Xbox Game Pass subscribers are facing disappointment as five significant titles are scheduled to leave the service today, November 15. Among the departing games is the highly anticipated STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, alongside Football Manager 2024, Frostpunk, Spirittea, and Blacksmith Master. The announcement has generated considerable discussion across social media platforms, with many users expressing frustration over the timing and circumstances of these removals.

Microsoft's subscription service follows a predictable pattern of updating its catalog twice monthly, typically in the middle and at the end of each month. This recent wave follows October's departures, which saw the removal of critically acclaimed titles including Return to Monkey Island, Jusant, and Metal Slug Tactics. The current batch of games leaving the service represents a diverse range of genres and playstyles, from survival simulations to sports management and crafting experiences.

The November 15 departures from Xbox Game Pass include some of the service's most notable recent additions. Based on Microsoft's established patterns, these five games are expected to become unavailable around midnight in each respective time zone. What makes this particular removal wave noteworthy is that none of the games can realistically be completed in a single day, and several have generated significant fan backlash following the announcement of their impending departure.

The removal of STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has proven particularly frustrating for many subscribers. GSC Game World's immersive survival shooter launched as a day-one Xbox Game Pass title but arrived with numerous technical issues and game-breaking bugs. Over the past year, the Ukrainian development team has worked diligently to address these problems through multiple major updates, including the implementation of night vision capabilities and a functional A-Life system.

While additional improvements are expected in upcoming patches, Xbox Game Pass subscribers won't have the opportunity to experience these enhancements through the service. This timing has disappointed players who deliberately waited for the game to receive sufficient polish before diving in. Social media discussions reveal sentiments like one Reddit user's comment: "I held off playing STALKER 2 waiting for more patches, and now it's leaving before I even got the chance to experience the improved version."

Football Manager 2024's departure presents a different kind of frustration for sports simulation fans. Unlike STALKER 2, FM24 provided a relatively stable experience since its launch. The timing of its removal becomes problematic when considering the broader context of the Football Manager franchise. Last year's Football Manager 25 was canceled entirely, while the recently released Football Manager 26 suffered a disastrous launch plagued by technical issues and negative feedback.

The situation became so severe that even sponsored content creators, including popular South Korean streamer Han Dong-Suk, publicly abandoned FM26 shortly after its release. With FM24 remaining as the only well-regarded Football Manager title currently available through Xbox Game Pass, its removal leaves fans of the series with limited options, particularly those disappointed by the latest installment's performance issues.

Blacksmith Master represents another point of contention among subscribers, though for different reasons. The fantasy crafting simulator, while not possessing the same massive following as Football Manager or STALKER, only joined Xbox Game Pass in September 2025. Its two-month availability period is unusually brief for titles on the service, leading some social media users to argue they haven't had adequate time to properly experience the game.

Publisher Hooded Horse has not provided an official explanation for the game's unexpectedly short stay on the subscription service. This rapid departure has left some subscribers feeling that they're losing access to a title before they could fully explore its mechanics and progression systems, particularly given its early access status and ongoing development.