Games with Gold: Xbox 360 games only until September

On July 6, 2022By Garmin Philip

Gaming subscription

Bad news for retro fans: As of October 2022, Microsoft will no longer distribute games for Xbox 360 as part of the “Games with Gold” bonuses.

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Game console, 7th generation, Microsoft, Xbox 360 — With the Xbox 360, Microsoft introduced the successor to the first Xbox at the end of 2005.

Microsoft announces via email that the monthly Games with Gold games will start October 2022 no more Xbox 360 titles contain. According to Microsoft’s announcement, the company or its “capabilities have reached the limits of including Xbox 360 games in the catalogue”. This could mean that all own-brand titles have already been given away and / or licenses from third-party titles no longer allow such distribution What the actual reason is, the Xbox manufacturer does not reveal at first. updated: Opposite to VGC Licensing and technical restrictions are mentioned.

Xbox One and Series S/X titles are not affected. It remains to be seen whether from October 2022 Simply two out of four “free” games are deleted without replacement or two more current titles take their place. Microsoft typically releases four games per month for Xbox Live or Game Pass Ultimate (includes Xbox Live) subscribers, of which two Xbox 360 games can be claimed for two weeks each. The titles for Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles, on the other hand, are available for four weeks, one from the beginning of the month and the other from the middle of the month.

Anyone who has already unlocked Xbox 360 titles via Games with Gold in their library will keep their games. In fact, the notification explicitly states that you will keep all games activated up to and including October, whether you cancel or continue your subscription. That would at least apply to Xbox 360 games and would be a positive change. As a rule, Games with Gold games can only be called up as long as there is an active subscription to the services mentioned.

Xbox Live is a paid online service from Microsoft that is mandatory for multiplayer functionality on the Xbox console. Game Pass Ultimate is the premium model of the Game Pass games “flat rate” that brings cloud and PC games in addition to Xbox games. Some time ago, Microsoft combined both services so that Game Pass Ultimate users automatically benefit from the “free games”.