GoldenEye 007 Remaster Won’t Be Free If You Physically Own Rare Replay

The GoldenEye 007 Remaster is finally available for all Xbox owners. While it was previously stated that the remaster would be available for all players who owned a copy of Rare Replay, complaints have been made from players that the game will not update for those who have a physical Rare Replay copy. 

In response, Rare themselves made an announcement on Twitter stating that GoldenEye 007 will not available to players who physically own the Rare Replay collection and only be available for those who own either a digital copy or got it via Xbox Game Pass. 

Due to differences between physical and digital licences, we could only add the GoldenEye 007 entitlement for owners of a Rare Replay digital copy. Buying it digitally or subscribing to Xbox Game Pass will both give you access to the game! Apologies for any disappointment caused.

— Rare Ltd. (@RareLtd) January 27, 2023

This comes off as a huge disappointment for anyone who owned the physical copy of Rare’s iconic collection, as it is consistently touted as one of the best all-in-one packages of a beloved studio’s legacy, as well as one of the best releases on the Xbox One.

After an insanely long period of secrecy that led to it eventually becoming one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry, the remaster was finally announced on last year’s September Nintendo Direct.

The GoldenEye 007 Remaster released today, the remaster offers a number of improvements over the original title with improved split-screen multiplayer, better framerates, achievements, 4K resolution, and a much smoother framerate. 

Alongside the remaster on Xbox, the original version of GoldenEye 007 was simultaneously released on the Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo Switch Online service. 

GoldenEye 007 is one of the most important games of all time, with a legacy spanning multiple decades. The game sits alongside icons like Half-Life and Halo Combat Evolved as one of the pioneers of the FPS genre. 

The remaster is a potentially great way to re-experience a game that, up till now, could only be played via a Nintendo 64 or PC emulation. However, it’s unfortunate how its distribution has been handled.