Wednesday, April 17, 2024

What’s The Difference Between Xbox Live And Xbox Live Gold

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Xbox Game Pass For Console

Difference Between Xbox Game Pass And Xbox Live Gold | Quick Guide

One of Microsofts popular plans is the XBox Game Pass for console. This specific Game Pass subscription is applicable for players who intend to use their consoles such as the Xbox One, Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X to play games that are included in the package. When subscribed to the said plan, you will have access to the following features:

  • Unlimited access to over a hundred console games including the newly released ones.
  • access Xbox Game Studios on the same day it is released.
  • Eligible for discounts and great deals which are only offered to members only.

The Different Subscriptions: Xbox Live Gold Family Pack

For £69.99 per year, the Xbox Live Gold Family Pack gets you all the benefits of Gold membership, four times over, letting you have four separate Xbox Live Gold subscriptions in the one pack, with all the usual benefits – plus some special family-orientated features:

  • Comes with four simultaneous Xbox Live Gold subscriptions
  • A special ‘Family Centre’ where you can manage the memberships and monitor your family members’ activities on Xbox Live
  • Grant people Microsoft Points ‘allowances’, giving them a certain amount of ‘money’ to spend on stuff they want off the Xbox Live Marketplace
  • Special monthly discounts on a particular games Microsoft deems as ‘family friendly’

At the moment, you can only sign up for the Xbox Live Gold Family Pack through the Xbox 360 Dashboard, meaning you’ll need to at least have a Free subscription to be able to find it. There are a few precautions you might want to bear in mind when letting Microsoft have free reign over your credit card details, however, as it’s currently incredibly difficult to remove your credit card from your Xbox Live account – we’ll be posting a full how-to in coming weeks.

If you have any more game-related questions you’d like answering, like us on and post them on our page, follow us on and tweet us or just drop us an email at [email protected]

Xbox Live Gold: Price And Availability

Xbox Live Gold is available as a monthly subscription for $9.99 per month in the U.S. and over 40 additional territories. It’s also available in upfront installments for savings on the usual monthly rate, priced at $24.99 for three months, $39.99 for six months. Xbox Live Gold is available through a 12-month prepaid membership for $59.99 via third-party retailers like Amazon, GameStop, and Walmart, although no longer through Microsoft. This tiered pricing structure makes it better to purchase Xbox Live Gold in bulk upfront, over the monthly fee.

Microsoft’s all-inclusive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription includes Xbox Live Gold, too, coupled with Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, cloud gaming on mobile, and other perks like EA Play. The subscription is available for a flat $14.99 monthly rate in the U.S.

While Microsoft outlined plans to increase Xbox Live Gold pricing back in January 2021, it later reversed the decision following widespread backlash.

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Is There A Difference Between Xbox Live And Xbox Gold

New to Xbox so I have no idea. If I buy a year of gold does that include live?

Xbox live is the service, gold is the “premium” membership which gives you benefit and online play access. So yes, in a way. 🙂

Xbox live is the service, gold is the subscription to that service.

Nah. Gold is just paid live. They call it gold because there is technically still “silver” on the 360 that doesn’t really mean anything on the XB1.

If you play a lot of online multiplayers, you are going to need Gold.

Gold is the same thing as Live. Its an Xbox Live Gold membership

well gold is basically the xbox live service you pay for. You can’t do multiplayer without it. If you wanna do basically anything online you need to pay for it

Also includes some free games each month as part of games with gold on 360 those copies are to keep even if subscription stops, on x1 they are dependent on having your subscription active.

Silver is just pointless wording. To simplify there’s paid which lets you get online use apps do multiplayer and theres unpaid which doesn’t allow that

hence ms has you by the proverbial balls so to speak to do any mp or anything cool online without having gold

They include a free demo usually when you buy the system, just buy a years worth in advance its usually like 50-60 but during black friday i saw it for 35

Main Differences Between Xbox Live And Xbox Live Gold

Xbox 360 vs Xbox One
  • Youll have to pay a certain amount for the Xbox Live Gold membership, while the Xbox Live account is free for everyone.
  • With Xbox Gold subscription, extra benefits like online multiplayer games with voice chat, redeemable free monthly games, members-only content, and upcoming features Microsoft might add. While Xbox Live gives basic online gaming and streaming services.
  • You can add steaming channels like Netflix or Hulu to your Xbox gold subscription and stream content via your Xbox devices, while you have to pay separately to get this feature with the free version.
  • You can use an Xbox Live account to purchase or download games without any extra costs to be paid monthly or yearly. But the Xbox Live Gold needs payment of a certain amount.
  • You get membership discounts and deals on premium games, and also betas and early access to the latest or testing games with the Gold account, while you get nothing among these with the Xbox Live account.
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    What Is Xbox Live Silver

    Make sure that the Xbox is turned on. If there is any disc in the disc tray, then remove it. Choose the My Xbox tab in menus. Select the Join Xbox live option. After reading the terms and conditions, click the accept button. By using the virtual keyboard, you can enter Gamertag that is nothing but your identity. If you have Windows Live ID, you can use it. Else, you need to create a new account. On creating a new account, you need to enter your details like date of birth, language, address, and email ID. After all, this, press A for registration.

    Silver membership has limited features. Some of the features are premiere entertainment applications, preview for upcoming games, access beta versions, create a friends list, downloads games from the Xbox marketplace, chat with your friends by sending voice messages and text messages, access to the game community, multiplayer feature in free-to-play games, and party chat with some other users, etc.

    Microsoft morphed the Silver membership to the free Xbox live. The Xbox Silver Live is free of cost with limited features. By 2019, Xbox Silver has 65 million users. Looking for a group is a feature available in Xbox silver live. By using this feature, you can connect to other players. Microsoft provides an integrated security feature for a better experience.

    Do I Need To Install The Games To Claim Them

    No. All you need to do is claim the game and itll be there until you decide to install and play it. You can install it if you like to have all of your games readily available at a moments notice though.

    This would save you time after all, as you wouldnt have to wait for the install down the road when you decide to play something new. So its at least worth considering installing games right when you claim them even if you dont plan to play those games right then and there.

    Again though, if you dont install them right away you wont lose them. As long as you claim they will be in your library for good.

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    Should You Get Xbox Live Or Xbox Live Gold

    When comparing Xbox Live vs. Xbox Live Gold, it’s not really a case of getting one or the other. After all, you can easily create an Xbox account and get on Xbox Live, all for totally free.

    The real question, therefore, is “should you upgrade Xbox Live to Gold?” To answer this, you need to ask yourself if you’ll be making good use of Gold.

    Are the games in the current Games for Gold selection interesting to you? Do you want to play a game online? If you do, do you think you’ll play it enough to justify the cost? If you say yes to any of the above, you should consider getting Gold.

    However, if you want to use your Xbox’s online capabilities to download games and use some of the third-party apps it has, you need not get Gold. Instead, you can use the Xbox for free and get all those services at no additional cost.

    You Shouldn’t Buy This If

    Is Xbox Live Gold Worth It?
    • You want affordable games
    • You only play free games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone
    • You only use Xbox services on Windows PCs

    Xbox Live Gold upgrades your Xbox gaming experience, and while revised for 2021, the service still serves the same purpose for most. It’s the only gateway to playing multiplayer games on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S, although the value will vary on each user. While frequent online gaming across various titles demands Xbox Live Gold, those who prefer single-player games, or stick to popular free experiences like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, have little reason to pay up.

    Xbox regulars shouldn’t overlook Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft’s new higher-tier subscription, bundling Xbox Live Gold alongside other benefits. It costs more, at $15 per month, but unlocks hundreds of games in the price as one of the best deals in modern gaming.

    New free-to-play changes also mean that many of the most popular Xbox games no longer require Xbox Live Gold, especially suited to casual users who play only a few titles and can’t justify the subscription for infrequent gaming sessions. But the moment you stray away from this curated list, investing in a 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership delivers the best value out there.

    Xbox Live Gold

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    Xbox Live Gold Vs Xbox Game Pass

    Xbox Live Gold is an online subscription service for Xbox consoles, which was launched by Microsoft previously in 2002. For those who are thinking of purchasing this option, you need to remember that it is also included in the package of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

    But, it is still cheaper than Xbox Game Pass since it only costs $10 per month. You can also have a discount if you purchase its service for a year or 12 months since you only need to pay $60.

    As of the moment, if you want to play online games, you need to have Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass. However, this could soon change since Microsoft is planning to allow fans to play free-to-play games online. These include “Apex Legends,” “Fortnite,” and more.

    On the other hand, Xbox Game Pass offers three options. You can either choose Xbox Game Pass Console, Xbox Game Pass PC, or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Some players describe Ultimate versions as an “All You Can Eat” gaming subscription. Microsoft released this service back in June 2017.

    Furthermore, Xbox Game Pass is still better than Xbox Live Gold since it offers all the games that Microsoft publishes on its platforms.

    When it comes to price, CNET reported that Xbox Game Pass is more expensive since it costs around $15. Although this is the case, the price difference is not that wide.

    Xbox Live Gold Vs Playstation Plus: Which Is Better

    With the recent controversy between Microsoft and their dedicated playerbase regarding the price increase of Xbox Live Gold, there have been talks about whether or not Sony will increase the price of their online service, PlayStation Plus. While this decision by Microsoft has since been reversed due to overwhelming backlash from the Xbox community, the question of why this decision was made in the first place. Increasing the price from $60 a year to $120, doubling the already expensive price-point, understandably upset players to no end. Its been suggested that this was Microsofts attempt at pushing players so subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service and eventually phase out Xbox Live Gold altogether, this definitely wasnt the right move. I dont see Sony making the same mistake and increasing prices on their service especially after already increasing the MSRP of PS5 games to $69 up from $59. This begs the question: Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus? Which is better?

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    Xbox Live Vs Xbox Live Gold

    The difference between Xbox Live and Xbox Live Gold is that the former is a free online gaming service while the latter is also an online gaming service but is paid and is required to play online multiplayer games if you have any Xbox Console.

    Xbox Live was launched on November 15, 2002, and was made available to the gaming consoles by Microsoft. It is used to store Online Games, data, and other services. Further from 2007, the service was integrated with Windows, and all the Windows computers now come with an Xbox Application.

    The same sort of Xbox Network, online gaming services, also comes as a subscription and also includes online multiplayer games. The subscribers also get a few extra games and services by Xbox and are eligible for future advancements and Members-only games and features.

    What Is Xbox Live Gold And Its Features

    Xbox Gaming 1080X1080 Pictures : What S The Difference ...

    Xbox Live Gold is an online service and the premium version of the Xbox network. The services that you get for subscribing to Xbox Live Gold only applies when youre playing on an Xbox One or Series X|S consoles. Unlike Xbox Game Pass tiers, the Xbox Live Gold has the option to be purchased either monthly or quarterly.

    As the Xbox network allows all Xbox players to join community pages and gives them the access to free-to-play multiplayer games, the Xbox Live Gold has more perks than the free version. These great features are as follows:

    • Members will be given two to four free games every month provided that the Xbox Live Gold subscription is still active.
    • Up to 50 to 70% store discounts are given for some games.
    • Weekly discounts are usually offered on certain titles at Deals with Gold.
    • Access to all multiplayer Xbox games.
    • Xbox Live Gold subscription provides members an access to new Games with Gold titles on the same day it is released.

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    What Is Xbox All Access

    Xbox All Access is a monthly installment payment option for a new Xbox Series S or X. Customers can sign up for the plan to pay $35 a month for an Xbox Series X or $25 a month for an Xbox Series S. Both plans include 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. There are no upfront fees and 0% APR. Best Buy, GameStop, Microsoft Store, Target and Walmart are all participants in the program, however, the trick is to sign up when consoles are available. If you’re still on the hunt for an Xbox Series X or S, will have the latest restock updates for you.

    Which One Should You Get

    According to Game Spot‘s previous report, Xbox Live Gold’s requirement for free-to-play games will be removed by Microsoft. This could make Xbox Live Gold even better, adding a feature that allows players to play online games.

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    If you are a person that only focuses on online games, then Xbox Live Gold is the best option for you. But, if you are a heavy gamer, then you should get Xbox Game Pass. However, you still need to have a specific package in mind. You can either choose Ultimate, PC or the Console option.

    For more news updates about Xbox and other related stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

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    What Happens If You Dont Have Xbox Live Gold

    The majority of your Xbox 360 and Xbox One apps will still function without Xbox Live Gold: Thanks to the policy update a few years ago, Xbox Live Gold is no longer needed to view online streaming apps such as YouTube and Netflix so any cancellation of an Xbox Live Gold subscription will not affect media watching at

    Xbox Live Gold: Who Its For

    What is the difference between Xbox Live Silver and Gold?

    Xbox Live Gold starts at $9.99 per month and is currently required for playing most Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S games online. It also gets you access to a handful of free games every month, as well as exclusive discounts.

    If you only play a handful of online titles on your Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S and arent interested in the hundreds of games available on Game Pass, youll technically save a bunch of money sticking with Gold compared to the $14.99 per month Game Pass Ultimate subscription. And since Gold is no longer required to play free-to-play titles such as Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, you could get by without paying for either service depending on your game of choice. But its worth considering the long-term value of switching to Game Pass Ultimate.

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    Free Play Days Events

    Access full games across a variety of genres for free every month on selected weekends. Availability period for each game may vary.

    No active Free Play Day events at this time. Check back soon.

    Promotional Offer Terms: *Sign in for your available offers. Promotional offers may be for new members only and/or not be valid for all members and are only available for a limited time. Offers not valid in Russia and Turkey other geographic restrictions may apply. Credit card required. After promotional period, subscription automatically continues at the then-current regular price , unless cancelled. Plus applicable taxes.

    1. Active Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership required to play free games youve redeemed. Restrictions Apply.

    2. Savings based on retail value of game.

    3. For active Gold or Ultimate members only. Restrictions Apply. Games sold separately. Requirements and available features vary across consoles download required.

    Xbox Subscription Terms:

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