Microsoft is retiring Xbox Live, Antstream brings 1,300 emulated games to Xbox, Ridiculous Fishing lands on Apple Arcade.

Xbox Game Pass Core replaces Xbox Live Gold

Xbox Live, the service that Microsoft initiated in 2002, is wrapping up in September as Xbox Live Gold is replaced with Xbox Game Pass Core.

The move puts all of the Xbox subscriptions into the Game Pass bucket as of September 14, 2023.

Existing Xbox Live Gold subscribers will automatically be transferred to Game Pass Core as the cost is the same: $12 a month or $70 a year.

Game Pass Core provides access to multiplayer gaming and a curated list of more than 25 games from the larger Game Pass library. Titles available on September 14 include Among Us, Dishonored 2, Gears 5, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and Psychonauts 2.

Game Pass Console gives subscribers access to the entire library, but no multiplayer access. To have it all, you’re looking for Game Pass Ultimate, which is $19 a month or $226 a year.

Xbox Game Pass subscription plans

Core
25+ games, multiplayer access
$12 a month or $70 a year

Console
100s of games, no multiplayer access
$13 a month or $156 a year

PC
100s of games, multiplayer access
$12 a month or $144 a year

Ultimate
All of the above
$19 a month or $226 a year

Antstream Arcade launches on Xbox Series consoles

A new game streaming service has launched on Xbox Series X/S consoles that brings with it more than 1,300 games.

The Antstream Arcade catalogue includes games from systems like Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari 8-Bit and Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, Nintendo NES and SNES, and also arcade titles like Asteroids, Joust, Metal Slug, and Pac-Man. Many of these are games that have never been playable on an Xbox console before now.

(See the full games list.)

You also get classic game leaderboards and the opportunity to compete in daily tournaments.

Through Xbox you can get a full year of access for $43 Cdn or you can lock down a lifetime pass for $124.

You can also get Antstream on macOS and Windows systems and you can play through a browser on any computer.

Ridiculous Fishing EX comes to Apple Arcade

One of the funnest mobile games created, Ridiculous Fishing, is now available to play for free with an Apple Arcade subscription ($6 a month and also available with an Apple One bundle).

Ridiculous Fishing EX is actually an updated version of the game from Vlambeer that has you sinking a line as deep into the ocean as possible by avoiding the creatures, and then catching those same creatures as your line retracts. It culminates in a shooting gallery, with you earning cash for every creature you blast from the sky.

The new version of the game introduces a competitive mode and challenges and leaderboards.