Xbox Games With Gold Goes Out With a Whimper

Microsoft has announced the Games with Gold lineup for August 2023, the final set of games to launch under the Games With Gold banner before the promotion comes to an end in September.

Little-known 2021 3D action platformer Blue Fire and 2020 arcade racer Inertial Drift are available to download on Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S by those who have an Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate subscription from August 1 to 31.

Blue Fire and Inertial Drift will go down as the last ever Games with Gold titles, as the long-running promotion ends September 1. Meanwhile, Xbox Live Gold ends September 14, over 20 years after it first launched, to be replaced by Game Pass Core.

Core includes access to online console multiplayer and gives subscribers a collection of over 25 games to play on Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One for $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. At launch on September 14, Xbox Live Gold members automatically become Game Pass Core members.

Xbox Live launched first on the original Xbox on November 15, 2002, and was popularised by the online multiplayer portion Halo 2. The Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S all used the platform.

The Games with Gold promotion launched for Xbox 360 in July 2013. This gave Xbox Live Gold subscribers a handful of games each month – a once hugely popular bonus that has become the subject of ridicule due to the low profile of the free titles.

You can continue to access any Games with Gold games previously redeemed while remaining an Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member. Regardless of subscription status, any Xbox 360 titles redeemed via Games with Gold in the past will be kept in a player’s library.

Earlier this month, Game Pass got its first price rise since its original launch six years ago. Xbox Game Pass rose by a dollar, from $9.99 to $10.99 monthly (Core now takes the $9.99 price tag). Ultimate rose two dollars to $16.99 a month. PC Game Pass remained $9.99 a month.

The price rise and now this launch of Game Pass Core come after Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s admission Game Pass growth is slowing and has the potential to cannibalize sales. Game Pass has been under the microscope since its inception, with Xbox trumpeting it as a new distribution paradigm and PlayStation boss Jim Ryan claiming publishers don’t like it. Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick isn’t a fan, either, which sets up an interesting debate now Microsoft is set to seal its $69 billion buyout of the Call of Duty maker.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.