Microsoft reveals the first 36 titles in the Xbox Game Pass Core library
Xbox Live Gold will be no more as of tomorrow, September 14. Replacing it is a new tier of Game Pass called Xbox Game Pass Core. It's a different offering to Games with Gold in that there will be a rotating library of a few dozen games, rather than you being able to claim some titles for your collection each month. Xbox has now revealed the initial list of Game Pass Core titles, but the choices may leave some players hoping for more.
The 36 titles you’ll be able to play through Game Pass Core on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S at the jump are:
Among Us
Astroneer
Celeste
Dead Cells
Descenders
Dishonored 2
Doom Eternal Standard Edition
Fable Anniversary
Fallout 4
Fallout 76
Firewatch
Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
Gang Beasts
Gears 5 Game of the Year Edition
Golf with your Friends
Grounded
Halo 5: Guardians
Halo Wars 2
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Human Fall Flat
Inside
Limbo
Ori & the Will of the Wisps
Overcooked! 2
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition
Powerwash Simulator
Psychonauts 2
Slay the Spire
Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
Stardew Valley
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
Superliminal
The Elder Scrolls Online
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Unpacking
Vampire Survivors
There are more than a few great games on that list, from Vampire Survivors and Celeste to Doom Eternal and Dishonored 2. Game Pass Core might be worth $60 per year for those who haven’t played many of those before. But it’s hard to make the case that this is the most exciting selection Microsoft could have come up with for this base version of Game Pass. The company says it plans to update the list two or three times per year, so there may be a three- to six month wait until Microsoft refreshes the library.
There are other features of Game Pass Core that could prompt people to subscribe or remain a member, most notably the fact the service is required to play many multiplayer games on Xbox. For instance, you won’t be able to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III with friends on your Xbox without at least a Game Pass Core membership.