It appears that Xbox Live Gold is being phased out…sort of. Microsoft has announced that its long-running Xbox Live Gold service will become Xbox Game Pass Core starting September 14. This will mark a major rebranding that will come with some new perks.
Described as “the evolution of Xbox Live Gold,” Game Pass core will be available for $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year. What will this new Game Pass tier offer? See below.
- Online multiplayer
- 25 games from the Game Pass library
- Member deals and discounts
The 25 games in question include first-party titles from Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda, such as Gears 5, Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited and more.
Welcome to Xbox Game Pass Core and the evolution of Xbox Live Gold, starting September 14. Learn more here: https://t.co/V6Mf8B7qtU
— Xbox Wire (@XboxWire) July 17, 2023
The post says that the Xbox Game Pass Core library will be updated “2-3 times a year.” Also, it seems that the Games with Gold program will be a thing of the past when the change takes effect.
Interestingly, while Core retains the online multiplayer access, the console and PC versions of Game Pass lack that feature, so it looks like gamers would need both Core and either console or PC Game Pass to take full advantage of both multiplayer and day one Game Pass titles. This would amount to a cost of about $20 per month, making the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier the more attractive option at $16.99 a month.
Featrued image via Xbox Wire.
