Microsoft finally made the decision to move on from its monthly online-access subscription service Xbox Live Gold. On September 14, Xbox Live Gold will transform into Xbox Game Pass Core, with current Gold subscribers automatically gaining a Game Pass Core subscription.
An Xbox Live subscription tied to online play has existed in some form since Xbox Live launched in 2002, but Xbox Live Gold as we now know it truly came into form in July 2013 when Microsoft started the Games with Gold program that gave subscribers free games each month in addition to that online access. Although Microsoft rolled back some online restrictions in 2021, Games with Gold continues to this day. That will all end when Game Pass Core launches.
According to an Xbox Wire post announcing the service, Xbox Game Pass Core will cost $10 a month or $60 a year and will give players access to online play, exclusive member deals, and a library of “more than 25 titles.” So far, we know the following 19 games are part of the launch lineup for Game Pass Core.
- Among Us
- Descenders
- Dishonored 2
- Doom Eternal
- Fable Anniversary
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Forza Horizon 4
- Gears 5
- Grounded
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo Wars 2
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Human Fall Flat
- Inside
- Ori & The Will of the Wisps
- Psychonauts 2
- State of Decay 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
Microsoft says it will reveal more Game Pass Core games ahead of the service’s launch and that post-launch Game Pass Core will receive new games two or three times a year. Essentially, subscribers will now have access to a revolving library of Game Pass games instead of four unique Games with Gold titles each month. The Games with Gold program comes to an end on September 1.
Those with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions that go through the launch of Game Pass Core will automatically convert to the new service with no change in pricing. When it comes to previously redeemed games, Microsoft says that any Xbox 360 titles will permanently be part of a player’s library, while some form of Game Pass subscription is required to keep playing redeemed Xbox One games.
Xbox Game Pass Core launches on September 14.
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