As the company continually mulls over new ways to increase the value of the Xbox platform, Microsoft has now introduced a much-requested means of playing online games without the need for Xbox Live Gold membership. Starting today, all free-to-play games available on the platform – such as Fortnite, Rocket League, and Apex Legends – are now available to play without the monthly service, putting to bed the paid requirement after several years of rivals Sony and Nintendo allowing the same on their respective platforms.

Free-to-play now means free-to-play.

Starting now, all Xbox players can access these free-to-play games with or without an Xbox Live Gold subscription: https://t.co/krFop3Qkg6 pic.twitter.com/CVbRK2hpus

— Xbox (@Xbox) April 21, 2021

As detailed in a new Xbox Wire post, “over 50” titles are currently supported under this new measure, which was finally put in place after a significant testing period as well as immense feedback from fans. The latter memorably kicked off back in January when Microsoft backtracked its planned changes to Xbox Live Gold, which would have increased membership costs without adding anything to the long-standing service’s offerings. However, the company very quickly reversed course and began developing this latest exemption for free-to-play online titles.

Alongside the announcement, Microsoft rolled out a list of 67 supported games (seen below), with the promise of even more titles as they’re added to the Xbox platform. As per Xbox’s FAQ, Xbox Live Gold will no longer be required for free-to-play experiences, nor the variety of free demos available for download. However, it should’ve noted that some content will still need Gold to function online, with the likes of Free To Play Weekends and “$0 sale offers” still falling under the premium subscription.

Xbox Live Gold Free-To-Play Games

• 3on3 FreeStyle
• Aegis Wing
• APB Reloaded
• Apex Legends
• Armored Warfare
• Battle Islands: Commanders
• Bless Unleashed
• Brawlhalla
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Crackdown
• Crackdown 2
• Crimson Alliance
• Crossout
• CRSED: F.O.A.D.
• Darwin Project
• Dauntless
• DC Universe Online
• Dead or Alive 5 Last Round: Core Fighters
• Dead or Alive 6: Core Fighters
• Defiance 2050
• Destiny 2
• Doritos Crash Course
• Dungeon Defenders II
• Enlisted
• Eternal Card Game
• Family Game Night
• Fishing Planet
• Fortnite
• Galaxy Control: Arena
• Happy Wars
• Harm’s Way
• Hawken
• Hyper Scape
• Killer Instinct
• Korgan
• Minion Masters
• Neverwinter
• Outriders (Demo)
• Paladins
• Path of Exile
• Phantasy Star Online 2
• Phantom Dust
• Pinball FX2
• Prominence Poker
• Realm Royale
• Rec Room
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
• ROBLOX
• Rocket League
• Rogue Company
• Skyforge
• SMITE
• Spacelords
• Spellbreak
• Star Trek Online
• Techwars Global Conflict
• TERA
• The Four Kings Casino and Slots
• Too Human
• Trove
• Vigor
• War Thunder
• Warface
• Warframe
• World of Tanks
• World of Warships: Legends
• Yaris

While there are a few admitted caveats, this new update to Xbox Live Gold is sure to be a hit with players, especially as the feature has been requested for so many years at this point. The move is also an undoubted means to deprioritize Gold in favor of Xbox Game Pass, which has seen a considerable rise in profile as it has effectively become Microsoft’s premier subscription service over the last several months. Though Xbox Live won’t likely disappear anytime soon, allowing free-to-play games to fly free from the service does appear to be a step in that direction.

We’re happy to help more people play these games!

— Xbox (@Xbox) April 21, 2021

What do you think? Are you glad to see free-to-play online games enabled outside of Xbox Live Gold, or are you just in it for the monthly freebies at this point? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more Xbox headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

• Xbox Game Pass For PC: All Titles Confirmed So Far (UPDATED)
• Discord Reportedly Ends Talks With Microsoft About Acquisition
• Xbox Cloud Gaming Beta For PC And iOS Devices Starts Soon

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