RIP Games with Gold, But Is Xbox Game Pass Core the Right Direction?

It’s felt like it’s been a long time coming, but Xbox have finally pulled the Lenny trigger and sent the Games With Gold program out to green pastures. This reshuffling comes as Xbox have announced that they’re completely rebranding the Xbox Live Gold membership program as Xbox Game Pass Core. Those who are subscribed to Gold will be moved across to Core in September, and will enjoy the same benefits as before, along with a selection of over 20 games that are free with the subscription. This library will slowly grow over time with 2-3 games a year too, adding more value for money for gamers without forcing them to log on every two weeks to claim their monthly games.

Despite the lack of change though, Microsoft will be terminating the Games With Gold program at the same time, meaning the end of a service that’s been around for about a decade at this point. Xbox Live Gold players have been able to claim free monthly games as part of their subscription for years now, so to see it go in just two months time does feel like an end of an era, though at least you’ll be able to keep any games you’ve claimed.

While it’s sad to see the service go, it can’t be denied that this has been a long time coming. We even made the case that Xbox should have mercy killed the program back in 2021, and in the two and a half years since, Xbox didn’t do much to convince people that Games With Gold was a program worth investing in. Games With Gold both regularly failed to compete with PlayStation Plus’ much stronger offerings, and was routinely overshadowed by the additions Xbox Game Pass was receiving.

Killing off Games With Gold, turning Xbox Live Gold into Xbox Game Pass Core and giving players a permanent selection of games to play is undoubtedly the right move, especially considering that PlayStation recently killed off the PlayStation Plus Collection. Previously, PS5 owners with PS Plus were given access to a select library of 20 games called the PS Plus Collection, but for some reason, Sony removed that benefit earlier this year. Xbox’s offerings might not have the same drawing power as an “Uncharted 4,” perhaps, but it’s a good win for Xbox in terms of value for money.

Unfortunately, Xbox have maybe shoved themselves into a branding quagmire by renaming Xbox Live Gold as Xbox Game Pass Core, as this cheaper version of Xbox Game Pass still includes online multiplayer as standard. Meanwhile, the regular version of Xbox Game Pass does not include online multiplayer, but costs a dollar more and includes the massive library of hundreds of games.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that this is a tactical decision from Microsoft to shove as many players as possible into paying more for the Ultimate subscription, which includes online play and all Game Pass games, plus some additional benefits, but what’ll be interesting to see is if that’ll actually pay off for Xbox. Some might value playing online more than just playing random Game Pass games and downgrade instead.

In truth, Xbox might be better off splitting the difference by adding online multiplayer to the standard version of Xbox Game Pass, as at least then, it’ll give players the choice they deserve on how they want to spend their money. Xbox Game Pass Core might have some positives by finally killing off a monthly source of bad PR for the big green brand in Games With Gold, but the new name for Xbox Live Gold might lead to a lot of confusion for some people.

Despite the circumstances surrounding its death, and its less than stellar legacy, Games With Gold felt like a permanent fixture within the Xbox exosystem, so to not have it anymore is going to be sad for quite a few people. They might not have all been winners, but any service that has given players Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for free should be commended.

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