Xbox Game PassUltimate and Xbox Live Gold subscribers will have a chance to try out a lineup of three sports games and one racing game this weekend free of charge. Several times a month Xbox's Free Play Days program gives gamers windows of time to try out specific games over a weekend. Titles like Remedy Entertainment's Control, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and the parkour-infused cyberpunk game Ghostrunner have graced the program in recent weeks. More than just simple demos, this program gives players access to the full game for the entire availability window.
As with many subscription services in 2023, the price of Game Pass is also on the rise. It's recently been announced that the base Game Pass price will be increased by a dollar, while Ultimate is being raised by $2. While this may be unpleasant for many subscribers, Game Pass is still an incredibly valuable service and perks such as Free Play Days only work to support the service's status as the best value in gaming, at least in regards to the Ultimate tier.
Starting on July 6 to July 9, Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can download and try UFC 4 and Ubisoft's open world racer The Crew 2 at no additional cost. Those who are signed up for Xbox Live Gold will be pleased to know that MLB The Show 23 (which is already available through Game Pass) lineup until July 12. The freshly released Super Mega Baseball 4 will also be available until July 13. After these free windows end, players will have the option to purchase these games at a discount and retain all achievement and gamerscore progress.
With Ubisoft's newly announced Forza Horizon-inspiredThe Crew: Motorfest just around the corner in September, this is a great opportunity for gamers to give Ubisoft's racing franchise a whirl with The Crew 2. As the only non-sports title in this weekend's Free Play Days lineup, the ongoing shared-world racing title could see a small boost in its playerbase toward the end of its five-year lifecycle.
While this is great for Ultimate subscribers, some may be disappointed that base Game Pass users aren't included. As changes to Game Pass' pricing take place, it will be interesting to see if the benefits to the various tiers are shaken up at all.
Source: Xbox Wire