Some Xbox testers no longer need an Xbox Live Gold subscription for free multiplayer games.
In January, Microsoft announced, and then quickly reversed, an increase in the price of Xbox Live that would have caused subscription costs to rise across the board. In explaining its decision, the company also said in no uncertain terms that “you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play [free-to-play] games on the Xbox. “Today, Xbox testers can see the change taking effect. Microsoft suggested in January that the general public can expect the update to be released” in the coming months.
Microsoft has confirmed through Xbox Wire that for testers on the Alpha Skip ring of the Xbox Insider program, multiplayer in free games, as well as Looking 4 Groups and Party Chat features, no longer need an Xbox Live Gold subscription. These updates are being tested “before general availability”. You’ll also find a number of known Xbox Insider fixes and issues in the Xbox Wire post.
Of course, we also just learned that Xbox Live is being renamed Xbox Network, although we still don’t see what that means for subscription prices. It seems unlikely that Microsoft will continue with the current pricing structure with so many changes underway, despite having already backed off from price increases.
If you are an Xbox gamer who wants to stay up to date on the latest releases, visit our next Xbox Series X games guide for more information on everything about Xbox, including Halo Infinite.