How to Play on Xbox Live for Free

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to obtain a temporary Xbox LIVE subscription for free. You can do this by earning 7000 points through Microsoft Rewards, by signing up for a free trial with a new gamertag, or by entering the code from a two- or three-day subscription card that you'll find in some brand-new or pre-ordered games.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using Microsoft Rewards

1
Open the Bing website. Go to https://www.bing.com/.
2
Sign into your Xbox LIVE Microsoft account. Click Sign in in the top-right corner of the page, click Connect to the right of the Microsoft logo, and enter your Microsoft email address and password.
- If you don't have an Xbox LIVE account, create one first.
- You must have a Microsoft account to sign up for Microsoft Rewards.
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3
Click the "Rewards" icon. It's the red medal icon in the upper-right side of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
4
Click Join Now. This blue button is in the bottom-left corner of the drop-down menu. Doing so takes you to the Microsoft Rewards page.
5
Click Try it now, free!. It's an orange button at the top of the page.
6
Enter your email address and password if prompted. Doing so will take you to the Microsoft Rewards page. You're now signed up for rewards.
- Skip this step if you aren't asked to log in again.
7
Use Bing to search. Instead of using Google or Yahoo search, use Bing. You'll receive five points for each search.
- There is a limit to how many searches you can perform, but it varies depending on the available challenges. Keep an eye on your points while searching to make sure that you're still earning them.
- You can search on multiple browsers to earn points after you hit the limit on one browser.
- You can change your browser's search engine to have it use Bing if you'd like to search with Bing by default.
8
Redeem achievement rewards. Click the "Rewards" icon, then click Claim below any notification offering you points. This will add the points to your overall total.
- You'll also see challenges that you can participate in here.
9
Earn 7000 points. Once you earn 7000 points through searches, challenges, and rewards, you can use them to purchase a month of Xbox LIVE.
10
Go to the Xbox LIVE membership reward page. This is where you'll claim your free month of Xbox LIVE.
11
Click Redeem. It's below the Xbox LIVE gift card image.
12
Click CONFIRM ORDER when prompted. After doing so, Microsoft will send an email to your account with your Xbox LIVE code.
- You may first have to enter your phone number and then enter a code that Microsoft will send to your number.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using a Free Trial

1
Sign into the Xbox LIVE site. Go to https://www.xbox.com/en-US/live and sign in with your Xbox Silver account. This must be a Microsoft account.
- This method will only work if you've never had Xbox LIVE on your account. If you've had Xbox LIVE before, you'll need to create a new Microsoft account.
- You also cannot use the same phone number that you've used for other Microsoft accounts before.
2
Click your profile picture. It's in the top-right corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
3
Click Microsoft account. This option is near the top of the drop-down menu.
4
Click Services & subscriptions. It's a tab in the blue ribbon at the top of the page.
5
Click Try Xbox Live Gold for free. This link is below the "Xbox" heading. Doing so will take you to a membership selection page.
- If you see Join Xbox Live Gold here, you can't use a free trial on your current account.
6
Make sure that Gold - 1 Month FREE Trial is checked. It should be the top option on this page.
7
Click Next. This green button is in the bottom-right corner of the page.
8
Sign into your account if prompted. You may be asked to enter your email address and password again to confirm that you want to add this subscription to your account.
- You may also be asked to verify your account. If so, enter the phone number at which you want to receive the verification text, click Send code, open the text from Microsoft and note the code, and then enter the code into the field on this page.
9
Add payment information. This will usually consist of entering a card's number, security code, name, expiration date, and ZIP code. You won't be charged for anything until the following month when your Xbox LIVE subscription automatically renews for $9.99.
- You can cancel your subscription at any time to prevent it from auto-renewing at the end of the free trial.
10
Click Continue. It's in the bottom-left corner of the page. This will save your card information and add the month of free Xbox LIVE to your account.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using a Free Trial Code on Xbox One

1
Find your free trial code. Some games come with a two- or three-day free trial code card in the packaging. You can enter the code on the card into your Xbox One's Settings to redeem your free play days.
2
Turn on your Xbox One with a connected controller. Press and hold the "Guide" button, which is the Xbox logo in the middle of the controller. This will turn on both the Xbox and the controller.
3
Make sure that you're signed into the right account. Press the "Guide" button, then scroll up to the top of the Guide menu. If you see the correct profile, you're good to go.
- If you see a different profile than the one to which you want to apply the free trial, select the account, scroll down and select Sign out, and then re-open the Guide menu and sign in with the correct account.
4
Open Settings
. Scroll down to select the gear-shaped Settings icon, then press A.
- If you had to sign into a different account, first press the "Guide" button again.
5
Select All settings and press A. This will open the Settings menu.
6
Select the Account tab and press A. It's on the left side of the screen.
7
Select Subscriptions and press A. You'll find this option in the bottom row of options here.
8
Select Learn about Gold and press A. It's in the middle of the screen.
- If you've used Gold on this account before, you'll just select the Xbox Live Gold option.
9
Select Use a code and press A. Doing so will open a window for you to enter your code.
- If you've used Gold before, you'll select Change the way you pay and press A, then select Redeem a code and press A.
10
Enter the card's code. Press A to select the text field, then use the on-screen keyboard to type in the code.
11
Press the ☰ button. It's below and to the right of the "Guide" button. This will apply the code and the accompanying free play time to your Microsoft account.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using a Free Trial Code on Xbox 360

1
Find your free trial code. Some games come with a two- or three-day free trial code card in the packaging. You can enter the code on the card into your Xbox 360's Settings to redeem your free play days.
2
Turn on your Xbox 360 using a connected controller. Press and hold the "Guide" button, which is the Xbox logo in the middle of the controller. This will turn on both the Xbox and the controller.
3
Make sure that you're signed into the right account. Press the "Guide" button, then look at the name on the left side of the Guide window. If it belongs to the account that you want to use, you're good to go.
- If you're signed into the wrong account, press X, select Yes, press X again, and select the correct account.
4
Close the Guide window. Press the "Guide" button once to do so.
5
Scroll over to the settings tab. It's on the far-right side of the Xbox 360 menu. Press the RB button seven times to navigate to this tab.
6
Select Account and press A. You'll find this option in the bottom row of settings.
7
Select Redeem Code and press A. It's at the top of the "Your Billing Options" window.
8
Enter your card's code. Type the card's code into the text field using the on-screen keyboard.
9
Press ▷ START. This button is to the right of the "Guide" button. Doing so will enter your card code and apply the free Gold days to your account.
- You may have to restart your Xbox 360 for your account to recognize the Gold.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I play movies from my phone on my Xbox 360?

Community Answer

If the movie is on YouTube, simply find the movie from the YouTube app on the Xbox 360. If the movie is a local file, you will need to put the file on a USB stick formatted to be read by the Xbox 360 and then insert the USB stick into your Xbox 360.
Question

How do I download Roblox on a normal XBox?

Community Answer

You can do this only on an Xbox One or above. You need to go to the store and search Roblox. Then install it.
Question

Does this work everywhere?

Community Answer

Microsoft Rewards is only available in the USA, UK, Germany, and Australia. It does not work elsewhere.

Warnings

Using any online service to play on Xbox LIVE without paying will get your account permanently banned from Xbox LIVE.

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