Microsoft announces plans to delist various games from the Xbox 360 marketplace

Microsoft has announced plans to delist various games and associated DLC from the Xbox 360 marketplace next month.

The exact number of games varies per region. For example, in the US 46 games will be removed, while in the UK 44 games will be delisted (see full lists below).

Games set to be removed from the digital marketplace include entries in the Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Dark Souls, Far Cry, Left 4 Dead, Mass Effect, Prince of Persia, Skate, Splinter Cell and Witcher series.

Removals will begin on February 7, 2023. Microsoft noted that once purchased, players can always redownload games from their Xbox 360 Download History.

A Microsoft spokesperson also told Gematsu: “These titles will no longer be purchasable on the Xbox 360 Store only, and titles that are available to be purchased on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S Stores will remain purchasable.

“You will still be able to play discs or previously downloaded games on your Xbox 360 and modern consoles if they are backwards compatible titles. For more information on the games impacted in your region, visit here.”

Games being delisted in the US

• Aegis Wing
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
• Assassin’s Creed III
• Assassin’s Creed IV
• Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD
• Blood of the Werewolf
• Blue Dragon
• Breakdown
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Call of Duty: Ghosts
• Castle Crashers
• Cloning Clyde
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Dark Souls
• Darksiders II
• DAYTONA USA
• Defense Grid
• Eets: Chowdown
• Far Cry 2
• Final Fight: DblImpact
• Iron Brigade
• Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad
• Jet Set Radio
• Left 4 Dead
• Left 4 Dead 2
• LIMBO
• Lost Odyssey
• Mass Effect 2
• MONOPOLY DEAL
• Mutant Blobs Attack
• N+
• Outpost Kaloki X
• Peggle 2
• Phantom Breaker:Battle Grounds
• Prince of Persia
• R.U.S.E.
• Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
• Skate 2
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Spelunky
• Splinter Cell Conviction
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Star Wars KOTOR 2
• The Orange Box
• The Raven Episode 1
• The Witcher 2

Games being delisted in the UK

• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
• Assassin’s Creed III
• Assassin’s Creed IV
• Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD
• Blood of the Werewolf
• Blue Dragon
• Breakdown
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Call of Duty: Ghosts
• Castle Crashers
• Cloning Clyde
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Dark Souls
• Darksiders II
• DAYTONA USA
• Defense Grid
• Eets: Chowdown
• Far Cry 2
• Final Fight: DblImpact
• Iron Brigade
• Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad
• Jet Set Radio
• Left 4 Dead
• Left 4 Dead 2
• LIMBO
• Lost Odyssey
• Mass Effect 2
• MONOPOLY DEAL
• Mutant Blobs Attack
• N+
• Outpost Kaloki X
• Peggle 2
• Phantom Breaker:Battle Grounds
• Prince of Persia
• R.U.S.E.
• Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
• Skate 2
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Spelunky
• Splinter Cell Conviction
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Star Wars KOTOR 2
• The Orange Box
• The Raven Episode 1

Backward compatibility was a key feature of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S pre-launch marketing efforts, with the company promoting the consoles’ ability to play a wide range of original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games.

Many games take advantage of the new consoles’ capabilities to “look and play better” than they originally did, and others support features like FPS Boost, which almost doubles the original frame rate.

Further reading

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Xbox Games with Gold stopped including Xbox 360 titles in October 2022.

“We’re always looking at ways to evolve the Xbox experience based on community engagement, feedback and shifting company priorities,” a Microsoft spokesperson told VGC when the news was announced.

“We have reached the limit of our ability to bring new games to the catalog from the past due to licensing and technical constraints. We will continue to focus on providing Xbox One titles through the Games with Gold program.”