Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can claim three free games right now.
- The games in question are When the Past Was Around (until August 15), Blue Fire (until August 31), and Inertial Drift (until August 31).
- This is thanks to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's Xbox Live Gold benefits, which includes the free Games with Gold games.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have three free games that they can claim at the time of this writing, but the freebies will only be available for a limited time. While most Xbox gamers likely sign up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for its Game Pass games and online multiplayer benefits, the service has also been giving away free games to subscribers on a monthly basis.
This is because Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes all Xbox Live Gold benefits, not just online multiplayer. This means that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes the Xbox free Games with Gold program, giving subscribers a pair of free games every month that's theirs to keep as long as they claim them within the specified window and stay subscribed to Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate.
The Xbox free Games with Gold games for August 2023 are Blue Fire and Inertial Drift, both of which are available to claim from now until August 31. There's also a leftover game from the Xbox free Games with Gold games for July 2023 lineup, meaning Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have until August 15 to snag When the Past Was Around. None of these games were particularly popular when they first released, but Blue Fire could appeal to those looking for a challenging 3D platformer to play, and Inertial Drift and When the Past Was Around both earned mostly positive reviews when it first launched.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Free Games Right Now
- When the Past Was Around (until August 15)
- Blue Fire (until August 31)
- Inertial Drift (until August 31)
It should be noted that these will be the final free games given away to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. After years of neglecting the service in favor of Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has officially announced the end of Xbox Live Gold. Starting in September, Xbox Live Gold will become Xbox Game Pass Core, and the monthly free Games with Gold games will be going away with this change.
Anyone signed up for Xbox Game Pass Core can expect this new tier of the Xbox Game Pass service to provide mostly the same benefits as Xbox Live Gold, like online multiplayer and exclusive deals, but instead of free games, they will be able to choose from a selection of Game Pass titles. These titles could potentially be rotated out of availability, so fans should keep that in mind.
For now, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can grab Blue Fire, Inertial Drift, and When the Past Was Around for their digital libraries.