Xbox Game Pass Core will replace the gold membership service

Currently, Xbox operates two subscription service systems: Xbox Live Gold, colloquially known as the Gold Membership Service, which grants players online multiplayer rights, two free games per month, and discounts on selected games. The other system, Xbox Game Pass, offers an extensive assortment of games to subscribers, segmented into Console, PC, and Ultimate versions. According to multiple media sources, Microsoft will soon amalgamate Xbox Live Gold into Xbox Game Pass, rebranding Xbox Live Gold as Xbox Game Pass Core.

The cost for Xbox Game Pass Core will be consistent with Xbox Live Gold, pricing at $9.99 per month or $59.99 annually. In terms of membership benefits, the Core version will still provide online multiplayer services and game purchase discounts, but the monthly free games will be replaced by the Game Pass game library. As the leaked screenshots depict, the Core plan’s game library will boast over 25 games, including titles like “Among Us,” “Doom Eternal,” “Fallout 76,” and “Halo 5”. Microsoft has conveyed that they plan to expand this collection over the coming months. For comparison, the Ultimate plan’s game library encompasses over 300 games.

Existing Xbox Live Gold members will automatically convert to Xbox Game Pass Core members on September 1, 2023. Also, the provision of free monthly games will cease on this date, but any games previously received through the monthly offer will remain in the users’ accounts.

While this merger may resemble the tiered membership structure of Sony’s PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass does have distinct features. For example, the $10.99 Console version grants access to hundreds of games but lacks online multiplayer services; the $9.99 Core version offers online multiplayer services but permits access to significantly fewer games. If one desires both services, the only option is the $16.99 Ultimate version.