diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/74625-fix-ansible_play_batch-between-plays.yml b/changelogs/fragments/74625-fix-ansible_play_batch-between-plays.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..845bca7117d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/74625-fix-ansible_play_batch-between-plays.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - Save unreachable hosts between plays by adding them to the PlayIterator's _play._removed_hosts (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/66945).
diff --git a/lib/ansible/executor/task_queue_manager.py b/lib/ansible/executor/task_queue_manager.py
index 5647e4e6da5..eaa262d87ae 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/executor/task_queue_manager.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/executor/task_queue_manager.py
@@ -301,6 +301,8 @@ class TaskQueueManager:
         for host_name in self._failed_hosts.keys():
             host = self._inventory.get_host(host_name)
             iterator.mark_host_failed(host)
+        for host_name in self._unreachable_hosts.keys():
+            iterator._play._removed_hosts.append(host_name)
 
         self.clear_failed_hosts()
 
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/aliases b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/aliases
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..70a7b7a9f32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/aliases
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+shippable/posix/group5
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/inventory b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/inventory
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8d69e574eb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/inventory
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+successful ansible_connection=local ansible_host=127.0.0.1 ansible_python_interpreter="{{ ansible_playbook_python }}"
+failed ansible_connection=local ansible_host=127.0.0.1 ansible_python_interpreter="{{ ansible_playbook_python }}"
+unreachable ansible_connection=ssh ansible_host=127.0.0.1 ansible_port=1011  # IANA Reserved port
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/playbook.yml b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/playbook.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e3d9e435419
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/playbook.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+---
+- hosts: all
+  gather_facts: no
+  tasks:
+    - name: test magic vars for hosts without any failed/unreachable (no serial)
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - ansible_play_batch | length == 3
+          - ansible_play_hosts | length == 3
+          - ansible_play_hosts_all | length == 3
+      run_once: True
+
+    - ping:
+      failed_when: "inventory_hostname == 'failed'"
+
+    - meta: clear_host_errors
+
+- hosts: all
+  gather_facts: no
+  tasks:
+    - name: test host errors were cleared
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - ansible_play_batch | length == 3
+          - ansible_play_hosts | length == 3
+          - ansible_play_hosts_all | length == 3
+      run_once: True
+
+    - ping:
+      failed_when: "inventory_hostname == 'failed'"
+
+    - name: test magic vars exclude failed/unreachable hosts
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - ansible_play_batch | length == 1
+          - ansible_play_hosts | length == 1
+          - "ansible_play_batch == ['successful']"
+          - "ansible_play_hosts == ['successful']"
+          - ansible_play_hosts_all | length == 3
+      run_once: True
+
+- hosts: all
+  gather_facts: no
+  tasks:
+    - name: test failed/unreachable persists between plays
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - ansible_play_batch | length == 1
+          - ansible_play_hosts | length == 1
+          - "ansible_play_batch == ['successful']"
+          - "ansible_play_hosts == ['successful']"
+          - ansible_play_hosts_all | length == 3
+      run_once: True
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/runme.sh b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/runme.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..81c1d9be651
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/special_vars_hosts/runme.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -eux
+
+ansible-playbook -i ./inventory playbook.yml "$@" | tee out.txt
+grep 'unreachable=2' out.txt
+grep 'failed=2' out.txt