15 Games Publishers Are Killing Right Now (Battlefield Hardline Shuts Down TODAY) — And How To Save Them Before They're Gone

The server shutdown notification is the first warning. 

You're logging in for your usual evening session, and there it is: a message telling you the game you've spent hundreds of hours in will no longer be playable after a certain date. The servers are closing. The lights are going out. You're being locked out of something you bought.

That's the reality of online gaming in 2026. And it's happening faster than you think.

When a company decided to shut down an online game's servers, there wasn't much the players who had bought that title could do — until a group called Stop Killing Games began lobbying for new consumer protections.

The campaign was launched in April 2024 by YouTuber Ross Scott after Ubisoft announced plans to discontinue The Crew, and it's now exposing a problem that's been festering for years.

The European Commission officially rejected the "Stop Destroying Videogames" citizens' initiative on June 16, 2026, concluding that voluntary codes would be better than legislation. Players who paid for games are being told "thanks, but no thanks" by the very industry that sold them.

Ubisoft's recent decision to shut down The Crew underscores the problem. A game you bought, that you invested time in, that gave you hours of entertainment? Gone. Because the company decided it's not worth maintaining.

But it's not just Ubisoft. Activision is doing the same thing. EA is doing the same thing (Battlefield Hardline is literally being taken offline today). The problem is everywhere. 

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Here are 15 games that are either dead, dying, or on the brink:

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1. Anthem

Status: Dead. Servers shut January 12th, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: All platforms (PC, Xbox One, PS4)

‍What you lose: The entire game becomes unavailable, including story mode. BioWare's $80 million disaster, removed from sale in August 2025, is now completely gone.

‍Why it matters: Let's be clear about the scale here. BioWare spent $80 million developing Anthem. It launched in 2019 to critical acclaim, and within months everyone knew it was a disaster. Multiple attempts to fix it didn't work. The player base dwindled. EA made their decision: cut your losses, shut it down. But the loss wasn't just EA's. It was the people who spent £60, who bought the Ultimate Edition, who invested weekends building their exosuit abilities and grinding for loot. BioWare moved on to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. EA moved on to the next EA Sports title. Nobody's looking back at Anthem. And now you can't either. The game is gone. There's no offline version. There's no fan server. There's just nothing.

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2. Battlefield Hardline

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Status: Dead. Servers shut June 22nd, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: PS4 and Xbox One only. PC version remains online.

‍What you lose: All multiplayer functionality on consoles. The game becomes a single-player experience with no leaderboards, no rankings, no community. PC players can still play online.

‍Why it matters: This is part of the larger Battlefield franchise, which EA controls. The Console versions are shutting down but PC players can still access the game. This split-platform approach is telling: EA is treating platforms differently based on profitability. The PS4 and Xbox One versions are getting the axe, but the PC version is somehow still viable. What does that mean for the future of Battlefield on PC? Will it be the next one to go? Hardline was a police-themed spinoff that tried to modernize the franchise. It was different from the military setting of other Battlefield games. That's now gone on consoles. The single-player campaign remains, but that's not why most people bought Hardline. They bought it for the multiplayer. And now that's gone.

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3. The Crew

Status: Dead. Shut down March 31st, 2024.

‍Platforms affected: All platforms (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, Amazon Luna, Ubisoft+)

‍What you lose: Entire game becomes inaccessible. After the servers went down, the game became completely unplayable on any platform.

‍Why it matters: Ross Scott launched the entire Stop Killing Games campaign because of this. The Crew was released in 2014 and was "one of the most ambitious racing games of its time." Nine years later, Ubisoft decided it wasn't worth maintaining anymore. The game was suddenly delisted from all digital storefronts in December 2023 with no warning. Players who had bought it months or years before had no idea it was going to be gone in three months. The servers went down March 31st, 2024. The game is completely inaccessible if you don't have it downloaded. This is the problem in its purest form: you bought a product, you paid for it, and the company can just take it away. The game is no longer purchasable. The servers are gone. Any progression you made is erased. This is the case study that started a movement.

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4. FIFA 18, 19, 20 & 21

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Status: Dead. Servers shut November 6th, 2023.

‍Platforms affected: FIFA 18/19/20/21 on PC, Xbox One, PS4; FIFA 20/21 also on Nintendo Switch, FIFA 21 on PS5/Xbox Series X|S

‍What you lose:  All online multiplayer, all leaderboards, all community features, all online matches. The games become single-player only.

‍Why it matters: If you need a perfect example of the disposability of games, look no further than the FIFA series. All four of these titles were £60 games, and EA shut the servers for all of them on the same day. FIFA 18 launched in 2017. FIFA 21 launched in 2020. EA killed online support for games that were 3–6 years old. The single-player career modes remain, but that's not why many people buy FIFA. The game is built around online matches against real players; without online, it's a shell. Annual sports games are designed to be disposable. EA makes a new one every year, shuts the old ones down, and customers are expected to buy the next version. FIFA 22, 23, 24, and 25 are out now. The servers for 18–21 are gone. You paid full price. Was it worth it?

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5. The Sims Mobile

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Status: Dead. Servers shut January 20th, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: iOS and Android (mobile)

‍What you lose: Entire game. You can't access your progress, your builds, your characters.

‍Why it matters: Mobile games are the epitome of this problem. The Sims Mobile is free-to-play, but that doesn't mean you haven't spent money on it. People spend real money on in-app purchases. You've bought items, you've built houses, you've created characters, you've invested time and money. And now it's gone. EA's approach to mobile games is aggressive: make it, sell it, kill it when it stops being profitable. The Sims Mobile launched in 2018. It ran for 8 years. That's not a long time for a game you've invested in. The entire Sims franchise is built on letting players create and customize. The mobile version was supposed to be a more accessible version of that. Now it's just gone. There's no offline version. There's no way to recover your progress. You're just locked out of the game you paid for.

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6. Apex Legends (Original Switch)

Status: Dying. Will shut August 4th, 2026.

Platforms affected: Original Nintendo Switch only. Switch 2, PS5, Xbox, and PC remain unaffected.

‍What you lose: The entire original Switch version of Apex Legends. Respawn is pulling it permanently. Original Switch players lose access to the game completely.

‍Why it matters: This is platform discrimination at its worst. Apex Legends is still a live game on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox, and PC. But original Switch players are being locked out. EA and Respawn are saying the original Switch version is not profitable enough to maintain. Season 29 is the final update for the original Switch. After August 4th, the game is completely gone on that platform. Millions of people invested time in Apex Legends: they bought legendary items, they unlocked battle pass rewards, they competitive ranked up. And now they're being told the platform they play on is no longer worth supporting. The game itself is still alive, but those players are gone. This is the problem with platform-specific versions: when a platform stops being profitable, the game gets cut from it. Original Switch players are the collateral damage.

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7. WWE 2K24

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Status: Dead. Servers shut March 31, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: All platforms (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC/Steam)

‍What you lose: All online multiplayer, all leaderboards, all community features including Community Creations. The game becomes single-player only with modes like Play Now, Showcase, MyRise, MyGM, and Universe.

‍Why it matters: WWE 2K24 was removed from digital stores January 31st, 2026. The servers shut down March 31st. This is a £65 game, and 2K is shutting online support after only two years. The game itself is still playable offline, but that's not what you bought it for. Community Creations is one of the biggest features of WWE 2K. You can create wrestlers, create arenas, create gameplay modes, and share them with other players. All of that is gone. The online multiplayer is gone. The leaderboards are gone. What's left is the single-player experience, which is not why most people buy WWE 2K games. PS Plus subscribers who got it free can still download it from their library, but they can't play online. This is the pattern with 2K games: they release a new version every year, and the old versions become obsolete. The servers get shut down. The game becomes a single-player experience that nobody wants.

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8. Let It Die

Status: Dying. Will shut August 31st, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: All platforms (PS4, PC/Steam)

‍What you lose: Entire game goes offline. Grasshopper Manufacture's free-to-play action game is ending its service. An offline version will be released in Autumn 2026 as a paid title.

‍Why it matters: Let It Die launched in 2016. It ran for nearly 10 years as a free-to-play game. That's impressive for a game that nobody really talked about. GungHo Online Entertainment and Supertrick Games are ending the service September 1st, but they're not just killing it. They're releasing an offline version in August 2026 as a paid title. This is the first time I've seen a publisher offer an alternative like this. But it's still a problem. You played the game for free for 10 years. You invested time, you built your character, you got achievements. And now the free version is gone. You have to buy the offline version to keep playing. The online service is ending. The game becomes a paid product. This is different from most shutdowns, but it's still the same problem: the game you played for free is no longer available. You have to pay to keep playing it.

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9. Firewall Ultra

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Status: Dying. Will shut September 17th, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: PS5 and PSVR2 only (game is PS5/PSVR2 exclusive)

‍What you lose: All multiplayer features. The PS5 exclusive goes offline. No multiplayer, no community, no rankings. After this date, the game will become completely unplayable.

‍Why it matters: This is a Sony-published game. Sony Interactive Entertainment is shutting the servers. The game was already removed from the PS Store without prior notice. It's a 2023 PS5 exclusive shooter that launched to middling reviews. It had PS VR2 support, which was supposed to be a selling point. But the player base wasn't big enough. Sony made their decision: cut the servers, end the game. The entire game becomes unplayable after September 17th. There's no single-player mode. There's no offline version. The game was designed as a multiplayer shooter, and when the multiplayer goes, the game dies. Here lies the issue with exclusive games: when the publisher decides to shut them down, there's nowhere else to go. You can't switch platforms. You can't play on PC. The game will be gone. Sony discreetly announced it by updating an old PlayStation Blog post instead of issuing a fresh announcement. No fanfare. No apology. Just a shutdown.

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10. Tower of Fantasy (PS4)

Status: Dying. PS4 servers shut October 20th, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: PS4 only. PC, PS5, and mobile platforms remain unaffected.

‍What you lose: PS4 version completely offline. The game becomes unplayable on PS4. PC and other platforms stay up, but if you were playing on PS4, that's your exit date.

‍Why it matters: Tower of Fantasy launched on PS4 and PS5 simultaneously in 2023. It's a free-to-play MMORPG with open-world exploration and anime-style graphics. Three years later, Perfect World is ending PS4 support. The official reason is "performance optimisation and application size limitations." That's the technical explanation. The real reason is probably that PS4 players aren't as profitable as PC and PS5 players. PS4 users can upgrade to PS5 to continue playing. But that's not an option for everyone. Some people don't have a PS5. Some people can't afford to upgrade. The game is still alive on other platforms, but PS4 players are being locked out. The game was delisted from the PS Store April 7th, 2026. You can still download it if you already have it, but you won't be able to play online after October 20th. 

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11. NBA 2K25

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Status: Dying. Servers shut December 31, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: All platforms (every platform)

‍What you lose: Entire game goes offline across every platform. No multiplayer, no community, no rankings.

‍Why it matters: NBA 2K25 was a £70 game. 2K is shutting the servers after one year. One year. For a full-price game. The core of NBA 2K is online: you play against real people in ranked matches, you build your MyCareer player online, you compete in leagues with other players. All of that will go. The single-player modes (MyCareer offline, MyTeam offline) remain, but that's not why most people buy NBA 2K. The game is essentially a shell without online. This is aggressive for a sports game. Most sports games maintain servers longer. NBA 2K24's servers are still up. NBA 2K23's servers are still up. But 2K decided to shut 2K25 after one year. This tells you what 2K thinks about their customers: they want to sell you the new version every year, and they don't care if you can still play the old one.

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12. Top Spin 2K25

Status: Dying. Servers shut December 31st, 2027.

‍Platforms affected: All platforms (every platform)

‍What you lose: Entire game goes offline across every platform.

‍Why it matters: Top Spin is a tennis game. It's not as big as NBA 2K, but it's 2K's first tennis game since Top Spin 4 in 2010. It launched in 2024 to decent reviews. At the end of next year, it will be taken down entirely. There's another modern tennis game with online multiplayer: TIEBREAK, the official ATP/WTA game, launched August 2024. But Top Spin 2K25 is the better tennis sim. It has the Grand Slams, the career mode, the create-a-player features. TIEBREAK is more about licensing (120 real players) than gameplay quality. Tennis players who want a serious simulation have Top Spin. That will be gone by the end of the year - multiplayer shut, competitive platform closed. TIEBREAK is still online, but it's not the same game. It's more arcade-like, less simulation. The tennis community loses their main competitive simulation platform. 2K says the servers are shutting after just three years. The tennis community is left with TIEBREAK, which isn't what Top Spin players want.

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13. Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS3)

Status: Mostly Dead. PS3 multiplayer shut April 28th, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: PS3 only. PS4, Xbox consoles, and PC multiplayer remain unaffected.

What you lose: PS3 multiplayer/co-op mode only. The single-player portion remains untouched on all platforms. PS3 players lose the standalone co-op multiplayer mode.

‍Why it matters: This is different from most of the other shutdowns. Dragon Age: Inquisition was released in 2014. The multiplayer mode ran for 12 years. That's a long time for an online feature to stay up. Only PS3 players are affected. The PS4 version, Xbox versions, and PC all still have multiplayer. The single-player portion is still playable on all platforms. The PS3 is 20 years old now, the multiplayer backbone is aging and EA is shutting it down because it's not worth maintaining. But the game itself is still alive. The single-player is still playable. The multiplayer is just gone on PS3. This is a platform-specific shutdown, not a total game shutdown. It's the least destructive of all the shutdowns on this list.

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14. Real Racing 3

Status: Dead. Servers shut March 19th, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: iOS and Android (mobile)

‍What you lose: Entire mobile racing game. A staple of mobile racing since 2013, finally closing its garage doors. Completely unplayable after March 19th.

‍Why it matters: Real Racing 3 launched in 2013. It ran for 12 years. That's an impressive lifespan for a mobile game. EA delisted it from the App Store and Google Play December 18th, 2025. In-app purchases were disabled. The servers went offline March 19th, 2026. The game is completely unplayable. Real Racing 3 was one of the first mobile racing games to be half-decent. It set the standard for mobile racing. Other games copied it. There's no offline version. There's no fan server. 12 years is better than most, but the game is still gone. 

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15. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

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Status: Mostly Dead. PS3 servers shut April 28, 2026.

‍Platforms affected: PS3 only. PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC remain unaffected.

‍What you lose: PS3 multiplayer only. The single-player portion remains untouched on all platforms. PS3 players lose the online multiplayer mode.

‍Why it matters: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare launched in 2014 on PS3. The multiplayer ran for 12 years, a decent run for a tower defense game. Only PS3 players are affected. The PS4, Xbox, and PC versions all still have multiplayer online. EA says the PS3 version can't support the changes they need to make to their online services. The infrastructure is 20 years old. They're shutting PS3 down. But the game itself lives on. The single-player is fully playable everywhere. The multiplayer is just gone on PS3. Xbox 360 servers are expected to follow, though no date has been announced. PS3 players who want to keep playing online need to upgrade to a later PlayStation model or get a PC.

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How To Save Them

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It's not hopeless. Here's what you can do:

‍Join Stop Killing Games. The campaign launched April 2024. They're lobbying for legislation that requires companies to keep games playable for a minimum period, or at least provide offline modes. The EU response is a setback but the battle isn’t over. 

‍Buy offline versions. If a game has an offline mode, buy it. If it doesn't, don't. Support games that respect your purchase. I bought Hades offline. I can play it forever. I bought Anthem online. It's gone.

‍Support physical releases. Games on disc are less likely to be shut down. Yes, they're still online-dependent for multiplayer, but at least you own the game files. Limited Run Games is doing this right. They're releasing collector's editions that you can actually own.

‍Voice your anger. When a company announces a shutdown, tweet it. Post on Reddit. Make it public. Companies respond to bad press. EA shut Anthem because nobody cared enough to protest.

‍Buy games from companies with good track records. Nintendo, Square Enix, and some indie devs have historically kept games playable longer. Support them. Nintendo's games are still playable after 20 years. EA's games are gone after 5.

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The problem isn't just that games are getting killed. The problem is that we're being told it's okay. That we should accept it. That "this is how gaming works now."

No. It's not.

You bought a game. You should be able to play it. Publishers shouldn't be able to shut it down because maintenance costs outweigh revenue. Anthem cost $80 million to make. EA shut it after 7 years. That's not okay.

Stop Killing Games is the fight. Join it before more games die.