Skip to main content

Power on that Xbox One for Microsoft’s October 2017 Games with Gold

Xbox - October 2017 Games with Gold
It’s that time of the month again, Microsoft has announced the latest free titles as part of the Games with Gold service. October is already a busy month for games with
Recommended Videos
Forza Motorsport 7, The Evil Within 2, South Park, and Wolfenstein 2. It’s even worse if you own a Nintendo Switch and plan to pick up Super Mario Odyssey. For a lot of gamers, their wallets are going to be running on empty, so free games are just what the doctor ordered.

Starting on October 1, Xbox One owners can dig into the critically acclaimed, first-person adventure game Gone Home. After a year abroad, Katie returns to find none of her family home. As players move her throughout the house, they can interact with keepsakes and photographs to uncover the mystery. The heartfelt narrative tells a story of love, heartbreak, and growth. Developer The Fullbright Company went on to release Tacoma, another narrative-focused game that takes place on a space station.

For the Xbox 360, and Xbox One through backward compatibility, Rayman 3 HD will help lighten the mood. This charming 3D platformer has players fighting an army of Hoodlums led by the Black Lum, Andre. Remastered visuals and updated audio make this the best way to enjoy some of the wackier moments of Ubisoft’s history.

Halfway through the month, gamers with an Xbox One gain access to The Turing Test, another narrative-focused game, but with first-person puzzle mechanics. Set on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, players must use an Energy Manipulation Tool to transfer power from machines to structures and back again.

Once again for Xbox 360, players can get a taste of some action with Medal of Honor: Airborne. From the moment the character jumps out of the plane, players take control. After navigating to the desired insertion point, players must navigate through villages and towns as they fight enemies on rooftops, balconies, and other ruins. Customizable weapons and free-roaming objectives make this a fun shooter to come back to.

Each month of Games with Gold brings new free games for Xbox owners. For those who may have forgotten about September’s titles, there are only a few days left to pick them up.

Garrett Hulfish
Garrett is the kind of guy who tells you about all the tech you haven't heard of yet. He also knows too much about other…
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (November 1-3)
xbox game pass recommendations november 1 throne and liberty

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a monumental addition to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate last week, so no week of additions to the service will live up to that for a while. Still, that didn't stop some more games from trickling onto Microsoft's subscription service in the wake of the latest Call of Duty. In fact, the games that came to the service were quite good. If you're wondering what you should be checking out next as a Game Pass subscriber after you're done with Black Ops 6, consider trying one of these games.
Ashen
ASHEN | Gamescom 2018 Gameplay

In July, A44 released Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, and it was part of Xbox Game Pass from day one. Now, the studio has brought its previous Soulslike to the subscription service. Originally released in 2018, Ashen stood out from the crowd at the time thanks to its distinct, grayish cel-shaded look and open-world design years before Elden Ring came out. Ashen still stands as one of the best indie Soulslikes ever released, so those who have never played it before should give it a shot now that it's on Xbox Game Pass. It'll also make for an enjoyable Game Pass Soulslike double-feature with Flintlock.

Read more
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (October 25-27)
A player holds a dead player as a body shield in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

It's Call of Duty week on Xbox Game Pass. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched today, and from day one, it's a part of Game Pass Ultimate's game catalog. It's one of the big payoffs of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Depending on how it performs, it may be one of the most important games to ever come to the subscription service. On top of that, other Call of Duty games finally got Xbox Cloud Gaming support, which required collaboration with Ubisoft because of certain concessions made during the Activision Blizzard acquisition process. If you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber wondering what you should play this weekend, the obvious answer is Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Global Launch Gameplay Trailer

After four years, the Call of Duty: Black Ops series has made its grand return. It brings the series' story to the 1990s with a spy-movie-like campaign that sees players investigate a secret, nefarious organization that has infiltrated the American government. While the campaign alone is reason enough to check out the new Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass, Black Ops 6 also features meaty multiplayer and Zombies modes. Multiplayer is as exhilarating as ever, with an emphasis being placed on an "omnimovement" system that allows players to dive, roll, and dodge enemies with a lot more freedom than they could before. Meanwhile, Zombies mode finds a solid balance between old and new mechanics. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available via PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. It's also on PS4 and PS5.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III technically came to the subscription service in July but was restricted to PC and console play. Now, alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare III is playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. This was a lesser entry in the series with a disappointing campaign, but if you're looking for another premium Call of Duty game to try after playing lots of Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare III is the only other one on the service. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It's also on PS4 and PS5.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Finally, Call of Duty: Warzone also comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today. This free-to-play battle royale title doesn't require any sort of subscription to play normally, but Game Pass subscribers now have the benefit of not needing to be tethered down by specific hardware. So far, there aren't any other additional in-game perks for Game Pass subscribers, but hopefully Warzone will follow Overwatch 2's lead and add some soon enough. If you aren't using Xbox Cloud Gaming, Call of Duty: Warzone is playable on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Read more
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (October 18-20)
South Park The Fractured But Whole

While the first half of October was fairly light on new Xbox Game Pass additions, the back half of the month is a lot more exciting. Of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the month's biggest release, but that's still a week away. Meanwhile, this week saw two great RPGs and an excellent indie game hit Microsoft's subscription service. If you're wondering what you should be playing this weekend, all three of these new Xbox Game Pass additions are worthy of your time.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
South Park: The Fractured But Whole Gameplay Trailer - Gamescom 2016

While this year's South Park: Snow Day was a disappointment, the two Ubisoft-published games that preceded it narratively are stellar. One of those, the superhero-themed South Park: The Fractured But Whole, just came to Xbox Game Pass. This game perfectly captures the handcrafted look of the show with its art and the franchise's crass humor through its increasingly ridiculous story about Cartman, a new kid, and their other friends pretending to be superheroes. It's a surprisingly well-made grid-based tactical RPG, making it a significantly better game than it may seem on the surface.

Read more