The move has also detached Party Chat and Looking for Group (LFG) services from Xbox Live Gold, now freely available to all Xbox users.

The change is directed towards those who exclusively play from the few dozen free-to-play games, especially suited to those frequenting today's top battle royale titles. Xbox Live Gold remains essential for most Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S owners, with the majority of multiplayer experiences still tied up in the membership.

It allows any Xbox owner to play many of the most popular Xbox games online, including Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex, without forking out for additional charges. Microsoft just dropped some significant changes to Xbox Live Gold, opening multiplayer to all users for free-to-play games and unbinding other social features from the paid subscription. Is Xbox Live Gold worth it after 2021 changes? Your existing Xbox Live Gold membership will continue until the current paid period passes, meaning all benefits are still usable in the meantime. Upon completing the steps, your Xbox Live Gold subscription will no longer renew going forward. Navigate to the Xbox Live Gold subsection of the page. In the future, multiplayer for most games and other Xbox Live Gold services will be inaccessible, including access to free titles previously obtained via Games with Gold. By canceling your Xbox Live Gold subscription, understand that you'll be losing access to all your previous benefits of the service.

Free-to-play games like Fortnite no longer require the Xbox Live Gold for multiplayer, while other once Gold-exclusive features like Party Chat and Looking For Group (LFG) opened to all free users.Įxisting paid Xbox Live Gold subscribers who stick to a handful of free-to-play games may opt to drop the service. But network-wide Xbox Live Gold changes, introduced in April 2021, lift the requirement for a subscription with many staple features. Xbox Live Gold has long been necessary for the best Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S experience, unlocking features like online multiplayer, Party Chat, and access to the 'Games with Gold' free games program. How to disable auto-renew for Xbox Live Gold But Xbox Live Gold isn't for everyone and coupled with some big changes to Xbox Live's free tier, you may consider canceling your membership. That includes access to online multiplayer, various social features, free games, and discounts on the regular. Xbox Live Gold has always been the paid subscription for Xbox gaming, providing full access to Microsoft's gaming network with a range of exclusive benefits.

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