Xbox Live Gold is set to be officially replaced with the new Xbox Game Pass Core subscription, meaning players who want to play online multiplayer on their Xbox consoles will finally have to join the Game Pass ecosystem.
With the arrival of Xbox Game Pass Core set for Sept. 14, 2023, the total number of Game Pass plans offered will hit four. Three of these plans each offer a set of benefits that are pretty specific to a singular type of player, but the fourth plan—Ultimate—offers every perk and benefit available from Game Pass.
Are you thinking about finally getting Game Pass or wondering what your Xbox Live Gold membership is going to turn into? Here’s a look at all the differences between the various Xbox Game Pass plans, and which one is right for you.
Game Pass Core
If you are strictly an Xbox gamer who plays mostly multiplayer and you already own the games you want to play or plan to buy them directly, then Core at $9.99 a month is for you. This gives you the Xbox Live online console multiplayer you want, plus complete access to over 25 select Xbox titles from the soon-to-be sunset Games with Gold program, including:
- Among Us
- Doom Eternal
- Fallout 76
- State of Decay 2
Xbox plans to add two to three titles to the Game Pass Core library a year. If you are a current Xbox Live Gold subscriber, your plan will convert to Game Pass Core on Sept. 14, but nothing else will change.
Related: Everything included in Riot Games’ Xbox Game Pass partnership
PC Game Pass
If you exclusively game on PC, then the PC Game Pass is the plan for you. PC Game Pass is $9.99 a month and grants players access to the entire PC Game Pass library, the day one releases, and a basic EA Play membership. The included EA Play membership provides access to several EA titles, plus discounts and trials for big new EA releases.
If you don’t own an Xbox console, save yourself a few dollars and just get the PC Game Pass.
Console Game Pass
The Console pass is $10.99 a month and grants players access to the entire Xbox Game Pass library, the day one releases, and the Game Pass member deals and discounts. If you’re a single-player gamer and you want to play through the Game Pass library on Xbox while also getting the day one releases, this is the plan for you. But if you think you’ll end up playing multiplayer, then you’ll want Ultimate.
Game Pass Ultimate
Game Pass Ultimate offers every possible perk and feature of Game Pass:
- Access to the hundreds of PC and Xbox games in the Game Pass library
- Day one releases
- Online console multiplayer
- A basic EA Play membership
- Deals, discounts, and perks from Game Pass
Related: When will Call of Duty be added to Game Pass?
If you own both an Xbox and use a PC, and use them both to game frequently, then the Game Pass Ultimate value is worth it at $16.99 a month. Additionally, even if you don’t play on PC but you want to play multiplayer and access the full Game Pass library on Xbox, then getting Ultimate is a better value than getting the Xbox Game Pass and Core separately.
