Xbox has always been at the forefront of user-friendly services within its platforms, as the features through the years that focus on making gaming life easier, cheaper, and better for Xbox gamers are seemingly endless. Backward compatibility on the Xbox One and being able to play games as far back as original Xbox titles is a great way to ensure fans game enjoy the classics. Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that allows tons of Xbox games to be playable, including all 1st party content on day one, with the list going on forever as so much of Xbox's brand has been about goodwill towards the players by way of great services and features.
One of the all-time most loved features of the Xbox has been Xbox Games with Gold. Users who have Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, which allow the player to compete online in games that feature multiplayer, will also get multiple free games per month. For example, the month of July had free games for the Xbox including WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship for Xbox One and Saints Row 2 for Xbox 360.
These free games have added value to the Xbox platform for years, even when they didn't quite meet expectation. Many fans eagerly await the news of the next slate of free games, as wish lists for next month's Xbox Games with Gold are put together. But as much as the service has been wonderful over the years, the time may finally be here to put Xbox Games with Gold to rest.
Xbox Game Pass is the New Games with Gold
One of the main reasons why Games with Gold may be retired is the success of Xbox Game Pass: the service is simply a remarkable value. Players can be subscribed to Game Pass and instantly have access to hundreds of games, including all first-party software, with Microsoft recently revealing that 10 million players are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. That is a great number, and it is likely that more players will jump into the service with next-gen and whenever a huge game is launched like Halo Infinite.
If one was to simply play the numbers game, it is obvious that two to four free limitedly available Xbox games per month is a lesser value than hundreds of free games that can be downloaded and played at any time. Games with Gold has been surpassed by a more enticing product, and thanks to the fact that all first-party titles are free with the service, the idea that tons of 3rd party games are available, and events like the Xbox Games Showcase highlighting the service, it's clear that the future of the Xbox is Xbox Game Pass.
The Signs that Point to Games with Gold being Sunset
Recently, head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed that Xbox Game Pass would be automatically a part of Project xCloud, the streaming service of Xbox with the next generation. This means that not only will hundreds of games be available to download, but those same games potentially will be available to stream from phones, TVs, and more.
Xbox also recently confirmed that the 12-month subscription of Xbox Live is no longer available, and that will be the case moving forward. Many have taken this fact, coupled with a couple of insider notes, to indicate that multiplayer for Xbox Series X will be free. If Xbox Live Gold is no longer required to play online, then the requirement to have it to play Games with Gold becomes null and void. If anything, it seems the writing is on the wall for Games with Gold to retire, for multiplayer paywalls to be removed, and for Game Pass to take center stage now more than ever.
The success of Xbox Game Pass, along with 12-month subscriptions of Xbox Live Gold being no more, points to the idea that the value of the Games with Gold diminishes completely. It makes very little sense to offer a limited-time download for a couple of free games per month with Xbox Live Gold when those same users would have the ability to download and play hundreds of games with Xbox Game Pass.