Microsoft Rolls Out Beta Preview of New Xbox Live Gold Replacement Service

Game Pass Core boasts a library of 25 titles

By
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk
News Reporter
  • Florida State University
Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more.
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Published on August 2, 2023 12:24PM EDT
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Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Fact checked by Jerri Ledford
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Microsoft News

Xbox Gold Live is going away, but the subscription that replaces it will have 25 titles in the library which will update two to three times a year.

Microsoft is starting to officially preview its replacement for Xbox Live Gold subscription service, Xbox Game Pass Core. 

Early builds are shipping out to select Xbox Live Gold members who have previously enrolled as testers via the Alpha, and Alpha Skip-Ahead rings. This new program changes up Xbox Live Gold in a few key ways, with a curated collection of around 25 games and discounts on purchases. You still get global online multiplayer, so the basic changes are the aforementioned discounts and a revamped catalog of available titles. Also, new games won’t be added monthly but rather two or three times per year. 

The Xbox Game Pass Core graphic.
Xbox Game Pass Core.

Microsoft

Testers will have access to several titles, including Psychonauts 2, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, State of Decay 2, and Doom Eternal. The full library becomes available with the official September 14 release and includes the aforementioned games and many more, such as Among Us and Fallout 4. 

The library of available games is diminished compared to more robust Game Pass subscriptions, but Game Pass Core is a budget-friendly option that costs $10 per month or $60 annually. Also, Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions received a price hike in July from $15 per month to $17. 

It seems as though testers are being tasked to look for any incongruencies in the UI, specifically where it still says Xbox Live Gold instead of Game Pass Core. If you’re enrolled in an Xbox testing program, check your messages for an invite. Otherwise, the service officially launches next month. The timing couldn’t be better, as Microsoft ends its Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan on August 15. 

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