According to Wccftech, Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass lineup for the first half of December 2025, headlined by the addition of Mortal Kombat 1 and the long-awaited horror game ROUTINE, which was first announced back in 2012. Two games are joining as day-one releases: ROUTINE and the Soulslike deck builder Death Howl. The update also involves a significant tier reshuffle, making Indiana Jones and the Great Circle available to Premium-tier subscribers and moving World War Z, Stellaris, and Medieval Dynasty down to the base Essential tier. On the exit side, Mortal Kombat 11 and Still Wakes the Deep will leave the service on December 15, followed by Hell Let Loose and Carrion on December 31. Notably, Xbox has also started tagging games in its announcements that are optimized for the ROG Ally and Ally X handhelds.
The Big Trades and Tier Trickle-Down
So here’s the thing about this month’s drop: it feels a lot like a strategic swap. Mortal Kombat 1 comes in, and the previous entry, Mortal Kombat 11, gets the boot on December 15. It’s a direct upgrade for fighting game fans on the service, but it’s also a clear reminder that nothing on Game Pass is forever, not even a NetherRealm Studios flagship. The same kind of trade happens with ROUTINE entering as Still Wakes the Deep exits. Microsoft is basically curating its horror shelf in real-time.
But the more interesting move might be the tier adjustments. Making Indiana Jones available to Premium subscribers, not just Ultimate ones, is a big deal. It’s a major first-party title, and this is a way to add perceived value to that middle tier without spending new money. Same goes for pushing games like World War Z down to Essential. It’s a smart way to make the entry-level subscription feel more robust. For developers, having your game marked down to a more accessible tier could lead to a nice spike in player count, which is crucial for live-service titles or games with DLC.
The Long-Awaited and the Handheld Hint
Let’s talk about ROUTINE for a second. A game announced in 2012 finally hitting Game Pass in 2025? That’s wild. For the niche audience that’s been following it, this is basically a miracle. Its day-one release on the service is a huge win for Lunar Software, guaranteeing an instant player base. But it also makes you wonder: how many of these vaporware-turned-real projects are we going to see pop up on subscription services first? It’s a fantastic safety net for developers with cult followings.
And then there’s the handheld note. Xbox mentioning “Handheld” as a platform in its official Xbox Wire post is a small but significant signal. Sure, technically all PC Game Pass games work on the ROG Ally devices. But by officially calling it out, they’re validating that platform and subtly pushing their cloud and PC ecosystem over a dedicated Xbox handheld. It’s a quiet but important stake in the ground for the future of how and where people play Game Pass titles.
What’s Leaving and What’s Next
The exits are always the bittersweet part. Losing Mortal Kombat 11 and Still Wakes the Deep on December 15, and then Hell Let Loose at the end of the month, stings for fans of those specific games. It’s the perpetual Game Pass calculus: is it worth investing time in a game that might vanish? For multiplayer-focused titles like Hell Let Loose, an exit can really fracture a community.
Now, here’s a fun bit of speculation from the report. This batch only goes to December 11. That’s the same day as The Game Awards. Coincidence? Probably not. Xbox has a history of shadow-dropping games on the service during that show. So while this list is solid, the real headline for December might still be waiting in the wings. We’ll see if they’ve got one more surprise up their sleeve.
