Xbox Live Gold's merits don't just sit with multiplayer, with the service also stowing exclusive benefits for members. Source: Activision (Image credit: Source: Activision) Yes, Microsoft could easily offer those Xbox Live Gold benefits for free, but it's all part of the price of the closed Xbox ecosystem. The monthly Xbox Live Gold subscription all feeds into supporting the underlying Xbox service by contributing to servers, maintenance, and daily operations. Microsoft's Xbox network has proven consistently reliable in recent years, with sturdy connectivity, proven security, and generally infrequent outages. Unless exclusively playing free titles like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, you'll need to lean on the paid subscription or limit the titles you play. Only those cycling through the small free library will benefit from the policy, whereas top franchises from Call of Duty to FIFA still require a paid membership. Recent changes to Xbox Live Gold impact free-to-play games, which only apply to a subset of the Xbox Live userbase. Xbox Live Gold's offerings have evolved with time, but it remains an essential membership for gaming Some may criticize the move, with free multiplayer gaming the norm on PC, but it's the reality of gaming on modern Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The subscription grants access across thousands of Xbox experiences, drawing the best value from purchased titles. From competitive multiplayer shooters to cooperative adventures, Xbox Live Gold is vital to playing console games online with friends. The subscription unlocks access to staple Xbox features, and multiplayer is the defining component that justifies that price tag. Xbox Live Gold's offerings have evolved with time, but it remains an essential membership for Xbox consoles. It enables access to the whole multiplayer experience across the Xbox network, coupled with exclusive subscriber benefits. Xbox Live Gold comes with various benefits for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S owners, foremost delivering the best of Microsoft's online services. With more changes likely to come, it's worth reassessing whether Xbox Live Gold is for you and the alternative plans available in the Xbox ecosystem. The net result offers better value to all right now, but it's clear Microsoft is keen to shake up Xbox Live Gold, especially with the continued success of Xbox Game Pass. Those plans were later reversed in response to pushback, with Microsoft committing to current pricing while shaking up its free-to-play approach. Changes made in 2021 shadowed botched plans to increase Xbox Live Gold pricing, increasing monthly costs, and doubling annual pricing to $120 per year. It's worth adding that these changes came during a time of change for Xbox Live Gold, with further tweaks potentially ahead over the coming years. This review lays out some of the top perks enabled by Xbox Live Gold today and whether the price tag is worthwhile for you. It means that Xbox Live Gold isn't for everyone, and depending on your preferred games, it could be a waste of your money. Source: Matt Brown | Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Matt Brown | Windows Central)Ĭhanges to Xbox Live Gold undoubtedly changed the value of the subscription, bringing various features, once exclusive to paying customers, to all users. The LFG system also provides a platform to search for teammates and like-minded players across the Xbox network, filtering users by game and various social preferences. The former, Microsoft's staple voice chat system for Xbox, finally opened communication among all players. The platform also lifted the Xbox Live Gold requirement on Party Chat and Looking for Group (LFG) on Xbox consoles, two popular social features for multiplayer. While all paid Xbox games still require Xbox Live Gold, those with zero-cost entry are entirely free on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. You no longer need to pay the monthly fee on many popular titles, including Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, Halo Infinite, and Apex Legends, to name a few. Xbox consoles have required an Xbox Live Gold membership to access online multiplayer since their inception, but changes introduced last April dropped that mandate for free-to-play games. That chiefly includes dropping the Xbox Live Gold requirement on free-to-play multiplayer titles, plus opening multiple social features to all on Xbox. The drastic policy shift changed up a subscription that's gone untouched in years, opening previously paid features to any Xbox console owner. Microsoft rolled out sweeping changes to Xbox Live Gold back in 2021, shaking up the value proposition for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S owners. Source: Epic Games (Image credit: Source: Epic Games)
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