Hey everyone, it's your friendly neighborhood gamer here with some bittersweet news. As we roll into 2026, I was doing my usual scroll through the gaming feeds and noticed we're about to lose some absolute gems from the Xbox Game Pass library. It feels like just yesterday we were welcoming them, but now it's time to say farewell to a couple of cult classics that have defined entire genres for so many of us. According to the official updates, a total of eight games are packing their bags soon, and two of the biggest standouts are the iconic indie RPG Undertale and the mind-bending escape room visual novel collection Zero Escape: The Nonary Games. Their exact departure date is still floating in the air, but the clock is ticking, folks!

Let's dive into Zero Escape: The Nonary Games first, because wow, what a journey this series has been. Developed by Spike Chunsoft, this isn't just one game—it's a meticulously packaged duo containing the first two entries of the legendary Zero Escape trilogy: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (or 999 for us cool kids) and its direct sequel, Virtue's Last Reward. I still remember playing the original 999 on my Nintendo DS back in the day; the blend of visual novel storytelling and tense escape room puzzles was utterly revolutionary. The writer, Kotaro Uchikoshi, is a master of weaving complex, brain-twisting narratives that stick with you long after the credits roll.

What's really cool about The Nonary Games collection is how it preserves a piece of gaming history. The original iOS version of 999, which stripped out the puzzles and was basically a straight visual novel called 999: The Novel, has been delisted for years. But its legacy lives on here! This compilation uses the higher-res assets from that iOS version and, most importantly, introduced a lifesaving flowchart system that lets you jump to key story moments—a feature the DS original desperately needed. Oh, and it's fully voice-acted! It landed on Xbox back in March 2022 and hit Game Pass on the same day, making it super accessible. Now, with it leaving, if you haven't experienced its brilliant, paranoid story of nine people trapped on a sinking ship forced to play a deadly game... you've got some homework to do.

Now, let's talk about the other heavyweight leaving the party: Undertale. 😭 Man, where do I even start? Created by the one-and-only Toby Fox, this indie RPG exploded onto the scene in 2015 and fundamentally changed how we think about game narratives, morality, and player choice. Its message of mercy and friendship, wrapped in a deceptively simple pixel-art package and backed by one of the greatest soundtracks ever composed, resonated with millions. I still get chills thinking about my first Pacifist run.

Its journey to Game Pass was a long one. After ruling PC and Mac for a year, it spread to Linux, then hit PS4 and Vita in 2017 (funny enough, the same year The Nonary Games debuted on those platforms). It finally joined the Xbox ecosystem via Game Pass in 2021, after gracing the Nintendo Switch. The beautiful thing is, Undertale is now a true cross-platform titan, playable on every modern system you can think of.

So, what happens after they leave Game Pass? Don't panic! Both games will still be available for purchase. You can grab them anytime from the Microsoft Store for Xbox or on Steam for PC. As of now (remember, we're in 2026, prices might have changed!), here's the deal:

It's a small price to pay for owning these masterpieces forever. While it's always sad to see games rotate out of a subscription service, it's also a great reminder to finally play those titles you've been saving in your "Play Later" list. The other games leaving alongside them include some bangers too, like Square Enix's Guardians of the Galaxy, the chaotic fun of Goat Simulator, and the stylish investigation game Paradise Killer.

In the end, subscription services like Game Pass are fantastic for discovery, but there's something special about permanently owning a game that has touched your heart. Whether it's solving the Nonary Game's deadly puzzles or deciding to spare or fight every monster in the Underground, these experiences are timeless. So, if you're a Game Pass subscriber, fire up your console or PC and give these legends the playtime they deserve before they vanish from the library. And for everyone else, well, the digital storefronts are always open. These stories are waiting for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go listen to "Hopes and Dreams" and feel some feelings. 🎮✨