Xbox Live ‘Games with Gold’ free titles arrive 1st and 16th of every month

By Michael Rougeau June 21, 2013

Fable 3 screen — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The free “Games with Gold” that Microsoft offers to Xbox Live Gold subscribers will arrive on the 1st and 16th of every month between now and December 31, 2013, Microsoft revealed on Xbox.com. There are no plans to continue the program after the end of this year, though that doesn’t mean it won’t. The current offering is Fable 3, which is available as a free download to Gold subscribers until the end of this month.

Microsoft shared news of the Games with Gold promotion during its E3 press conference while speaking briefly about ongoing support for the Xbox 360. It isn’t clear yet what July’s two free games will be, though we learned during the presser that Assassin’s Creed 2 and Halo 3 will be included in the program. The free games could help Microsoft compete with Sony and its PlayStation Plus program, which gives subscribers multiple free games every month under the “Instant Game Collection” heading.

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Michael Rougeau

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…

Gaming

Final Xbox Live Gold games include a free hidden gem worth downloading

Blue Fire's main character runs on a wall.

Microsoft revealed the final two games that will be available for free as part of the Games with Gold program for Xbox Live Gold. The service isn't really going out with a bang, but one of the games is a solid Souls-inspired indie platformer that's worth a download as Games with Gold's swan song.

The two games Microsoft will give away are Level 91 Entertainment's Inertial Drift and Robi Studios' Blue Fire. Inertial Drift is a vibrant, neon-infused arcade racer with unique twin-stick controls that players have to master in order to steer and drift properly. Racing game fans should get a kick out of it, but the game to really care about in this final batch is Blue Fire.
Blue Fire is a 3D platformer, but it takes more inspiration from the likes of Dark Souls and Hollow Knight than Super Mario 64. While it's a pretty fast-paced platformer with a satisfying dash move at its core, it makes players platform through pretty dark and moody settings that interconnect like Dark Souls areas do. The game also sometimes places emphasis on combat, which is usually a bad sign in platformers, fights can actually sometimes be pretty tough and satisfying in Blue Fire.

Gaming

Your Xbox Live Gold subscription will turn into Xbox Game Pass Core this September

Microsoft finally made the decision to move on from its monthly online-access subscription service Xbox Live Gold. On September 14, Xbox Live Gold will transform into Xbox Game Pass Core, with current Gold subscribers automatically gaining a Game Pass Core subscription.

An Xbox Live subscription tied to online play has existed in some form since Xbox Live launched in 2002, but Xbox Live Gold as we now know it truly came into form in July 2013 when Microsoft started the Games with Gold program that gave subscribers free games each month in addition to that online access. Although Microsoft rolled back some online restrictions in 2021, Games with Gold continues to this day. That will all end when Game Pass Core launches.

Gaming

You can get a month of Xbox Game Pass for $1 right now

A Samsung TV shows the Xbox Game Pass app that comes in the Samsung Gaming Hub.

If you aren't currently signed up for Xbox Game Pass, you can currently get your first month for $1. The deal only applies to Game Pass Ultimate and its PC version, though, as the console-only version is still at its full price.

Early in the Xbox Game Pass era, Microsoft would offer $1 onboarding deals for the service. The trick helped the company build a massive user base early on, but it has moved away from that cheap deal in recent years as the service has become a household name with gamers. It's finally available again for anyone who's been waiting for a reason to subscribe, though it's not as eye-popping a deal as it once was.