Xbox Games with Gold is ditching Xbox 360 support TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Xbox Games with Gold is ditching Xbox 360 support By Rhys Wood published 6 July 2022 An inevitability? (Image credit: Xbox) Audio player loading… Xbox Games with Gold is about to get a lot better. Or a lot worse, depending on how much you like Xbox 360 games. Both Xbox Series XS and Xbox One consoles are backwards compatible with older Xbox games. As such, users with an Xbox Live Gold subscription have been able to download Xbox 360 games each month as part of the Games with Gold monthly lineup. But that's about to change. A user on the r/Games subreddit posted an official Microsoft email (opens in new tab) that confirms Games with Gold's Xbox 360 support is ending this October. The email states that Xbox Live Gold users (or those who get its benefits as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription tier) will stop seeing Xbox 360 games on the monthly service from October 1. The reason being that the company has "reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalog." (Image credit: Microsoft) It's not all bad news, though. In the same email, Microsoft confirmed that Games with Gold will continue running. Albeit with more Xbox One games to replace the 360 omissions. Additionally, come October 1, you won't lose access to any Xbox 360 games you've downloaded via Games with Gold. If you've downloaded them even once, they're yours to keep for good. The shot in the arm Games with Gold needed Xbox's Games with Gold has been a controversial service for some time now. Many have felt that the monthly offerings are severely lacking in comparison to the vast and evolving library offered by Xbox Game Pass. Not to mention those offered on rival subscriptions like PS Plus and Nintendo Switch Online. Microsoft's comment about reaching the limit of available Xbox 360 games checks out, too. Last year, the tech giant added over 70 titles via backwards compatibility. And even back then, the company was adamant about that being the extent of their efforts. I think removing Xbox 360 games from Games with Gold is for the best. While plenty of great 360 games have appeared on the service, their presence does have the unfortunate effect of making it look a bit dated. Swapping older games out for more recent Xbox One titles should help to modernize Games with Gold, at least a little. Ultimately, Games with Gold is still somewhat anomalous among Xbox's various subscription tiers. Xbox Game Pass achieves the same goal of providing downloadable games on a regular basis, and many of them are day one releases. Games with Gold feels like a relic in comparison. So much so that I wouldn't be surprised if the service eventually becomes fully absorbed into the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem somewhere down the line.We interviewed Xbox Series X's dev chief on backwards compatibility Rhys WoodHardware WriterRhys is Hardware Writer for TechRadar Gaming, and while relatively fresh to the role, he's been writing in a professional capacity for years. A Media, Writing and Production graduate, Rhys has prior experience creating written content for app developers, IT firms, toy sellers and the main TechRadar site. His true passions, though, lie in video games, TV, audio and home entertainment. When Rhys isn't on the clock, you'll usually find him logged into Final Fantasy 14, Halo Infinite or Sea of Thieves. See more Gaming news TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1My days as a helpful meat shield are over, thanks to the Killer Klown horror game2One of the world's most popular programming languages is coming to Linux3It looks like Fallout's spiritual successor is getting a PS5 remaster4I tried the weirdest-looking Bluetooth speaker in the world, and I utterly adore it5You may not have to sell a body part to afford the Nvidia RTX 4090 after all1We finally know what 'Wi-Fi' stands for - and it's not what you think2Dreamforce 2022 live: All the announcements from this year's show3Google's new AI lets you turn words into HD videos4'Go small or go home': HTC teases a new Vive VR headset5She-Hulk episode 8 just confirmed Netflix's Daredevil TV show is canon in the MCU Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)