Xbox Live Gold is finally dead! And Xbox Game Pass Core has risen in its place, with the new service now available.
Xbox Game Pass Core is the entry tier in Microsoft's restructured monthly subscription lineup and will be essential for those who want to play games against others online on an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or Xbox One.
It also gives subscribers discounts on games available in the Xbox Store. And, like the all-encompassing Xbox Game Pass Console and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, gives members access to a library of games to download and enjoy.
However, the library for Core members is greatly truncated in comparison. There are 36 games available to Xbox Game Pass Core members – in comparison with the more than 400 available on other Game Pass plans. There's no access to Xbox Cloud Gaming neither.
Also, unlike Games with Gold that offered two to four games each month to Xbox Live Gold members, the downloadable games list for Core members is fixed. It'll only be refreshed two to three times a year.
Still, there are plenty of great games available at launch, including Fallout 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and Gears 5. You can see the full list below.
Pricing for Xbox Game Pass Core is $9.99 per month for the US, £6.99 per month for the UK. That's the same as the Xbox Live Gold service it replaces.
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A full Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will set you back $16.99 / £12.99 per month, if you would rather more games and access to cloud gaming.
Current Xbox Live Gold members don't need to do anything, their accounts have automatically be switched to Game Pass Core going forward.
The Xbox Game Pass Core games list
Here are the 36 games available to Xbox Game Pass Core members at launch:
- Among Us
- Astroneer
- Celeste
- Dead Cells
- Descenders
- Dishonored 2
- DOOM Eternal Standard Edition
- Fable Anniversary
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Firewatch
- Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
- Gang Beasts
- Gears 5 Game of the Year Edition
- Golf with your Friends
- Grounded
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo Wars 2
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Human Fall Flat
- INSIDE
- LIMBO
- Ori & the Will of the Wisps
- Overcooked! 2
- Payday 2: Crimewave Edition
- Powerwash Simulator
- Psychonauts 2
- Slay the Spire
- Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
- Stardew Valley
- State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
- Superliminal
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
- Unpacking
- Vampire Survivors
Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.
Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.
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