Surprise! Xbox's new Game Pass Standard loses games previously used to sell the service like Starfield and Diablo 4

Xbox's new Game Pass Standard tier, which replaced the existing console tier and excludes day one launches onto the service, is missing much more than that. Massive first-party games that were previously used to sell the service like Starfield, Diablo 4, and Hellblade 2 are nowhere to be found among the subscription's strange middle tier offerings.

As discovered by Kotaku, the Standard tier lacks some of the biggest games in the catalog, even though they were a part of Xbox Game Pass for Console before the announced restructuring of tiers. Their absence from the Standard service is an odd choice, especially when trying to entice people into a more budget-friendly option. Mass appeal games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are also absent from the Standard tier despite joining the service just a few months ago. 

Xbox Game Pass has historically been an easy recommendation because of its simplicity and access to an expansive library of games for a relatively cheap price. While there are still plenty of great games on the service, flagship titles like Forza Motorsport and Diablo 4 now being in the more expensive tier muddies the message.

More than 40 releases were removed from the Standard catalog, even smaller games like the crab-friendly Soulslike Another Crab's Treasure, Still Wakes the Deep, and Harold Halibut. A large appeal of the service's "hundreds" of games previously came from the sheer variety found within, which has now dwindled significantly.  

It's unclear what prompted the removal of these games from the Standard offerings, especially when many of them were touted as reasons to sign up for Game Pass in the first place. They are still available on the more expensive Game Pass Ultimate tier, however, for $19.99 – which somewhat feels like the point of removing them.

If you're looking for something new to play take a look at the 25 best games on Game Pass for Xbox and PC