Imagine logging in for a gaming session, only to discover that your favorite titles have vanished from the digital shelves—what’s going on? Recently, Microsoft made headlines by temporarily removing several first-party Xbox games from its online store, and the reason is both technical and significant.
Over the past weekend, numerous players might have noticed that several first-party Xbox games suddenly disappeared from the marketplace. The culprit behind this unexpected development is a security vulnerability associated with the Unity game engine which has prompted Microsoft to take these precautionary measures.
In particular, titles such as Pentiment, Wasteland 3, and other games have been delisted from the Microsoft Store. This situation arose after Unity discovered a serious "security vulnerability" affecting applications created using the Unity version 2017.1 and onwards, specifically targeting platforms like Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS. It’s essential to note, however, that this issue does not extend to console games.
Microsoft announced its decision to temporarily withdraw some titles while they implement necessary fixes to protect users from potential threats. According to Unity, their assessment indicates that the vulnerability could potentially be exploited by malicious entities with local access, allowing them to execute unauthorized commands within an application’s environment, which could lead to sensitive data being exposed or system privileges being escalated. Thankfully, Unity has reassured the community that there is no existing evidence that this vulnerability has been exploited nor has it adversely affected any users thus far. They have already released patches to rectify the issue, swiftly providing tools for developers to safeguard their projects.
Despite the fact that the security concern does not impact games on Xbox consoles, Microsoft felt it necessary to delist several games and applications from the Microsoft Store for both console and PC while fixes are put in place. Below is a list of affected titles as per Microsoft’s advisory:
- Avowed Artbook
- Fallout Shelter
- Ghostwire Tokyo Prelude
- Grounded 2 Artbook
- Hearthstone
- Knights and Bikes
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
- The Elder Scrolls: Blades
- The Elder Scrolls: Castles
- Wasteland 3
Additionally, Obsidian Entertainment has confirmed that they are actively addressing the issue, resulting in the temporary delisting of these specific titles for user safety:
- Grounded 2 Founders Edition
- Grounded 2 Founders Pack
- Avowed Premium Edition
- Avowed Premium Edition Upgrade
- Pillars of Eternity: Hero Edition
- Pillars of Eternity: Definitive Edition
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate
- Pentiment
For players still keen on diving into those classics, Microsoft also issued a recommendation to uninstall certain games that are no longer supported, which include:
- Doom (2019)
- Doom II (2019)
- Forza Customs
- Gears POP!
- Halo Recruit
- Mighty Doom
- The Elder Scrolls: Legends
- Zoo Tycoon Friends
To clarify once again, this vulnerability does not impact the console versions of any games listed here; rather, it pertains to those being used on PC or mobile platforms. For anyone seeking further information about the security concern, Microsoft is directing users to a dedicated FAQ page.
Were you one of the unfortunate gamers intending to dive into Pentiment or Wasteland 3 this weekend only to find them unavailable for install? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below! It’s worth noting that this isn’t an isolated incident—the game Call of Duty: WWII for PC faced a similar fate due to a remote code execution exploit, and in that case, the game was reintroduced to the Xbox store promptly.
Written by Sean Carey, a passionate advocate for Xbox achievements, who enjoys immersing himself in the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters, both on and off Xbox Game Pass. Sean pursued a degree in journalism at Solent University before contributing to TrueAchievements.
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