Free-to-play games are one step closer to not needing Xbox Live Gold

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What you need to know

Xbox Beta Insiders can now play free-to-play multiplayer games without an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
Microsoft promised that it would remove the paywall for free-to-play games back in January.
Microsoft began testing the removal of the paywall with Xbox Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead rings last week.

Without the requirement of an Xbox Live Gold subscription, Xbox Beta Insiders can now play multiplayer free-to-play games and look for Groups and Party Chats.

The Xbox Insider Twitter account announced the news:

Attention Beta #XboxInsiders! Today we're enabling Multiplayer in Free-to-play games, Looking for Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requiring an Xbox Live Gold membership as we flight and test these service changes ahead of general availability.Attention Beta #XboxInsiders! Today we're enabling Multiplayer in Free-to-play games, Looking for Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requiring an Xbox Live Gold membership as we flight and test these service changes ahead of general availability.— Xbox Insider (@xboxinsider) March 29, 2021 March 29, 2021

Microsoft first announced that Xbox Live Gold wouldn't be required for free-to-play multiplayer games back in January. At the time, Microsoft explained that the change would come "as soon as possible in the coming months."

Best of all worlds

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 Month Subscription

Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one

Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over 200 games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends. You also get access to EA Play.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.