Xbox Game Pass is losing one of its best games at the worst possible time — get it now while it's cheap before it leaves Microsoft's service

Though it hasn't always remained on Microsoft's gaming subscription service Xbox Game Pass consistently, Rockstar Games' beloved 2013 open-world action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) stands as one of the best titles that's been in the Game Pass catalog, and on console and PC, it's been available to play through the program with both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Premium for the past year.

In just over a week, though, it's leaving Game Pass once again — and it's unclear if or when it will come back to the service. Microsoft recently announced the news that GTA 5 will no longer be available with Game Pass come April 15 while detailing April's additions to the program, and that news has undoubtedly disappointed many.

Indeed, even well over a decade after its release, GTA 5 is in the top 10 of the most-played Xbox games list, and also holds the 14th place position on the Steam charts at the time of writing. The game has also sold well over 200 million copies since its release, and is second only to behemoths like Minecraft in terms of overall success.

While GTA 5's single player experience is popular, its remarkable longevity can mostly be attributed to GTA Online. Players frequently engage with its free roam multiplayer gameplay, as well as with the heists, races, and other forms of content that Rockstar consistently updates the game with. GTA Online also sports a passionate modding community on PC that plays together on unofficial community servers, too.

Naturally, it's always disappointing to see extremely popular and community-driven titles like GTA 5 leave Xbox Game Pass. But for it to do so now is quite a bad time in particular, given that its long-awaited sequel GTA 6 is only months away from its highly anticipated launch.

It's no exaggeration to say that GTA 6 could very well be one of the biggest game releases of all time when it comes out on November 19 later this year, and is expected to have an extremely explosive and successful launch. If Red Dead Redemption 2 shows anything, it's that Rockstar's worlds are incredibly rich, immersive, and engaging to play in — and GTA 6 is promising everything people loved about its predecessor with grander scale and ambition.

Undoubtedly, excitement for the game will drive countless players to return to GTA 5 or play it for the first time as they wait for GTA 6, and it's a shame that they'll no longer be able to do so with Game Pass. Perhaps it will come back to the service one day as it has in the past, but I wouldn't expect that to happen until after the sequel's out.

One big silver lining, though, is that as with all departing Xbox Game Pass titles, GTA 5 is available to buy permanently on Xbox or the Xbox on PC app for a huge 50% off discount. So, from now until April 15, you can take advantage of the game's final days on Game Pass, and then opt to buy it for $19.99 at Xbox instead of its usual $39.99 price.

🗨️ Are you sad to see GTA 5 leave Game Pass?

Though this isn't the first time GTA 5 has left Xbox Game Pass after being on the service for a while, it's notable that it's now leaving ahead of GTA 6's launch, as many were hoping the game would remain in the Game Pass library permanently after the sequel's arrival.

Are you sad to see GTA 5 go? Will you play it on Game Pass while you still can, and/or buy the game while it's discounted? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll:

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