Games for Windows Live (which is officially known as "Games for Windows - LIVE") offers two tiers of service--Silver and Gold--similar to Xbox Live; in fact, subscriptions between the two different platform versions of Live are shared, so users with an existing Xbox Live Gold accounts can use Games for Windows Live's Gold-level services. Users of either tier of Games for Windows Live will receive a gamertag, gamerscore, and profile; voice chat capabilities; single-player Achievements; and friends list functionality. The friends list will track users across both platforms.

Unlike Xbox Live Silver, the free Games for Windows Live Silver membership level also includes online multiplayer through a server browser system. Upgrading to Gold, which runs $49.99 per year or $6.99 per month, will grant players access to multiplayer matchmaking, multiplayer Achievements, and cross-platform multiplayer in supported games.

Currently, the only games announced for Games for Windows Live are Halo 2, Shadowrun, and Uno. Microsoft's press release refers to these titles as the "first wave" of games that will support the service.