project CARS 2 is the sequel to Project CARS. It's a motorsport racing simulator that focuses on realism and is more of a sandbox game than other racing simulators as it gives players instant access to all the vehicles and tracks that are in the game. Project CARS 2 features more car models, track layouts, and locations than its predecessor and also includes off-road driving.
It was announced by the game's developer, Slightly Mad, that both Project CARS and Project CARS 2 would be delisted, with CARS 2 delisted first on September 21st, 2022. Both games were delisted because of expiring track and car licenses.
7 WWE 2K19
For fans of pro wrestling, the WWE 2K games are some of the best games around. Players get to play as some of their favorite wrestlers of all time and create dream matches. Or they can create their own original wrestler and see if they have what it takes to make it to the top. The newest game, WWE 2K22 is out and 2K23 is in development, but older WWE games still have a loyal fanbase.
That's why it surprised and upset fans to find that several older WWE 2K games, including WWE 2K19, had been delisted without warning in late July 2022. Granted, 2K did announce that the online servers for WWE 2K19 and WWE 2K20 would be shut down a few months earlier, but no one expected the games to be taken off the marketplace completely.
8 Football Manager 2022
When it comes to sports management games, the Football Manager series is one of the best around. It's so good that it's even affected the real world, as Everton F.C. signed a deal with Sports Interactive to be able to use the game's database to scout players and staff.
Football Manager 2022 had both a standard and an Xbox Edition that was released on Xbox Game Pass on November 8, 2021. Both were delisted from the Microsoft Store on November 7, however, which was the same day that they left Xbox Game Pass.
9 Killer Queen Black
Killer Queen Black is a multiplayer strategy platform game in which players get to choose how they try to claim victory. There are three character types: Workers, Soldiers, and Queens. Each type has its own way of winning, and players can play based on their own style.
Unfortunately, Killer Queen Black was forced to shut down due to the closure of Amazon GameSparks. Its online servers shut down on September 30, 2022, and it was delisted from the Xbox store a week later.
10 Dirt 4
Dirt 4 was released on the Xbox One in June of 2017 and is considered to be one of the best games in the series. This addition to the sim racing game series focuses on rallying. It was the first to introduce the feature called "Your Stage" which generates stages based on the settings and parameters players put in, making each stage unique.
Unfortunately for racing game fans, Dirt 4 and Dirt Rally were delisted on October 3, 2022, the same day that they were removed from both Xbox Game Pass and EA Play. Thankfully, as with most of the other Xbox One games that were delisted in 2022, those with physical copies can still enjoy the two titles.