You may have noticed that Polygon did not conduct an analysis of the Xbox Live program Games With Gold in 2022, as it did for PlayStation Plus Essential. In all honesty, it’s because expectations are so low now for this catalog – and Microsoft doesn’t seem keen on exceeding them – that it’s just not worth it.
Packing these games, most of which were small titles that were largely anonymous when they launched or launched a decade ago, seems cumulative and even mean – if not unfair to their developers. Also, it’s not as if subscribers are really enticed into paying for something they don’t use. Xbox Live Gold, after all, pioneered the idea of paid online multiplayer access 17 years ago with the introduction of the Xbox 360. Unless you’re interested in paying for online multiplayer, it’s unlikely that Games With Gold alone will change your mind.
We’ve devoted tons of text to explain that the real value lies in an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which at $14.99 per month is $3 less than PlayStation Plus’ new, top tier. Game Pass’s curated library and commitment to day-and-date launches, particularly for Xbox’s first-party games, make it a far stronger option for a large library of open-access games.
One of the reasons we do these year-end subscription analytics is to compliment a well-chosen library, or get a platform owner to do better. Xbox Live Games With Gold has shown over the past three years that there isn’t much opportunity for either. The end of Xbox 360 game availability at Games With Gold, reducing the monthly deals to two titles, doesn’t make us optimistic that’s going to change either.
All in all, the record should reflect that Xbox Live Games With Gold subscribers got access to 42 titles in 2022 with a suggested retail price of $712.58.
