Popular games that are not on Xbox Game Pass
Most of this site answers “is it in the catalogue?” with yes. These are the ones where the answer is no — the games people ask about most often that a subscription will not get you, each with what it actually costs to buy instead.
A catalogue is defined as much by what is outside it as by what is in it, and “no” is a perfectly useful answer when it comes with a price attached. That is the whole idea here: rather than a dead end, each of these has a page with the current Microsoft Store price in South Africa, the cheapest market we track, and what a subscription would get you instead.
Two honest limits. This is the most-followed few dozen titles outside the catalogue, not every game Microsoft sells — an exhaustive list would run to tens of thousands and stop this being a Game Pass site. And catalogue membership changes monthly, so a game here can quietly become a yes; the individual pages follow the list, this one is a snapshot of the popular misses.
For the 688 titles that are included, browse the catalogue — every card carries the buy price of the same game, which is the number that decides whether the subscription is worth it.
Not in the catalogue right now
96 titles
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -95% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -20% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -20% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -10% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -75% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -25% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -20% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED -90% 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED 
NOT INCLUDED Top up Game Pass for less
Buy an Xbox / Game Pass gift card or a region key and pay less than the standard subscription price.
Some store links are affiliate links — if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Buying instead: the two things that move the price
If a game is not in the catalogue, buying it is the route — and the listed price is rarely the best one available.
Region. Microsoft sets Store prices market by market and the spread on a single title is routinely larger than any seasonal sale. Every game page here ranks the markets we track so you can see the size of it. Purchases bill against the country your account belongs to, so read that as a comparison, not as a shopping route.
Time. Prices soften after launch, and the first meaningful discount on a major release usually lands within a few months. A game you want but do not need today is the classic case for waiting.
And if you already subscribe, check the price while signed in — members are frequently offered a discount on Store purchases that is applied at checkout and never appears in the listed figure, which means the number on this site is the ordinary price and you may well pay less.
Weighing a purchase against the subscription itself? How much Game Pass costs has the tiers, and the 12-month question covers why a year is simply twelve monthly payments.
FAQ
Why is a game not on Xbox Game Pass?
Microsoft publishes which titles are in the catalogue, not why. A game can sit outside it because its publisher never put it there, because it was in and has rotated out, or because it is too new. We will not guess between those — the list says what it says, and this page follows it.
Will these games come to Game Pass later?
Some will. There is no published schedule and nothing in the catalogue data predicts additions, so anyone giving you a date is guessing. Each game here has its own page, and if it joins the catalogue that page will say yes instead of no.
Do Game Pass members get a discount on games that are not included?
Often, yes. Microsoft regularly offers members a discount on Store purchases, applied at checkout rather than shown in the listed price — so the figures here are the ordinary price anyone pays and a member may pay less.
Is it cheaper to buy these games in another country?
Frequently, and the gap is often wider than any sale. Every game page here ranks the Microsoft Store price across the markets we track. Purchases bill against the country your account belongs to, so treat that table as a comparison rather than as a shopping route.