Xbox Game Pass gets new cheap tier, replacing Xbox Live Gold
Xbox Game Pass Core is Microsoft's latest iteration of Xbox Live Gold / Games With Gold, as Xbox continues to frontline XGP as a major feature.
It's the end of an era. Per a press release shared with VG247, Xbox has confirmed that the rumours you've heard over the weekend are true: Xbox Game Pass Core is going to replace Xbox Live Gold.
Well, that's not the wording that Xbox used, of course. The folks over at Microsoft are more keen to sell this as a growth – a positive change for the service that's more in-line with its new Game Pass-centric business model.
"Xbox Game Pass Core is an evolution of Xbox Live Gold and will bring online play together with Game Pass, and a select collection of over 25 games in a new offering for gamers around the world," says a press release from Xbox UK.
This cheap(er) version of Game Pass will set you back either £6.99 GBP per month or £49.99 GBP per year, and will come with some of the key Xbox titles included in the service. The changeover will kick off on September 14.
This means, even without subbing up to the more expensive tier of Game Pass, you will be able to play Gears 5, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Grounded, Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, and more as part of your membership.
Instead of getting new games per month (like you did with Xbox Live Gold), you'll instead get new titles in big content drops that "will be added 2-3 times a year".
So, need a quick recap of all these changes? Here's the key info:
- At launch, all Xbox Live Gold members will automatically become Game Pass Core members
- Games with Gold will come to an end on September 14, when Gmae Pass Core kicks in
- You will still be able to access any Xbox One games you have redeemed through Games with Gold, but only if you remain a Game Pass Ultimate or Game Pass Core member (this is how it's always worked)
- Regardless of subscription status, any Xbox 360 titles redeemed via Games with Gold in the past will be kept in a your library
