What happens when Xbox Live Gold expires?
What happens if I cancel my Xbox Live Gold membership? Will I lose access to games if I opt out of Xbox Live Gold? This is a frequently asked question that torments many users. I rush to clarify that, in fact, access to many games depends on a paid subscription to Xbox Live Gold, but not all games will be blocked if you cancel Xbox Live Gold.
Will I lose access to downloaded games if I don’t pay for Xbox Live Gold? First of all, you need to answer and check how you got access to a specific title. If you bought the game in digital, box, promotion or not, or as part of Deal with Gold, these games will stay with you forever (as long as you have an XBOX Live account). However, if you use a subscription mechanism, e.g. EA Access or Game Pass, or use free games as part of Free with XBOX Live Gold, you will not play these games unless you pay.
Let’s start with the basic definitions:
- XBOX Live is a service (account) that provides access to the owner of the XBOX console to the world of Microsoft. Just as you log in to your Google account on your Android phone, you log in to Xbox Live on the console.
- XBOX Live Gold is a paid subscription to the XBOX Live account, let’s call it a Premium account. As part of the payment, you gain access to the services of: Multiplayer Live Gold, Games with Gold, Deal with Gold and Xbox Live Free Play Days.
A separate service is the XBOX Game Pass. Game Pass is the equivalent of EA Access, i.e. a game library, where by paying a monthly or annual subscription, we can play all titles (available in this library) without restrictions.
XBOX Live Gold is primarily access to the Multiplayer option. Yes, if you don’t have a paid account, you won’t play multiplayer. Why do you have to pay for it? That Microsoft would have something to maintain great quality and performance gaming servers.
- IMPORTANT! Multiplayer or Live Gold can be used with many games that offer a multiplayer mode. Similarly, if you buy XBOX Gamepass and you want to play multiplayer, you still need to buy Live Gold. If you buy EA Access and want to play multiplayer, you need to buy Live Gold.
Xbox Games with Gold also called Free with Xbox Live Gold are games that are released every month for free. Anyone who has a Live Gold account can download or add them to the library and play at no extra charge.
- IMPORTANT! Games downloaded or added to the library as part of Games with Gold are active (you can play them) only if you are currently a subscriber to Live Gold. If you run out of Live Gold subscriptions, you can’t enable games downloaded as part of Free with Live Gold. You do not lose them, they are assigned to your account, but they do not work. As the name suggests, GAMES WITH GOLD or games with Gold. You have Live Gold, you play, you don’t have, you don’t play, but you don’t lose games from the library.
Deal with Gold is an offer of games that you can buy at the Microsoft store at a bargain price.
- IMPORTANT! Games purchased as part of Deal with Gold remain with you forever (i.e. as long as you have an XBOX Live account). The bargain price is due to having an XBOX Live GOLD account, but if your subscription ends, you don’t lose access to games. Not only do they stay in your library but you can also play them without even having Live Gold active. Are yours! You bought them.
XBOX Game Pass is a library of games available as part of the subscription.
- IMPORTANT! Access to games as part of the Xbox Game Pass and EA Access (same model of operation) is active only during the subscription period. You don’t pay, you don’t play. Installed games are blocked. As long as the service provider provides access to a title, it remains in the subscription offer for so long. You have no control over which games are available and which are not.