Microsoft killed Xbox Live Gold. It was a weird, sudden move that left a lot of people scratching their heads. For two decades, we paid for Gold just to play Halo or Call of Duty online. Then, in late 2023, it vanished. In its place, we got Xbox Game Pass Core games. It isn't just a name change. It’s a fundamental shift in how the "entry-level" console subscription works. Honestly, it's better than Gold was, but it’s still kinda confusing if you’re used to the old way of "owning" games via the Games with Gold program.
You’re basically getting a curated "best of" list now. Instead of two random, often mediocre games every month that you keep forever, Microsoft handed over a static library of roughly 35 to 40 high-quality titles.
But here is the catch.
If you stop paying, the games go away. You don’t "own" them anymore like the old Xbox 360 titles from the Gold era. You're renting a small slice of the massive Game Pass pie. It’s the "budget" version of the service, meant for people who mostly want to play Warzone or Apex Legends online but want a few solid single-player games on the side without paying twenty bucks a month.
The Reality of the Xbox Game Pass Core Games Library
Let’s be real for a second. The library isn't huge. If you’re looking for 400+ titles, you’re looking in the wrong place. However, the quality density in the Xbox Game Pass Core games list is actually pretty staggering. Microsoft didn’t just throw in shovelware. They put their heavy hitters in there to tempt you into upgrading to the Ultimate tier later.
Take Gears 5. It’s a masterpiece of third-person cover shooting. It’s in the Core library. Then you have Forza Horizon 5. That game is arguably the best racing game ever made, and it’s right there at the entry level. You also get Among Us, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves. These aren't "filler" games. They are the backbone of the Xbox ecosystem.
The list doesn't change every week. Unlike the standard Game Pass or the Ultimate tier, where games come and go like a revolving door, the Core library is relatively stable. Microsoft adds new titles to it maybe two or three times a year. It’s slower. It’s more deliberate. If you’re a parent buying this for a kid, it’s actually great because the library doesn't shift enough to be frustrating.
What about the "Games with Gold" transition?
A lot of people think they lost their old games. You didn't. Any Xbox 360 titles you redeemed via Gold stay in your library forever, regardless of your subscription status. But those Xbox One games you grabbed? You still need an active subscription (Core or Ultimate) to play them. It’s a bit of a legacy mess, but that’s how Microsoft decided to bridge the gap.
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The multiplayer tax is still there
We should talk about the elephant in the room: the multiplayer wall. To play Modern Warfare 3 or Street Fighter 6 online on a console, you have to pay. Xbox Game Pass Core games are the cheapest way to unlock that gate. If you don't care about the library of games at all and just want to play FIFA (now FC) against your buddy in another state, this is the tier you buy. Period.
A Deep Look at the Current Heavy Hitters
Let’s look at what you’re actually playing when you fire this up.
Halo Infinite is the big one. The campaign isn't included—just the multiplayer is free anyway—but having the "Core" suite of Bethesda and Xbox Global Publishing games means you get things like Dishonored 2 and Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is a frantic, blood-soaked ballet of violence that runs at a locked 60 FPS (or higher) on modern hardware. It’s a technical marvel.
Then there’s Stardew Valley. It’s funny how a game about farming can be more addictive than a high-octane shooter, but here we are. It's included. So is Slay the Spire. If you haven't played Slay the Spire, you’re missing out on the best deck-building rogue-like ever created. It’s one of those games where you say "just one more run" and suddenly it's 3 AM and you've forgotten to eat.
Psychonauts 2 is another standout. Tim Schafer’s team at Double Fine created something truly special here. It’s a platformer about empathy and mental health, wrapped in a 1960s spy-fi aesthetic. It’s weird. It’s colorful. It’s exactly the kind of game that makes a subscription service worth it because you might not have bought it at full price, but you'll love it once you start playing.
Why Some People Hate the Move to Core
Not everyone is happy. Some gamers miss the "ownership" aspect of the old system. Under Games with Gold, you got two games a month. Over a year, that was 24 games. Even if 20 of them were bad, those 4 good ones were yours to keep as long as you were a member. With Xbox Game Pass Core games, the library is curated for you. You don't get to "pick" what's added.
There's also the "Ultimate" pressure. Microsoft makes the Core tier look a bit meager on purpose. They want you to see the 40 games and then look at the 400 games on Ultimate and think, "Well, it's only a few more dollars." It’s classic upselling.
But for a casual gamer? Someone who plays maybe five hours a week? Core is plenty. You get Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and The Elder Scrolls Online. Those three games alone represent about 2,000 hours of potential gameplay. You could play nothing but the Core library for three years and still not see everything.
Technical Stuff: Performance and Cloud
Does Core give you Cloud Gaming? No.
This is a major distinction. If you want to play Xbox Game Pass Core games on your phone or through a browser, you can't. You have to download them to your console. This service is strictly for the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One hardware. If you’re a PC player, Core doesn't really exist for you in the same way; you just get "PC Game Pass," which is a whole different beast with a much larger library.
The performance, though, is native. Since you’re downloading the files, you get the full power of your hardware. Forza Horizon 5 looks stunning on a 4K TV via the Series X. No lag, no compression artifacts from streaming. Just pure, local hardware power.
Understanding the "Home Xbox" Trick
You can still use the "Home Xbox" feature with Core. If you set your console as your Home Xbox, anyone else who logs into that console can use your Xbox Game Pass Core games and your online multiplayer privileges. My brother does this. He pays for the sub, I log into his old console at my house, and we both play Gears together on one subscription. It still works in 2026. Microsoft hasn't killed that yet, thankfully.
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Is the Value Proposition Actually There?
Let’s crunch the numbers. A year of Core usually runs you about $60 USD. If you bought Forza Horizon 5, Doom Eternal, and Stardew Valley separately, you'd already be past that $60 mark.
But you have to ask yourself: am I actually going to play these?
If you already own the big Microsoft exclusives, Core loses its luster fast. It’s a "starter pack." It’s for the person who just unboxed a Series S and has zero games in their digital library. For that person, it's the best deal in gaming. For the veteran who has been buying every Halo and Gears since 2006? You're basically just paying for the right to play online. The games are just a nice bonus you probably won't touch.
The Hidden Gems You Shouldn't Skip
While everyone talks about Halo, there are smaller Xbox Game Pass Core games that deserve your time. Vampire Survivors is a big one. It looks like a Super Nintendo game, but it’s a dopamine machine. You just move a character around while they auto-attack thousands of monsters. It’s chaotic. It’s brilliant.
Then there’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps. It is, without hyperbole, one of the most beautiful games ever made. The animation is fluid, the music is haunting, and the combat is surprisingly deep. It’s a "Metroidvania," meaning you explore a massive map and unlock new abilities to reach new areas. It’s tough, but fair.
Deep Rock Galactic is the king of co-op. You play as space dwarves mining asteroids. It’s better than it sounds. The community is famously non-toxic, which is a rarity in online gaming these days. If you have the Core sub for the multiplayer anyway, find three friends and jump into Deep Rock. It’s the most fun you can have with a virtual pickaxe.
Actionable Steps for New Subscribers
If you've just signed up for Core or you're thinking about it, don't just let the sub sit there.
First, check your library. Go to the "Full Library" tab on your Xbox dashboard and look for the Game Pass section. It will specifically show you the Core titles.
Second, prioritize the big installs. Start with Forza Horizon 5 or Gears 5 to see what your console can actually do. They are large files, so start those downloads overnight.
Third, don't ignore the "Leavers." While the Core library is more stable than Ultimate, Microsoft does occasionally swap things out. Usually, they give a two-week heads-up. Keep an eye on the Xbox dashboard messages.
Fourth, evaluate the upgrade. If you find yourself wanting to play Starfield or the latest Call of Duty (which is now hitting Game Pass Day One), check the "Deals" section. Microsoft often offers a $1 upgrade to Ultimate for your first month. You can stack your Core time and then convert it, though the conversion ratio isn't 1:1 anymore—it’s closer to 3:2.
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The move to Xbox Game Pass Core games was a smart play by Microsoft to simplify their brand. It turned a boring "online access" fee into a "mini-Netflix for games." It’s not perfect, and the loss of permanent game ownership sucks for collectors, but for the average person who just wants to hop into a match of Fortnite and have a few high-quality backups to play when they're bored, it's a solid evolution of the service.
Go download Slay the Spire first. Trust me. Your free time will disappear, but you won't regret it.