Gaming Gaming Services 85 85 people found this article helpful What Is Xbox Live? The subscription service offers more than just games by Eric Qualls Writer Former Lifewire writer Eric Qualls has been covering the Xbox line of consoles and Xbox games since August 2004. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Eric Qualls Updated on February 17, 2020 Xbox Buyer's Guide Xbox Buyer's Guide Introduction Xbox Basics Best Xbox 360 Console For You Xbox Basics The Original Xbox One Xbox Family Settings What Is Xbox Live? How Much Does Xbox Live Cost? What is Xbox Live Gold? Buying Xbox Live Gold Xbox One Console Bundles Xbox One Exclusives Best Xbox One Games The Best Xbox One Games The Best Xbox One X Games Best Multiplayer Xbox One Games Best First-Person Shooter Games Best Xbox One RPGs Best Xbox One War Games Best Xbox One Kids Games Best Xbox One Sports Games Best Split-Screen Xbox One Games Best Xbox One Fantasy Games Best Co-Op Games on Xbox One Best Xbox One Racing Games Best Xbox One Zombie Games Best Open-World Xbox One Games Best Xbox One Strategy Games Best Xbox One Puzzle Games Best Xbox 360 Games Best Xbox 360 Games By Genre Best Xbox 360 Kinect Games Best Xbox 360 Games Best Xbox 360 Local Multiplayer Games Best Xbox 360 RPGs Best Xbox 360 First-Person Shooters Best Xbox 360 Fighting Games Best Kids Xbox 360 & Kinect Games Xbox Essentials Best Xbox One Accessories Best Xbox One Headsets Best Xbox Controllers Best Xbox One Apps Xbox Reviews Xbox One Elite Controller Review Xbox One Energizer Charging System Review Xbox One S Controller Review Xbox One X Review Xbox One Chatpad Review Microsoft Tweet Share Email Xbox Live is Microsoft's online service for gaming and content distribution for the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One video game systems. It lets you play games against other people online as well as download demos, trailers, and even full games in the Xbox Live Arcade. You get to choose a nickname (called a Gamertag) which is how you're known to other people in any games you play. You can keep friends lists to stay in touch with real-life friends or new people you meet online you like to play with. Xbox Live is a subscription-based service that can be purchased for one month, three-month, and one-year periods. You can either buy subscription cards at retail stores or you can use your credit card on the console itself to sign up. You need an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, as well as a broadband internet service provider, to use it. Xbox Live on the original Xbox console is no longer available. There are two levels of service. The free level lets you download things from the Xbox Live Marketplace; chat with friends; use apps such as Netflix, WWE Network, ESPN, and many others; and share your gamer profile with other users. You can't play games online, though. The Xbox Live Gold Level is a paid service and gives you all of the Silver level benefits along with the ability to play games online. Xbox Live Subscription and Gift Cards Buying things on Xbox One (and Xbox 360 now) is done in good ol' local currency, so no more trying to figure out how much 800 Microsoft Points really costs. If you see a game priced at $10, it costs $10, which is much simpler. This means that instead of buying Microsoft Points at retailers, you can now buy Microsoft Gift Cards in various amounts. You can also buy Xbox Live Gold subscription cards at retailers. PayPal We highly recommend you use the gift and subscription cards noted above instead of putting your credit card info on your Xbox Live account. Basically, if you don't put your credit card info on your account, there's nothing for hackers to potentially steal. Microsoft has greatly upped the security on Xbox Live accounts over the last few years, so getting hacked isn't as common as it used to be (it was never exactly common, though, just to be clear), but it's better to be safe. You do still have to put some form of payment option into your account, however, and we recommend using PayPal. It offers an extra couple of layers of safety and security on top of what Microsoft already does to keep your information secure. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit