GTA 5 continues a frustrating cycle with latest Xbox Game Pass exit

We’ve learned that Grand Theft Auto 5 will leave the Xbox Game Pass catalog on April 15 alongside other games like Ashen, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery. GTA 5’s removal is the most frustrating, not just because of the game’s pedigree, but because of how often it and other titles from Rockstar Games come to and leave video game subscription services.

GTA 5 has cycled on and off Xbox Game Pass multiple times over the past six years. There are Xbox Wire articles from 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2025 proudly announcing that the game is coming to the service, only to leave after three to six months. GTA 5’s current stint of Xbox Game Pass availability is its longest, as it has been part of the catalog since April 2025. The game is similarly on-again, off-again with PS Plus Extra, as GTA 5 has come and gone from Sony’s subscription service at different times in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Although it’s not uncommon for games to come and go on each of the major gaming subscription services, no single game has done it as frequently as GTA 5. The frequency of its addition and removal from the service speaks to just how malleable the catalogs of Xbox Game Pass and PS Extra are.

While Xbox and PlayStation have more control over the availability of their respective first-party games on their subscription services, they can’t guarantee the same consistency for third-party games. In the case of a game as successful as GTA 5, Rockstar Games also has more leverage. Microsoft and Sony want the game to be on their services more than Rockstar Games needs GTA 5 on Game Pass or PS Plus Extra.

Ultimately, the inconsistency with which GTA 5 is on these subscription services makes it tough to recommend the game while it is part of those catalogs. You’re better off buying GTA 5 outright if you want to play it rather than relying on its availability via subscription. The same goes for other titles from Rockstar Games that come to Xbox Game Pass or PS Plus Extra, like Red Dead Redemption 2.