It’s a Sprint: Games Leaving Game Pass January 15th, 2026 Edition

Neon White by Angel Matrix

Welcome to the first It’s a Sprint of 2026!

When I assemble my bullet journal each December I always pick a handful of games to prioritize for the following year. These are usually a combination of things I’ve been putting off and gaps in my personal canon. Of course, anything I don’t finish gets rolled over and now this exercise has become its own warped monstrosity that rivals my backlog. 

My slate for 2026 includes a mix of titles I didn’t get around to beating in 2025 (Donkey Kong Bananza, Silksong, Death Stranding 2) along with list regulars like Vagrant Story and NieR: Automata (in my defense, I HAVE achieved a few endings in the latter). 

What about you? What’s something you’ve always wanted to play but consistently find excuses not to? Is 2026 the year? Let’s make it happen. 

For now, here’s everything scheduled to leave Game Pass in the next couple weeks. 

Neon White

Metacritic Score: 89

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 10.5-24.5 hours

Road 96

Metacritic Score: 79

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 7.5-9.5 hours

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn

Metacritic Score: 70

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 9-20.5 hours

The Grinch: Christmas Adventures - Merry & Mischievous Edition

Metacritic Score: NA (49% User Rating on HowLongToBeat)

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 3.5-5.5 hours

The Ascent

Metacritic Score: 74

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 12-26 hours

I was experiencing a bit of burnout in December, but I hopefully have plenty of cool stuff coming your way in the near future. Whether you’re a newcomer or vet to the speedrunning scene, make sure to read my preview of Awesome Games Done Quick before it begins on January 4th (depending on when this article was published, it may be up already–check the features tab).

For Tactical Reload, my goal is to hit 200 total articles before 2027. With my current pace, I think I can knock that out around the end of summer–but who knows? Maybe no new games will get announced–that’s probably the only way I’d be able to catch up, at this point. 

We’ll talk soon. Go play NieR: Automata.