Do You Need Xbox Live To Download Games

• Microsoft has officially removed the 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription from its online store, which has prompted speculation that free online gaming might be on the way.
• Other than select MMOs, PC games have almost always included online multiplayer for free, but Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo all charge users to play games online.
• There's also a chance that Microsoft will simply bundle Xbox Live Gold with Xbox Game Pass.

There are a bunch of free demos available on the Xbox 360 that you can download without a credit card, as well as some free-to-play games (though these aren't sorted into a free-to-play category). If you have an Xbox Live Gold account, there will be free games available for you to download each month. Unearth 20 fully customizable character classes at launch in one social region, three free-roam regions, one PvE mode, six PvP modes, including Battle Arena, and more! 4K: 4K Ultra HD not available on Xbox One or Xbox One S consoles. HDR: HDR functionality available with supported games.

There was a time when Sony let PS2 and PS3 owners play their games online, free of charge. As long as you had the bandwidth (and the necessary hardware in the case of the PS2), you could play multiplayer games online with friends and strangers without a subscription fee. But then Microsoft introduced Xbox Live Gold, proving people would pay to play online, and it was only a matter of time before Sony jumped on the bandwagon.

It's a sticking point for many PS4 and Xbox One owners to this day, but recently, there have been rumors and reports that Microsoft might be planning to eliminate Xbox Live Gold — or at least fundamentally changing the way it works. It has yet to be confirmed or even hinted at directly by Microsoft but a compelling piece of evidence was discovered last week when the 12-month subscription for Xbox Live Gold suddenly vanished from the Microsoft Store.

At first, it was unclear if the removal was intentional, but Microsoft eventually confirmed that it was.

'At this time, Xbox has decided to remove the 12 months Xbox Live Gold SKU from the Microsoft online Store,' said a Microsoft representative to TrueAchievements last Friday. 'Customers can still sign up for a one month or three month Xbox Live Gold subscription online through the Microsoft Store.'

Unsurprisingly, this started a firestorm of speculation online, as many began to wonder if Microsoft would phase out Xbox Live Gold altogether or perhaps combine it with the popular Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which costs $9.99/month. Microsoft also recently announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which combines Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass for $14.99/month, will add xCloud game streaming free of charge this fall.

Microsoft has yet to say anything else about the removal other than the statement above, but some reliable sources have hinted that big changes are coming. In an interview on the CrossFire podcast, GamesBeat's Easeus partition master 10.5 serial. Jeff Grubb — who has been leaking dates and details about game and console reveals all year long — said that free online multiplayer 'does seem very close to being a sure thing' on Xbox when Xbox Series X arrives.

Then on Monday evening, The Verge's Tom Warren added fuel to the fire with a cryptic tweet of his own:

It's a sticking point for many PS4 and Xbox One owners to this day, but recently, there have been rumors and reports that Microsoft might be planning to eliminate Xbox Live Gold — or at least fundamentally changing the way it works. It has yet to be confirmed or even hinted at directly by Microsoft but a compelling piece of evidence was discovered last week when the 12-month subscription for Xbox Live Gold suddenly vanished from the Microsoft Store.

At first, it was unclear if the removal was intentional, but Microsoft eventually confirmed that it was.

'At this time, Xbox has decided to remove the 12 months Xbox Live Gold SKU from the Microsoft online Store,' said a Microsoft representative to TrueAchievements last Friday. 'Customers can still sign up for a one month or three month Xbox Live Gold subscription online through the Microsoft Store.'

Unsurprisingly, this started a firestorm of speculation online, as many began to wonder if Microsoft would phase out Xbox Live Gold altogether or perhaps combine it with the popular Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which costs $9.99/month. Microsoft also recently announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which combines Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass for $14.99/month, will add xCloud game streaming free of charge this fall.

Microsoft has yet to say anything else about the removal other than the statement above, but some reliable sources have hinted that big changes are coming. In an interview on the CrossFire podcast, GamesBeat's Easeus partition master 10.5 serial. Jeff Grubb — who has been leaking dates and details about game and console reveals all year long — said that free online multiplayer 'does seem very close to being a sure thing' on Xbox when Xbox Series X arrives.

Then on Monday evening, The Verge's Tom Warren added fuel to the fire with a cryptic tweet of his own:

Diptrace crack keygen office 2010. yes, Microsoft has removed the 12-month Xbox Live Gold option. What does it mean? Patience :)

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 20, 2020

Something major is certainly in the works, though we might have to wait a bit longer to find out exactly what it is. The Xbox Games Showcase is going to air this Thursday, July 23rd at 12 p.m. ET, but it will be entirely focused on games coming to Xbox Series X, so we do not expect any service-related announcements. That said, Microsoft has been dropping blog posts liberally over the past few months, so the news could arrive at any time.

What happens when you lose Xbox Live Gold on Xbox One?

Free Games For Xbox One

If you lost access to Xbox Live Gold on Xbox One, you might be in for some trouble. Here's a look at what you can expect when your Gold has expired.

• You get to keep your Xbox 360 Xbox Live Gold games
• You can no longer play your Xbox One Xbox Live Gold games
• The majority of your Xbox 360 and Xbox One apps will still function without Xbox Live Gold
• Online play will be extremely limited with no Xbox Live Gold membership
• Xbox consoles will still be online after canceling Xbox Live Gold

Do You Need Xbox Live To Download Games Offline

Applies to

Xbox Live Gold is a popular subscription service available on Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Xbox One videogame consoles. Pricing varies by region but generally average around US$7 per month depending on the plan chosen.

Originally, an Xbox Live Gold membership was required to enjoy almost all online services on the Xbox 360 (such as playing online and watching online video on its numerous apps) but soon after the arrival of the newer Xbox One console the plan evolved slightly and now media streaming is available to free members (often referred to as Xbox Live Silver members) as well.

The evolution of Xbox Live Gold hasn't really affected continuing members all that much but for those who may be considering taking a break from the service due to travel plans or a need to save money, many wonder how exactly their console will be affected and what they will lose once their Xbox Live Gold membership is cancelled. Here is what happens.

• You get to keep your Xbox 360 Xbox Live Gold games: The way Xbox Live Gold was set up originally on the Xbox 360 was that it would reward subscribers with free Xbox 360 videogames on a monthly basis under the Games with Gold system. These games, once claimed, would be added to the user's account and they would maintain ownership indefinitely. This hasn't changed. Even after cancelling an Xbox Live Gold subscription, any Xbox 360 titles claimed while a member will remain in a user's account and will be fully playable after the cancellation.
• You can no longer play your Xbox One Xbox Live Gold games: Xbox One Xbox Live Gold games on the other hand work a little differently than the Xbox 360 titles as instead of giving ownership of the games to the user, the membership grants access to them for as long as they're a member. This isn't an issue for most Xbox One owners as the majority remain Xbox Live Gold members for the lifetime of their console, but for those that terminate their membership (or forget to renew) all access to any Xbox One titles claimed under the Games with Gold banner is removed, even though the game data will remain on their console and in the cloud. The good news is that whenever a membership is reactivated, access to all previously claimed titles is renewed and all of the save data is made immediately accessible.
• 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 all.

• Online play will be extremely limited with no Xbox Live Gold membership: For the most part, an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required to play games online on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Single player modes will still be functional after the membership is cancelled but gamers wishing to enjoy an online multiplayer session will need to pay up. There are some exceptions though due to the online nature of several modern titles like, Destiny, which is perpetually online. Xbox Live Silver members will still be able to play the game in its online worlds and observe other players but the ability to join and create parties will be absent.
• Xbox consoles will still be online after cancelling Xbox Live Gold: While online play will be significantly impacted by the loss of an Xbox Live Gold membership, both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles will continue to function as normal with an active friends list, Community feed, and Achievements that will unlock as requirements are met in games and apps.

Cancelling an Xbox Live Gold membership really isn't as dramatic as it used to be for Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners despite the loss in certain online features and monthly free games. Have you ever let your Xbox Live Gold membership expire? Would you ever want to? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.

Share This Post:

Download Games For Xbox 1