In mid-September, all existing Xbox Live Gold members will see their subscriptions automatically become Game Pass Core. The price will stay at $9.99/month, $59.99/year. Here’s part of what the folks at Xbox had to say about the upcoming change:
For over twenty years, Xbox players have been connecting via Xbox Live to compete, cooperate, and experience the world’s biggest online multiplayer games. In 2017, we introduced Xbox Game Pass which provided a curated library of games. Game Pass Core brings online play together with Game Pass in a new offering for gamers around the world.
So what changes? Games with Gold will come to an end on September 1. That means there are no new monthly games as part of the base multiplayer subscription service. In its place, Xbox will launch Game Pass Core with a collection of more than 25 games currently the mainline Game Pass service.
While regular Game Pass will still see the monthly drops for new games, Game Pass Core will get new titles added two or three times a year, according to Xbox.
Here’s a list of games that will be on the Game Pass Core on September 14:
- Among Us
- Descenders
- Dishonored 2
- Doom Eternal
- Fable Anniversary
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Forza Horizon 4
- Gears 5
- Grounded
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo Wars 2
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Human Fall Flat
- Inside
- Ori & The Will of the Wisps
- Psychonauts 2
- State of Decay 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
Xbox does note this library “may vary over time and by country.”
Also, any game previously redeemed through Games with Gold will be accessible as long as you have an active Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate subscription. And you’ll still have any Xbox 360 title redeemed via Games with Gold in your library, whether you are an active subscriber or not.
Don’t expect any day-one titles on this service. Think Starfield or the newest Forza Motorsport. This service will probably leverage the growing catalog of older games Microsoft owns now after acquiring Zenimax (Bethesda) and its upcoming acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
It’s interesting that all the old Call of Duty games recently saw their matchmaking issues fixed on Xbox. All those old Call of Duty games would be an easy way to expand Game Pass Core’s library.