Xbox Live Gold as a subscription ended on 13 September 2023. The next day it became Xbox Game Pass Core, and existing subscribers were moved over automatically, with no change in price. Today the same entry-level tier is called Xbox Game Pass Essential. So the subscription didn’t disappear, only the name did – and Games with Gold went with it, ending two weeks earlier.
What happened and when
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2023 | the Games with Gold program ended, meaning free games every month |
| 13 September 2023 | the last day the subscription was called Xbox Live Gold |
| 14 September 2023 | Gold turned into Xbox Game Pass Core: automatically, with no price change, and with a catalog of more than twenty-five games |
| today | the same tier is called Xbox Game Pass Essential |
The move to Core wasn’t an offer, it was a conversion. If you had an active Gold subscription, you didn’t have to do anything, and on top of the usual online multiplayer you got a game catalog that Gold never had. The price stayed the same.
What happened to the Games with Gold games
This is the only place where the old subscription still affects your library today, and the rules differ by console generation:
- Xbox One games claimed through Games with Gold stay playable as long as you’re a Game Pass member at the Core or Ultimate level. Once you cancel the subscription, they lock.
- Xbox 360 games claimed through Games with Gold stay in your library permanently, whether or not you keep a subscription.
So before you cancel, it’s worth going through your list of Xbox One era games. We describe the same “what do I keep if I quit” logic for the subscription library in the article what’s in Game Pass and how to keep track of it.
Do you still need a subscription to play online?
This is the most common confusion left over from the old brand. The answer comes in two parts.
Free-to-play games don’t need any subscription. That has been the case since 21 April 2021, when Microsoft unlocked online multiplayer for a library of more than fifty free titles. If you only play Fortnite, Apex Legends or another free game, you pay nothing to play online. The competition has the same rule, by the way, as the overview of PS Plus tiers shows.
For paid games on console, you still need a subscription. Microsoft lists “Online console multiplayer” in all three Game Pass tiers, meaning Essential, Premium and Ultimate. If you play a purchased game online, you still need a subscription – it just has a different name today.
What Essential includes today
Compared to the old Gold, the entry-level tier gained a game library, but it’s still the most basic option on offer. Microsoft lists more than fifty games for it, online console multiplayer, cloud gaming and perks for titles such as League of Legends or Call of Duty. Day-one releases aren’t included; those belong to Ultimate.
| Tier | Price per month | Library size |
|---|---|---|
| Essential (Gold’s successor) | CZK 239 | more than 50 games |
| Premium | CZK 329 | more than 200 games |
| Ultimate | CZK 499 | more than 400 games |
The prices are Czech retail prices in CZK including VAT, valid as of 11 September 2026. Both Essential and Premium have an introductory fourteen-day version for CZK 25.90, which then switches to the full monthly price on its own. What exactly separates the tiers is covered in the article Game Pass: tiers and what’s in them.
One change to cloud gaming is still on the way. On 3 September 2026 Microsoft announced that from November 2026 it will introduce a monthly cap on cloud gaming hours, five hours a month for Essential, and that you’ll be able to buy extra time in the Xbox Store. Until then, it describes the current state as unlimited. How to get into the cloud in the first place is shown in the guide Xbox Cloud Gaming: how to get started.
Who Essential is enough for and who it isn’t
- It’s enough if you mainly want to play online. If you already own your games and all you want from a subscription is online multiplayer, Essential is exactly what Gold used to be.
- It’s not enough if you want day-one releases. Those are in Ultimate, and Ultimate costs more than twice as much. Whether it’s worth it is covered in the article is Game Pass worth it?
- It makes no sense to buy a year in advance because of the name. Xbox subscription brands have changed repeatedly over the last few years, the tiers haven’t. Buy based on what’s in the tier, not what it’s called.
- Don’t buy a Gold code anymore. Prepaid codes are for today’s tiers, and how to redeem them is explained in the guide how to redeem a code on Xbox.
FAQ
Not as a subscription. On 14 September 2023 it became Xbox Game Pass Core, and existing subscribers were moved over automatically with no change in price. Today the same entry-level tier is called Xbox Game Pass Essential. The Xbox Live brand is no longer used for the Xbox subscription.
Not for free-to-play games; since 21 April 2021, online multiplayer in free games on Xbox works without a subscription. For games you bought on console, you still need a subscription – all three Game Pass tiers include online console multiplayer.
It depends on the generation. Xbox 360 games stay in your library permanently regardless of subscription. Xbox One games stay playable only while you’re a Game Pass member at the Core or Ultimate level, so they lock once you cancel your subscription.
In Czech pricing, Xbox Game Pass Essential costs CZK 239 a month, Premium CZK 329 and Ultimate CZK 499. The prices include VAT and were verified as of 11 September 2026. Both Essential and Premium have an introductory fourteen-day version for CZK 25.90, after which you pay the full monthly price.
Games with Gold, meaning the free games every month, which ended on 1 September 2023. On the other hand, you gained a catalog of more than twenty-five games that the old subscription didn’t have, and the price stayed the same. Xbox 360 games you had already claimed stayed in your library for good.
Xbox changes the names of its tiers more often than what’s in them, so before you buy, compare what a tier includes, not what it’s called. More articles about the platform are in the Xbox hub on Gamers Together – for example the comparison Xbox Series X vs S, the overview of how much an Xbox costs and what’s included, or the guide on how to refund a game on Xbox. Information verified as of 11 September 2026.