Celeste and TowerFall have disappeared from the Xbox store. Developer Maddy Thorson confirmed that both games were intentionally removed from Xbox.

The games vanished quietly from the store

Players were the first to notice. On October 29, both games' Xbox store pages were taken down. A thread about the "mysterious" removal appeared on Reddit's r/xbox. Soon after, an official statement followed.

Thorson wrote on Bluesky: "For those asking, yes, we removed Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox." She added a single reason: they did it to support the BDS boycott.

What does the BDS boycott aim for?

BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) is a movement that aims to put economic pressure on Israel. In 2025, the movement placed Microsoft on its primary boycott list, citing the company's cloud and AI deals with the Israeli military. The call was later expanded to include Xbox consoles, Xbox games, and Game Pass.

Microsoft announced in September 2025 that, after an internal review, it had restricted access to certain services for a unit affiliated with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The company has not commented on the removal of these games.

This is not the first team to take such action. Other games, like the co-op title Big Walk, have also been pulled from Xbox or never launched on the platform for similar reasons.

Why is Celeste so important?

Celeste was released in 2018. It's a challenging platformer about a girl named Madeline climbing Celeste Mountain, standing out for its themes of anxiety and self-acceptance.

The game won Best Independent Game at The Game Awards in the same year. Today, it still ranks among the highest-rated games on Steam. TowerFall, released in 2013, is a local multiplayer archery combat game.

What about players who already own the games?

The studio hasn't commented on this. Typically, games removed from stores remain in the libraries of those who already purchased them, so your ability to redownload is likely unaffected. However, new purchases are no longer possible.

Where can you play Celeste now?

The game is still available on other platforms. If you haven't picked it up yet, here are your options:

• PC: Available on Steam.
• Nintendo Switch: Available on the eShop.
• PlayStation: Available on PlayStation Store.

To buy it on PC, you can use a Steam Wallet Code. For Switch, a Nintendo eShop Gift Card. For PlayStation, a PlayStation Store Gift Card. You can check current prices on lotkeys.

Meanwhile, Thorson's new game City of None was announced at Indie World a day before this news. It will launch on Switch 2 and Switch in 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Celeste removed from Xbox?

Developer Maddy Thorson stated the decision was made to support the BDS boycott.

If I already own Celeste on Xbox, can I still play it?

The studio hasn't clarified, but typically removed games remain in the libraries of existing owners.

Where else is Celeste available?

It's still on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.