What you need to know
- Xbox Games with Gold is a feature for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, providing free monthly games that subscribers can redeem and keep, similar to Sony's PlayStation Plus.
- Over the last several years, Xbox 360 games have been a part of the service, alongside Xbox One titles and occasional original Xbox games.
- Microsoft shared that starting in October 2022, Xbox 360 games will no longer be part of Games with Gold.
Xbox Games with Gold is getting a fairly big change in the coming months, as Xbox 360 games will no longer be included in the monthly free games.
Microsoft shared on Tuesday via emails to Xbox Live Gold subscribers that starting in October 2022, Xbox 360 games will no longer be included in Games with Gold. The reason behind this change is that Microsoft has reached the limit of what games can be added to the service for players.
Starting in October, Xbox Games With Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 games (Microsoft has reached the limits to adding new X360 games to GWG). GWG will continue to offer Xbox One games. Any claimed Xbox 360 GWG titles can be redownloaded regardless of membership pic.twitter.com/WHuuVniqBnJuly 5, 2022
Xbox Games with Gold began in July 2013, bringing two free Xbox 360 games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to redeem and play at no extra cost, similar to one of the benefits in Sony's PlayStation Plus service. A year later, Xbox One games were also added into the service.
Microsoft has focused on providing backward compatible Xbox 360 games in its monthly offerings, occasionally including an original Xbox title from time to time. While these older titles will no longer be included in the near future, Microsoft has stated that players continue to be able to download any games they redeemed.
Due a difference in how the service was set up, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games redeemed through Games with Gold can continue to be played even when someone is no longer subscribed to Xbox Live Gold. Any redeemed Xbox One games, however, can only be played while someone is a subscriber.
Xbox Live Gold is currently available standalone or in a bundle with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which also included Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, EA Play, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
