What Is Xbox Live Free

  
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If you have an Xbox One or Xbox 360, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service is required to play multiplayer games online. A subscription costs $10 per month or $60 per year. Xbox Live Gold also includes additional benefits, like free games every month and discounts on some digital games. Xbox Games Store (formerly Xbox Live Marketplace) is a unified storefront which offers both free and premium content for download including Xbox Live Arcade titles, Xbox indie games, original Xbox games, Xbox 360 game demos, game expansion material (e.g. Extra maps, vehicles, songs), trailers, gamer pictures and themes, television shows, music videos, movie rentals, Apps and games and more.

  1. Even if you don’t play online, however, an Xbox Live Gold subscription is still probably worth buying for the free games. In 2014, Polygon reports, Microsoft gave Xbox Live Gold members $584 worth of free games. If you paid $60 for a year’s subscription, that’s a heck of a deal.
  2. Upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, plus over 100 console and PC games. Build imaginative, awe-inspiring worlds with your friends. Compete in heart-pounding matches that require quick thinking and fast reflexes. Whether it’s competitive or cooperative.
  3. If you don’t subscribe to Xbox Live Gold before the 2- to 14-day trial ends, you’ll lose access to all Xbox One games that came with Games with Gold until you purchase an Xbox Live Gold subscription. If you sign up for a 1-month trial of Xbox Live Gold, you get Xbox One.
  4. The free level lets you download things from the Xbox Live Marketplace, chat with friends, use apps such as Netflix, WWE Network, ESPN, and many others, and share your gamer profile with other users. You can't play games online, however.
  5. Play with friends 24/7 on private, cloud-based servers, even when the original world creator is offline. And with your Xbox Live account, you even can try Minecraft Realms on mobile and Windows 10 free for one month through the Minecraft app.

Xbox Live Gold is the premium version of the Xbox Live service on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. But, is it worth the extra cost? We break it down for you.

One Xbox Live Gold subscription is needed per Xbox One console, which lets everyone in a family play online multiplayer games with their own accounts. In contrast, the Xbox 360 requires each account to have its own subscription.

Xbox Live Gold vs. Xbox Live

What Is Xbox Live Diamond

Adobe camera raw plugin. Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles come with a free version of Xbox Live. The basic service allows subscribers to play offline video games, download items from the Xbox Live Marketplace, chat with friends, and use popular entertainment apps like Netflix. It also provides access to apps like Internet Explorer, Skype, and OneDrive.

Xbox Live Gold subscribers get all the basic perks, plus a few extras, including:

Free Xbox Live Gold Codes

  • Access to online multiplayer.
  • Discounts on digital titles at Deals with Gold.
  • Quicker access to demos and betas.
  • Free games at Games With Gold.

Xbox Live Gold is not the same as Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's streaming games service. With Xbox Game Pass, subscribers can play over 100 games anytime for a monthly fee.

What is Deals with Gold?

What Is Xbox Live Free Vs Gold

Deals with Gold is included with a Xbox Live Gold subscription and it offers weekly discounts on select Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, add-ons, and more in the Microsoft Store. The savings typically range between 50-75% off.

What is Games with Gold?

The Games with Gold program is also included in a Xbox Live Gold subscription and it offers free, hand-selected titles every month. Microsoft claims they are worth up to $700 per year.

On Xbox One, new Games with Gold titles become available on the first and the sixteenth day of every month. Once they are redeemed and added to your library, they're playable as long as you maintain an active Xbox Live Gold account. If you cancel, you lose access to them. But, if you renew your subscription, the games become playable again.

On Xbox 360, Games with Gold titles are also available on the first and the sixteenth day of every month. These games are yours to keep, even if you cancel your Xbox Live Gold subscription.

How Much Does Xbox Live Gold Cost?

What is xbox live free play days

What Is Xbox Live Free For Xbox 360

Xbox Live Gold currently offers three pricing tiers:

  • One month: $9.99
  • Three months: $24.99
  • One year: $59.99

To join, pick up a subscription card at a retailer like GameStop or Walmart, or sign up for an account online at the Microsoft Store or on your Xbox console.

Picking a pricing tier depends on how you plan to use the subscription. For example, if you plan to use Xbox Live Gold throughout the entire year, paying for the 12-month subscription up front will save money. If you pay on a month-to-month basis for 12 months, it costs around $120, while the 12-month subscription costs $60. But, if you plan to play a new multiplayer game for a month or two, consider one of the other pricing options.

There are ways to get cheaper Xbox Live Gold subscriptions. Microsoft sometimes includes free trials with new consoles and games. It also occasionally offers “Try Gold For Free” promotions in the Microsoft Store. Plus, retailers like Best Buy and Amazon often sell subscription cards at a discount.

Is Xbox Live Gold Worth It?

Xbox Live Free Games

You don't need Xbox Live Gold if you're happy playing games offline. You can still try game demos, watch Netflix or Hulu, access Skype, and more. But, if you want to play multiplayer games, Xbox Live Gold is a necessity.