One of the great fears around the lack of physical ownership in video games right now is the potential of losing access to games we’ve already paid for. Grassroots movements like Stop Killing Games are attempting to shed light on the issue, but even with that, a ton of games have already been lost forever, including from the Xbox One generation.
Whether it be due to rights issues, a lack of profitability, or studio closures, plenty of impressively crafted games have become unplayable in the years since. Though some of those releases can still be played via relatively rare physical copies, they are often missing features or suffer from performance issues thanks to a lack of updates.
Despite their own individual qualities, these games serve as a stark reminder of how fragile the ecosystem we play in can be, at times, and how we actively need to ensure that as few releases as possible are lost moving forward.
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is a brutal first-person hack and slash that technically started life as a Half-Life 2 mod, before being developed as a standalone game by many of the original team. The game was pulled from the Xbox One store in May, 2018, and the servers followed some six years later in April, 2024.
If you already purchased the game on Xbox One, then it will still boot up, but you will be entirely restricted to setting up local games against bots. The best option now is to give the sequel a go, but even that has been struggling for players on the platform in recent months, and you might be waiting a while to find a game.
Titanfall
Arguably the most notorious entry on this list, Titanfall was seemingly destined for unprecedented success when EA first announced it at E3 in 2013. Things quickly came off the rails, as the hype train so often does, when the game fell victim to persistent DDoS attacks that severely damaged the multiplayer experience.
The development of the direct sequel proved to be the death knell for what was a very good game in its own right, and the game was removed from sale in 2022. That said, if you own a physical copy, it is still possible to play as the servers are still online, though you will struggle to find enough players to make the effort worthwhile.
Dead Alliance
Zombie shooters might be pretty common on most platforms these days, but Dead Alliance served as one of the considerably more limited options in the genre on Xbox One. Unfortunately, it didn’t manage to deliver an experience that players were particularly interested in, and its time in the wild was relatively short.
After considerably lower player numbers than the developer expected, they announced the closure of all servers and the removal of the game from storefronts in December, 2022. Though some players have claimed they have been able to access the very limited single-player features, almost all report that the game is totally unplayable as of 2026.
Dirt 4/Dirt Rally
Racing games are always a bit of a tricky proposition for game developers, largely due to issues with licensing such an enormous volume of cars and secondary brands. Codemasters’ genuinely impressive rally series is unfortunately no exception, and you’ll struggle to play either Dirt 4 or Dirt Rally on Xbox One.
Both games were removed from sale on the platform in 2022 due to the expiration of the existing licensing, and they will likely never return. Physical copies of the game can still be bought and played, and you should be able to re-download it if you already own a digital copy, but the multiplayer modes are totally defunct.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game
Gwent was always one of the coolest features in any mainline Witcher game, so the announcement of a standalone version was actually met with considerable excitement. Unusually for many of the games on this list, GWENT: The Witcher Card Game actually proved to be quite successful, and the game still boasts an active player base on many platforms.
Though official support ended everywhere in 2023, the community has maintained things since, but Xbox One players can’t join the proverbial party. This comes about thanks to a decision taken by the developer in 2019, in which they ended support for console versions of the game to focus on PC and mobile players, and it’s a service that was never restored in any capacity.
Forza Horizon 4
The Forza Horizon series really is a casual racing fan’s dream, allowing players access to stunning cars and beautiful locations, without so much of the technical underbelly that other genre entries favor. Unfortunately, it isn’t immune to the issues around licensing that have already claimed so many solid racers, and Forza Horizon 4 is the most recent victim.
The game was delisted from stores at the end of 2024, following the closure of the playlist system, which makes up the core of the multiplayer experience. You can still jump on and race solo if you already own the game, but much of the experience has been lost to Xbox One players forever.
Friday the 13th: The Game
Friday the 13th: The Game seemed like it was going to be quite a safe bet for developer Illfonic when it was first released in 2017, but things proved to be a lot more complicated than initially expected.
The game ended up caught in the middle of a legal dispute between the original screenwriter and director of Friday the 13th, and despite the decision to continue updates while that was ongoing, the developer announced that they would be forced to abandon the game after all parties failed to reach a satisfactory resolution.
The original license expired at the end of 2023, and the game was removed from sale at that point, before it became unplayable a year after that in 2024. All online modes are now totally unplayable, though you can still log in and experience the game with bots if you already own it or find a code online.
Deadpool
Everyone’s favorite rude anti-hero returned in a big way in the 2010s, and a video game adaptation was an inevitability. Originally releasing for the generation before the Xbox One, Activision renewed the licensing for Deadpool in 2015 thanks to all the buzz created by the Ryan Reynolds-fronted movies.
Unfortunately, good things don’t tend to last forever, and that license expired two and a half years later at the end of 2017. That led to the game’s removal from storefronts on all platforms, though it is still playable if you’re lucky enough to already own a copy.
Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series
Game of Thrones was basically the hottest property in fantasy during the height of the HBO series’ run, and games started cropping up all over the place that had acquired official licensing. Telltale’s story-focused effort was one of the better examples, and it was quite popular with players, selling more than several other IPs that they were working on at the time.
Sadly, the game was taken out of digital stores in 2018, thanks to the potent combination of licenses expiring and Telltale shockingly closing down despite several high-profile successes. There have been some anecdotal claims that those who own the digital game haven’t been able to download it, but physical copies should still work on the Xbox One.
Naraka: Bladepoint
Naraka: Bladepoint is a bit of an anomalous entry on this list in that it’s still a very popular game on other platforms. The live-service battle royale still receives consistent updates from developer NetEase and the player base is healthy, particularly thanks the game supporting full cross-platform functionality in 2026.
Unfortunately for those of you looking to play on Xbox One, the game is no longer working on the platform. The developer took the decision to pull the game from the console after it started to technically limit their options for development progression. With cross-platform a priority, the archaic Xbox One sadly had to go.
- Brand
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XBOX
- Original Release Date
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November 13, 2013
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- Weight
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3.5 kg without the box and about 5 kg or 13.38lbs with the box