Summary
- Xbox Game Pass Core is set to replace Xbox Live Gold, offering access to multiplayer features and a library of 25 Game Pass games.
- Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Core will no longer receive monthly free games, but will instead have new titles added to their library 2-3 times a year.
- Xbox Insiders in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead rings will have the opportunity to preview Xbox Game Pass Core, test the changes, and provide feedback before the full transition on September 14.
Some Xbox users will soon be able to try an exclusive first look at a new tier of Xbox Game Pass. It's not Xbox Game Pass Platinum or any sort of prestige tier of Xbox Game Pass, but it is a very big step forward for Xbox overall. It's called Xbox Game Pass Core, and it's going to be replacing Xbox's long-running Xbox Live Gold subscription in the relatively near future. It'll soon be available for Xbox Insiders to try out.
Xbox Game Pass Core was announced in mid-June as an "evolution" of Xbox Live Gold. The new subscription will retain the core benefit that Xbox Live Gold provided, access to Xbox's multiplayer features, but will replace its monthly free games with something new. Subscribers will instead be given access to a library of 25 Game Pass games, with new titles added 2-3 times a year. Xbox Live Gold is scheduled to automatically transform into Xbox Game Pass Core on September 14, with no changes to pricing.
Before Xbox Game Pass Core fully launches, Microsoft is going to do a test run via its first-look Xbox Insiders program. The Xbox Game Pass Core preview will offer a limited version of the subscription's library of games. For the duration of the preview, subscribers will still have access to the ongoing Games With Gold benefit, too. The two versions of the subscription will coexist, as Xbox prepares for the full transition.
The main benefit of trying out the Xbox Game Pass Core preview is, of course, the games that will be available. The limited selection of Xbox Game Pass Core games that will be unlocked includes just four titles so far. Subscribers will be able to play Psychonauts 2, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, State of Decay 2, and Doom Eternal. It isn't clear yet if more games will be offered or added, but the full library will only be made available on September 14.
It's important to recognize that the intent of this preview is for Xbox Insiders to test the changes coming with Xbox Game Pass Core. The benefits are nice, too, but ultimately Xbox Insiders are being tasked with making sure the changes run smoothly and providing feedback otherwise. Xbox Live Gold subscribers in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead ring will also have access to the preview.
For the most part, the Xbox Game Pass Core changes are about branding. Xbox Game Pass is both popular and growing, as the Xbox team makes it a core priority for its platform's future. Xbox Live, on the other hand, is a brand that's no longer a focus. The benefits of the new tier of Game Pass will be nice, even though losing Games with Gold is a disappointing loss. Xbox will hopefully make the Xbox Game Pass Core library much better value in the long run.