$10 Per Month Or $60 Per Year
Xbox Live Gold is the online subscription service that started in 2002 for the original Xbox, and it allowed players to play multiplayer games online with voice chat. Since then it has offered more benefits such as special discounts and four free games monthly. A subscription for Xbox Live Gold costs $10 per month .
Adding to the nomenclature confusion: The online network has heretofore been known as Xbox Live, but will soon be changing its name to “Xbox network.” But it appears that Xbox Live Gold isn’t going anywhere.
For now, you need Xbox Live Gold to play any online multiplayer games. But recently, it appears Microsoft might change the rules to allow Xbox gamers to play free-to-play games online such as Fortnite and Apex Legends.
But here’s the important takeaway: Xbox Game Pass includes Xbox Live Gold, and adds access to dozens of games, too. Anyone interested in Gold should check out Game Pass first.
So What Is Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is a library of over 100 games that are free to play with a current Game Pass subscription. Your Xbox Live Gold subscription will not include access to Game Pass. Nor will a Game Pass PC or Game Pass console include Xbox Live Gold. However, you do not need to purchase access to both services, as Xbox Live Gold is included in an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, for less than the combined cost of both services. Read our guide to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate if you need to know more.
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How Does Games With Gold Work
Every month, Microsoft offers several free games through its Games With Gold service. While these games are availablefor the entire month or just for two weeks, depending on the gameyou can choose to redeem them via the website or on your Xbox console. You can then downloadand keepthe game for free.
If you dont redeem the game during its free time period, you dont get it for free. This means you wont get any of the previous Games With Gold for free when you subscribe. It also means that, if you dont stay on top of the free game offers, youll miss some games and wont get them for free. However, people who have been members for a long time may have libraries full of hundreds of games they got for free, if theyre diligent.
On an Xbox One, once youve redeemed a free game, you can download and play it whenever you like, foreveras long as you have an active subscription. If your subscription lapses, you wont be able to play the game anymore. If you restart your subscription, youll regain access to all the games you previously redeemed.
On an Xbox 360, once youre redeemed a free game, its yours to play forevereven if your subscription lapses.
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So Do You Need Xbox Live Gold
Ultimately, no, you don’t need Xbox Live Gold. You can still play your games offline, without access to the internet. However, if you want to compete and play with or against other gamers, you’ll probably want to sign up.
If you have a busy schedule and rarely pick up your Xbox One controller, there’s no need for the extra expense. For those who download a lot of games and love the thrill of multiplayer online gaming, Xbox Live Gold is a great thing to have.
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Is Gta 5 Becoming Free
GTA 5 has only been made free once in its history when it was released on the Epic Games Store last year. Grand Theft Auto V will release in the second half of 2021 on the PS5 with a new enhanced and expanded makeover. Additionally, a standalone GTA Online version will be available for free on the PS5 exclusively.
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Warzone September 10 Update Patch Notes: Zombie Camo Fix More
Raven Software rolled out a new update for Call of Duty: Warzone on September 10, and we have the patch notes covered for you.
is officially underway, and it has brought plenty of new things for players to experience.
This new Warzone Season 5 Reloaded content consists of new weapon buffs and nerfs, a Judge Dredd skin, the addition of Black Ops Cold War Zombies camos, and more.
However, this has not stopped Raven Software from working to fix issues in the Call of Duty battle royale, which was the focus of the Warzone September 10 update patch notes, and we have everything they consist of covered for you below.
Is Xbox Live Gold Different From Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Live Gold gives you access to multiplayer modes in games on Xbox One and Xbox 360, while Xbox Game Pass gives you access to a large library of games to play on PC.
Xbox Live Gold is mandatory if you want to play any multiplayer mode on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Xbox Live Gold costs 9.99$ per month, while Xbox Game Pass costs start from 4.99$ per month.
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Do You Need Xbox Live To Play Battlefield 2042
Yes, you need Xbox Live to play Battlefield 2042 online on both Xbox One and Series X|S. Youll have to sign up for Microsofts subscription service to enjoy this multiplayer title.
You can get either Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to play the game. Xbox Live Gold costs $59.99 for a year-long subscription, so its worth springing for that so that you can enjoy this online multiplayer title.
Most Recent Swiss K31 Buffs And Nerfs
The Season 5 Reloaded update brought a wave of weapon changes for various items with the Swiss K31 Black Ops Cold War Sniper Rifle being one of them.
You can check out the latest changes for the Swiss K31 and Raven Softwares reasoning for the change below:
- Recoil adjusted
We have improved the firing Recoil behavior for the Swiss K31 . We expect this change to go largely unnoticed as it does not have a measurable impact on the Weapons effectiveness but should improve its overall feel.
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You Need Xbox Live Gold For Multiplayer Gaming
If you want to play online multiplayer on your Xbox One or Xbox 360, you will need Xbox Live Gold. Your subscription also enables access to the party system and voice chat. If you try to use the online mutiplayer features within games without Xbox Live Gold, youll be stopped in your tracks and told you need Xbox Live Gold to continue.
This service isnt necessary for playing single-player games, and it isnt required when playing multiplayer games offline. For example, you dont need to pay anything to play a split-screen game with two people in the same room on the same console.
Xbox Live Gold also isnt required if you want to watch Netflix and Hulu, or use other media-streaming apps. For example, In the Xbox 360 daysand even when the Xbox One launchedyou needed to pay both the Netflix subscription fee and the Xbox Live Gold subscription fee just to watch Netflix on your Xbox One, but Microsoft changed this. Xbox Live Gold is now only useful to gamers.
Does Sea Of Thieves Require Xbox Live
Knowing whether or not Sea of Thieves requires Xbox Live to play could be the deciding factor in making a purchase.
Its not unusual for a game on Xbox One to require an Xbox Live subscription, but Sea of Thieves is also on Windows 10 PC. This begs the questions: does Sea of Thieves require Xbox Live? Unfortunately, its not a simple yes-no answer.
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Can I Really Play Xbox Games On Phones And Tablets
Yes, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members currently have access to the beta version of Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which lets them play cloud-based Xbox games on Android devices. The games are streamed in real-time to the devices via an app. And starting April 20, some Ultimate members will be invited to begin testing a limited beta of Cloud Gaming on Windows 10 PCs, iPhones and iPads, streamed via web browsers.
Do I Need To Install The Games To Claim Them
No. All you need to do is claim the game and itll be there until you decide to install and play it. You can install it if you like to have all of your games readily available at a moments notice though.
This would save you time after all, as you wouldnt have to wait for the install down the road when you decide to play something new. So its at least worth considering installing games right when you claim them even if you dont plan to play those games right then and there.
Again though, if you dont install them right away you wont lose them. As long as you claim they will be in your library for good.
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Should I Get Xbox Live Gold Or Xbox Game Pass
This depends on your gaming habits. Xbox Live Gold’s biggest selling point is not the free games, but it’s being able to play online. Are you someone who is going to play a few games online and only those games on a regular basis? Then you’ll want Xbox Live Gold.
On the other hand, if you want what is the equivalent to “Netflix for video games,” then Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is an easy choice. You have more than 100 games to choose from, and you’ll be able to play them from multiple devices. Tack on Xbox Live Gold, and you get a tremendous value for $15 a month. Put another way, you get to play dozens of games per year for the price of just three new console games purchased at retail .
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Do Pc Players Need Xbox Live Gold At All
Xbox Live Gold is a subscription service for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users. So, PC players do not need an Xbox Live Gold subscription at all.
Only if you are an Xbox One and Xbox 360 player and want to access any multiplayer mode, only then is the Xbox Live Gold subscription required.
Thus, PC players can relax as they need no extra subscriptions to get into multiplayer modes. Go PCMasterRace!
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Yes If You Care About Xbox Games With Gold
According to Microsoft’s official page for Xbox Live Gold, paid online games such as Borderlands 3, Mortal Kombat 11, and more still requires an active subscription to Xbox Live Gold for online multiplayer. For players who are fond of paid online games, an Xbox Live Gold subscription is still a requirement. Additionally, the Xbox Live Gold service is still essential for those who anticipate its monthly free games, especially now that Microsoft is upping its game for its roster of Games with Gold. After the company announced the list of free games for February, some players were surprised with Microsoft’s selection of games, especially since it includes heavy hitters such as Gears 5 and Resident Evil. The former is the Xbox Series X optimized version of the game.
Although it is too early to tell whether Microsoft will remain consistent with offering quality games for Xbox Live Gold, it is apparent that February’s roster is off to a great start. It also appears that Microsoft will start offering Xbox Series X games to the roster, similar to Sony’s PS Plus, which began adding PS5 games to the service. Overall, it appears that Microsoft is committed to ensuring that Xbox players remain subscribed to Xbox Live Gold by increasing the overall value of the service by offering high quality monthly free games.
Xbox Live Gold: What You’ll Like In 2021
Xbox Live Gold comes with various benefits for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S owners, foremost delivering the best of Microsoft’s online services. It enables access to the whole multiplayer experience across the Xbox network, coupled with exclusive subscriber benefits. Xbox Live Gold’s offerings have evolved with time but it remains an essential membership for Xbox consoles.
The subscription unlocks access to staple Xbox features, and multiplayer is the defining component that justifies that price tag. From competitive multiplayer shooters to cooperative adventures, Xbox Live Gold is vital to playing console games online with friends. The subscription grants access across thousands of Xbox experiences, drawing the best value from purchased titles. Some may criticize the move, with free multiplayer gaming the norm on PC, but it’s the reality of gaming on modern Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Xbox Live Gold’s offerings have evolved with time but it remains an essential membership for gaming
Recent changes to Xbox Live Gold impact free-to-play games, which only apply to a subset of the Xbox Live userbase. Only those cycling through the small free library will benefit from the policy, whereas top franchises from Call of Duty to FIFA still require a paid membership. Unless exclusively playing free titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends, you’ll need to lean on the paid subscription or limit the titles you play.
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Do You Need Xbox Live Gold To Play Warzone
Luckily, on April 21, 2021, Microsoft announced that they would no longer require Xbox Live Gold to play free-to-play games, including Call of Duty: Warzone, effective immediately.
While this wasnt always the case, with the company previously requiring Xbox Live Gold for all games, regardless of their cost, they committed to removing this requirement for free games back in January 2021 within a couple of months. Now, that time has finally come.
Free-to-play now means free-to-play.
Starting now, all Xbox players can access these free-to-play games with or without an Xbox Live Gold subscription:
Xbox
Of course, Xbox Live will still be required for paid games and so you shouldnt just drop your membership all together. Still, its nice to know that you dont have to pay $60 a year anymore to play a free game.
Should anymore updates come out regarding this subject, well be sure to update this article accordingly.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Everything You Need To Know
Announced back in 2019, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate program is Microsoft’s latest evolution of its popular service. One of the big requests from subscribers was a single program to combine subscriptions for Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold, and that’s exactly what you get with Game Pass Ultimate.
Oh. and it comes with a little sprinkling of something for PC and mobile gamers bundled in for good measure. Here’s everything you need to know about Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
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Do You Need Xbox Live Gold To Play ‘fortnite’ On Xbox Consoles
Fortnite is a free-to-play game, relying heavily on an internet connection to play with other players. Most consoles require players to purchase an online membership before you can access a title’s online multiplayer features and for a long time, that was the case for Fortnite as well, despite free-to-play games being available for no additional cost on other consoles.
Luckily, this is no longer the case, meaning you don’t need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play with your friends online. As a free-to-play game, all you need is to download the most recent version onto your Xbox Series S/X or Xbox One console and ensure you have a reliable internet connection .
This didn’t used to be the case for Xbox players up until April 2021, all Xbox profiles needed an active Xbox Live Gold membership to play any and all free-to-play games. The subscription cost $10 a month, or $60 for a year, but this still created a barrier for some players.
Where Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Available
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available in all current Xbox Game Pass markets:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.
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Keep An Eye Out For Free Trials
If youre still on the fence, Microsoft sometimes offers free trials of Xbox Live Gold with new consoles and some games. You may see a Try Gold For Free promotion for some free Xbox Live Gold time on your console, or you may have received a prepaid code you can redeem for trail time bundled with a game or console. However, theres no simple way to get a trial if your console doesnt offer one to you and you dont have a prepaid code. Youll need to sign up for the paid subscription instead.
When purchased from Microsoft, Xbox Live Gold costs $10 per month, $25 per three months , or $60 per year . If you plan on sticking with it for the long haul, the yearly subscription is the best dealalthough you cant cancel it and get your money back during the year youve paid for. Thats the catch.
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Overall, Xbox Live Gold certainly seems like a more valuable service than Microsofts separate Xbox Game Pass subscription, which costs $10 per month. It offers no discount for buying more time, still requires a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription to play games offline, and offers access to a library of games that includes many games that were previously offered for free via Games for Gold in the past.