What you need to know
- Xbox Omega Insiders can now play free-to-play games without an Xbox Live subscription.
- With a rollout to Xbox Omega Insiders, that means all Xbox Insiders can play free-to-play games without Xbox Live Gold.
- It's possible that the requirement of having Xbox Live Gold for free-to-play games will end this month.
Microsoft is in the final stages of ending the requirement of having Xbox Live Gold to play free-to-play games on consoles like the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Last night, Microsoft started rolling out an update to Xbox Omega Insiders that removes the requirement for Xbox Live Gold.
We don't have a confirmed date for when the requirement will end for non-Insiders, but it could be as soon as this month. Microsoft is quickly working through the Insider rings when it comes to ending the requirement. A similar update rolled out to Xbox Beta Insiders on March 30, 2021. Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders got the update on March 24, 2021.
Here's Microsoft's description of the latest Omega Ring Insider update:
New Features and Experiences
We have exciting news! Omega users can expect something new coming to their Xbox Update Preview.
- Multiplayer in Free-to-play games, Looking 4 Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requires an Xbox Live Gold membership for Omega users as we flight and test these service changes ahead of general availability.
Subscriptions
- A subset of users can check out a new Subscription Management experience on the console. Check it out under Settings > Account > Subscriptions
Once the requirement ends for general users, people won't have to have Xbox Live Gold to play free-to-play games or to look for Groups and Party Chats.
Some of the best Xbox games are free-to-play games. Once people don't need Xbox Live Gold to play them, those excellent titles will become more accessible.
