At one point, one of the main benefits of Xbox Live Gold was being able to get free games every month. Originally, Xbox Live Gold subscribers could look forward to two free Xbox 360 games each month, with the pool expanding to two Xbox 360 games and two Xbox One games when that console launched in 2013. Microsoft has continued to supply Xbox Live Gold subscribers with at least four free games every month, but for February, it has expanded the offering to include a fifth game as well, one representing the Xbox Series X.
However, the Xbox free Games with Gold lineup for February 2021 shines a harsh spotlight on the service and serves as further evidence that it's not really relevant anymore. The free Xbox Series X game for the February Games with Gold lineup is the critically-acclaimed Gears 5, a major Xbox console exclusive that, years ago, would've been a major "get" for the Games with Gold program. But Xbox Game Pass renders it completely irrelevant.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is one of the best deals in gaming right now, giving players access to not only all of the Xbox Live Gold benefits, but well over 100 games as well. Not only that, but all of the major first-party Xbox games will be debuting on Game Pass day one, meaning fans don't have to wait months or years for those titles to be made a part of the Xbox free Games with Gold program.
As it stands, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $15 per month, whereas Xbox Live Gold costs $10 per month. While players could buy annual subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold for a big discount, the value represented by Xbox Game Pass Ultimate simply blows it out of the water. And now that free-to-play games don't need Xbox Live Gold anymore either, there is hardly any reason for anyone to be signed up for Xbox Live Gold and not Game Pass Ultimate.
The only reason Xbox Live Gold is clinging on is that it is required to play paid multiplayer games online. So, Xbox games who are really only interested in playing one game, like Call of Duty, for instance, may be subscribed to it because they don't really need Game Pass Ultimate, and so it wouldn't make sense for them to pay extra. However, previous rumors have indicated that Microsoft may be looking into making Xbox Live Gold multiplayer free anyway, though, so perhaps those individuals wouldn't be impacted if the service were to be phased out in favor of Game Pass Ultimate.
Recently, Microsoft flirted with increasing the Xbox Live Gold price, and that decision was swiftly met with intense backlash from fans. In fact, the criticism was so loud that Microsoft almost immediately backtracked on its plans to raise the price of Xbox Live Gold, deciding to revert back to its previous pricing model and issuing a n apology for causing Xbox gamers any unnecessary anxiety. It's clear that many gamers aren't seeing the value in Xbox Live Gold anymore, and so maybe Microsoft should move on and focus its efforts purely on Game Pass Ultimate.