Best Free Xbox Games – TheFantasyTimes

Free Xbox Games Comprehensive list you should play this month: Xbox Game Pass has revolutionised the gaming industry by offering a vast library of premium titles at an affordable monthly price, making it a go-to option for gamers.

Consequently, players may overlook the free-to-play games available on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, which have a mixed reputation due to the pay-to-win systems implemented in some games.

However, there are numerous free games that offer great gameplay and enough content to keep gamers engaged for months or even years.

The best free Xbox games are those that don’t limit playability with a paywall, allowing anyone to experience them fully without any financial investment.

Best Free Xbox Games

Despite these principles, some games stand out from the rest in terms of quality and fun factor. Here are the greatest free-to-play games on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

Overwatch 2 is an excellent team-based shooter that is accessible to beginners while also providing enough depth to keep players engaged. While the roster of heroes is not perfect, it is still decent and offers some variety. However, the game’s introduction of a battle pass was controversial and may turn some players off.

The Sims 4 has been around for decades and is now available for free on all platforms, providing hours of entertainment and silliness. While the base game is free, DLC packs are available for purchase, allowing players to invest in the universe if they choose to do so.

Rumbleverse is a unique battle royale game that stands out from others in the genre, as it involves wrestling. The game has stellar fighting mechanics and doesn’t include weapons, allowing players to jump right into the action. While it may lack content, the game’s core mechanics are addictive enough to keep players coming back.

Destiny 2 has seen its fair share of controversy but is still a game worth playing, especially for those jumping in for the first time. Players can boost themselves to a higher Light Level by completing a Legendary story mission, giving them access to end-game content. There is a ton of content to explore, and players can opt to purchase DLC packs to unlock even more story and multiplayer content.

Omega Strikers is a game that takes elements from MOBAs, sports, and brawlers, creating an addictive gameplay loop designed around short play sessions. Focusing on 3v3 matches, the game’s core mechanics are fun enough to justify a download. Depth can be found in the roster of Strikers, as each character has their own strengths and weaknesses.

Warlander is another PvP siege game with a cartoonish aesthetic and simple but enjoyable gameplay. While it has struggled to maintain an audience on Steam, the game is still worth trying, particularly for those who have fond memories of the company’s previous projects. Warlander pits two armies in battles that demand both offensive and defensive plays, with each group’s goal being to attack their enemy’s core while also ensuring their variant remains intact.

Smite is a great alternative to MOBAs like League of Legends and DOTA 2, as it plays much better on a console. The third-person over-the-shoulder perspective is perfect for console gaming, allowing players to aim their abilities better and move easily across the battlefield. With numerous Gods to master, players can fall in love with the game’s mythology and gameplay.

In conclusion, while Xbox Game Pass offers access to premium titles at an affordable price, free-to-play games on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One should not be overlooked. These games offer great gameplay and content, providing hours of entertainment without any financial investment. The greatest free-to-play games on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One are those where playability isn’t limited by a paywall, allowing anyone to experience them fully.

With Xbox Game Pass offering access to premium titles at an affordable monthly price, players might not feel there is much reason to look into the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One’s free-to-play games. These titles have a mixed reputation; while it is true that some games suffer from pay-to-win systems, there are also plenty of free releases that offer great gameplay and enough content to keep people coming back for months, if not years.

The best free Xbox games are those where playability isn’t limited by a paywall, and they can be experienced completely regardless of whether someone invests anything besides their time. Even with both these principles in mind, some games are still better than others in terms of quality and fun factor. That being said, here are the greatest free-to-play games on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

Updated on June 25, 2023 by Mark Sammut: The rise of subscription services such as Game Pass has arguably reduced the allure of free-to-play Xbox games, at least beyond the most high-profile projects. As the whole price model has a negative reputation, these titles can be hard sells if they do not instantly attract positive attention; that said, there are some great free games on Microsoft’s consoles.

Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 should have been an easy homerun. Sure, its predecessor gradually became more divisive as it tried to cater to a more casual audience, but its fundamentals were never anything less than brilliant. And, unsurprisingly, that largely holds true for its free-to-play sequel. Overwatch 2 is among the best team-based shooters on the market, and that includes premium products as well. The gameplay is accessible to beginners while containing more than enough depth to keep them engaged once they come to grips with the basics. While the roster of heroes is not perfect, the selection is still decent and fairly varied.

RELATED: Overwatch 2: Easter Eggs Only Die-Hard Fans Caught

Away from matches, Overwatch 2 is a far more polarizing package. The introduction of a battle pass was and still is arguably the sequel’s most controversial decision, and it is one of the main reasons many long-time fans were against the switch to a free model. Still, if someone is just looking for a fun free Xbox game, Overwatch 2 is not a bad pick.

The Sims 4

After eight years on the scene, EA officially turned The Sims 4 free-to-play in 2022. The base game is currently available on all platforms at no cost, although players interested in the DLC packs will need to buy those separately. The Sims has been around for decades, and the fourth entry is one of the more polarizing entries in the franchise.

Issues aside, The Sims 4 can still provide dozens of hours of entertainment and silliness. Although nothing amazing, the vanilla version presents an accurate representation of the overall package, allowing newcomers to the series to decide whether they want to invest in this universe.

Rumbleverse

During the last few years, battle royale games have been so overrepresented that any new release has an uphill scrabble to conjure enthusiasm. While it might fall within the genre, Rumbleverse very much does its own thing, and that thing is wrestling. 40 players are dropped into a big city and challenged to survive until the end, a process that involves dropkicking opponents into the ocean and jumping off skyscrapers to pull off sick moves.

From the studio behind Killer Instinct, Rumbleverse has stellar fighting mechanics that are immediately understandable and satisfying to execute. Unlike other battle royale games that reward caution, Iron Galaxy’s title opts against the inclusion of weapons, meaning players are ready to go right from the get-go. There is still loot to be discovered, but participants are not helpless until they collect their first drop.

Destiny 2

Although it’s seen its fair share of controversy over the years, Bungie’s Destiny 2 is still running strong today, with a recent expansion and multiple updates to add even more content to its steadily growing world. Players that are just now jumping in for the first time can boost themselves to a higher Light Level by proving they can tackle a Legendary story mission, giving them faster access to some of the end-game content packed within Witch Queen.

There’s a ton to see, unlock, and conquer for fans that are just starting their journey into Destiny 2 and there’s quite a bit that can be enjoyed without spending a dime. Players that to enjoy what they play can then opt into purchasing a pack of DLC content to unlock even more story and multiplayer content.

Omega Strikers

Following a decently successful stint in beta on PC, Omega Strikers eventually made its way to most platforms, including the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. Odyssey Interactive’s game takes elements from MOBAs, sports, and brawlers, blending them together to create an addictive gameplay loop designed around short play sessions. Focusing on 3v3 matches, Omega Strikers launched with only a handful of basic modes like quick play and ranked, so the game is fairly light in content; however, the core mechanics are more than fun enough to justify a download.

RELATED: Omega Strikers: Best Forward Gear, Ranked

Although the gameplay is accessible, depth can be found in the roster of Strikers as they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Similar to something like Rocket League, Omega Strikers could be one of those games that people periodically return to whenever they have 20 minutes to kill and would rather not commit to a single-player title or a battle royale.

Warlander

From the same developer behind Happy Wars, Warlander is another PvP siege game with a cartoonish aesthetic and simple but enjoyable gameplay. Even though it only joined the Xbox ecosystem in May 2023, Warlander‘s longevity is difficult to predict since the title has struggled to maintain an audience on Steam, which could foreshadow its console’s performance. That said, the game has enough positive qualities to warrant a try, particularly by those who have fond memories of the company’s previous projects.

Warlander pits two armies in battles that demand both offensive and defensive plays. Each group’s goal is to attack their enemy’s core while also ensuring their variant remains intact. To try and present a balanced conflict, Warlander splits its battlefield into lanes similar to a MOBA, with each one dictating a player’s role.

Smite

League of Legends is one of the biggest and most engaging MOBAs available on the market, alongside DOTA 2. These two top-down-style PvP releases can be a ton of fun but players won’t be able to enjoy them on Xbox. Instead, players seeking a MOBA experience can download Smite for free on their Xbox console, giving them access to MOBA-inspired access that plays much better on a console than LoL or DOTA 2 would. The third-person over-the-shoulder perspective works insanely well for console, giving players the ability to aim their skill shots and abilities better, while also allowing them to move easily across the battlefield via thumbstick controls.

There are TONS of Gods for characters to try and master, with many available in the free-to-play rotation. Those that fall in love with the mythology and gameplay of Smite can purchase an Ultimate God Pack that will unlock access to all of the available characters (and any future characters) forever.

Halo Infinite (Multiplayer)

In November 2021, Microsoft shocked the world by releasing Halo Infinite‘s multiplayer. While the stellar single-player campaign requires Xbox Game Pass or a $60 investment, the multiplayer is completely free, which is a massive deal for the series.

RELATED: Halo: The Best & Worst Vehicles In The Franchise, Ranked

Although not without its issues, Halo Infinite is generally regarded as something of a return to form for Microsoft’s iconic franchise, at least compared to Guardians​​​​​​. The multiplayer does not reinvent the wheel in any significant way, opting to offer more of what players have come to expect. Unsurprisingly, Halo Infinite is one of the best free-to-play games on Xbox.

Roblox

Roblox is a level-creation sandbox game that works similarly to Minecraft’s cubic construction. The game explores the creativity of users as they take on the role of both level builders and players of various creations developed by other people.

Roblox‘s objectives are also like VRChat. Though some games have no direct objectives, a lot of fun can be had in engaging with other players on the server. Because of its boundless mechanics and explorative nature, Roblox is the perfect option for people looking to work out their creative muscles.

Fall Guys

Initially launching with a price tag, Fall Guys went free-to-play when it expanded to more platforms, a move that has largely worked in its favor. A party game, Fall Guys supports an array of match types. The main mode is a 60-person battle royale divided into rounds, with each one consisting of mini-games.

In a local multiplayer setting, players can create smaller contests built upon a points system. Utilizing loose but amusing physics, Fall Guys is good for a laugh, and matches do not typically outstay their welcome either.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis

Phantasy Star Online 2 debuted in 2012, but it did not make its way to Western nations until 2020. Released a year later, New Genesis significantly updates the original experience by enhancing the visuals, fine-tuning the class system, and introducing an open-world.

New Genesis has a few shortcomings typical of an MMO, mainly lackluster quests and a heavy focus on grinding; however, it delivers in the gameplay department. The combat system is deep and engaging, while the simple act of exploring the open-world is a treat.

Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct is a classic fighting franchise similar to Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Aside from the conventional elements of the genre, 2013’s Killer Instinct features ultra combos that are lengthy flashy strings of moves accompanied by a loud and sustained “ULTRAAAA COMBOOOO” scream.

There are also ultimates, which are devastating killer moves. Reactive music accompanies hits and combos, making maneuvers feel powerful and satisfyingly glorious. Each character has their own combos, ultimates, and reactive music. In turn, each combatant fights and feels unique. On top of that, Killer Instinct is known for its iconic C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

Brawlhalla

Brawlhalla takes inspiration from Smash Bros with its gameplay. The free-to-play title is a fighting platformer where players have to knock each other off the screen. Four-player mayhem is the name of the game, and the arenas are scattered with weapons to use against the opposition.

RELATED: Best Fighting Games Of The Decade, Ranked (According To Metacritic)

As players take damage, they become easier and easier to knock around. This encourages players to dodge attacks while dealing damage of their own. Brawlhalla awards juggling ability and platformer expertise. Playable characters are also plenty and varied, ensuring endless hours of fun.

Vigor

Vigor is a free looter-shooter that takes place in post-nuclear war Norway. Like DayZ, survivors go around abandoned homes and establishments raiding for supplies and weapons. Players will also encounter other users who they may kill and loot, and items and weapons brought into matches are lost when someone is killed. This lets players gamble with their approach.

Engagements can be approached aggressively to loot as much as possible while increasing the risk of getting killed; alternatively, users can play it safe and leave once enough loot has been acquired. The survival elements of Vigor partnered with a modified Battle Royale complement the post-apocalyptic world nicely.

World Of Tanks

Even if its popularity never fades, the longer an MMO is around, the harder it gets for new people to jump on board. World of Tanks is no exception as the game has developed an intense fanbase over the last decade, one that can be difficult to break into for free players who are just starting out. For the uninitiated, the vehicular combat game focuses on, well, tank warfare, with players generally being divided into two groups for large-scale battles.

Wargaming Minsk’s title has an impressive range of tanks, which are split into types and tiers, and quite a few modes to help keep things interesting. While free-to-play, World of Tanks has quite a lot of monetization options, and players will need to invest if they want the premium higher-tier tanks. That said, hours of fun can be had by sticking solely to the entry-level tanks, provided beginners do not go in expecting to win many matches.

PUBG: Battlegrounds

PUBG: Battlegrounds helped popularize battle royales, and the genre has been flourishing ever since. Originally released towards the end of 2017 on the Xbox One, PUBG went free-to-play in January 2022, opening the influential title to a much wider audience than ever before.

RELATED: PUBG Battlegrounds: Tips For Beginners Trying The Free-To-Play Version

PUBG‘s gameplay loop makes the game difficult to put down, and matches do not typically last too long while there is an ever-present sense that victory could be possible. Now that it is no longer a premium title, there is no reason to not give PUBG a try.

Trove

Trove boasts a visual art style similar to Minecraft, and the online-focused sandbox game also incorporates building mechanics reminiscent of Mojang’s highly decorated title. Now, Trove‘s version of this gameplay feature is comparatively restrictive, but it does add a certain uniqueness to dungeons.

Following a tutorial, Trion Worlds’ project drops players in a hub area where they can shop, interact with other users, and jump into portals in order to take on dungeons. The latter comes in various colors representing loot, and they can be completed reasonably quickly. As with most MMORPGs, Trove has a class system that shakes up the gameplay to an extent, and players can also form parties to take on missions.

Rogue Company

Developed by First Watch Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios, Rogue Company is a third-person hero shooter that tends to be overshadowed by other free Xbox games. This might be due to the game feeling like a hodgepodge of other successful online shooters, and it can be difficult to stand out while sharing a marketplace with Overwatch 2 and Valorant. Even though it sticks close to well-established conventions, Rogue Company is a polished and confident project that gets most things right.

Focusing on 4v4 matches, First Watch’s title has a decent selection of modes (King of the Hill, Demolition, Strikeout, Ranked, Wingman) and 20 maps spread across them. The latter selection is not lacking in variety either, as there is everything from a castle to a ship. Rogue Company might not be a game-changer, but it is a fun title to throw on as an alternative to more popular shooters.

KartRider: Drift

Nowadays, kart racers are in short supply, particularly ones that manage to remain enjoyable after a few short sessions. The genre has recently taken a liking to the free-to-play Xbox games market, with Disney Speedstorm set to join the console’s library once it completes its early access run. In the meantime, fans can check out KartRider: Drift, Nexon’s adorable but surprisingly difficult racer. As its name suggests, this game prioritizes drifting, a mechanic that players need to master if they want to have any hope of leading the pack.

KartRider: Drift has a cute visual style, fun tracks, a robust roster of characters, and a fair amount of content. Now, the game comes with a battle pass that requires quite a bit of grinding to unlock everything, although it is hardly the worst example of this model. Ultimately, KartRider‘s value lies in the lack of quality competitors, allowing the game to fill a void that has been permitted to grow in recent years.

Crackdown

Microsoft has made a couple of Xbox exclusives free for everyone to download. One example isToo Human, an ambitious but messy game that should be added to a player’s library; however, the freebie that is the most “must-own” is Crackdown. In 2007, Realtime Worlds unleashed this sandbox game on the world, delivering a simple but highly satisfying experience.

Crackdown does not pretend to be deep or complex, but the project delivers arcade-style fun that makes it easy to revisit. Set in Pacific City, players take charge of an Agency member who is tasked with clearing out the gangs that control the town. As enemies are defeated, players earn experience orbs that improve their stats, and progress is skill-based and continuous. Within a few hours, the agent will transform into an overpowered superhero who can benchpress cars and leap over buildings.

Crackdown 2 is also free to download. While not as highly regarded as its predecessor, the sequel is still entertaining in its own right.

 

Phantom Dust

A minor Xbox cult classic, Phantom Dust earned a remaster for the Xbox One. While it has some rough edges, the game’s fascinating mechanics and engaging battle system make it worthy of recognition even all these years after its debut. Phantom Dust is set in an alternate reality where Earth’s surface is covered by toxic dust that erases memories, forcing humanity underground; however, two guys learn they can harvest this substance as a power, and they head out in the hopes of remembering their pasts. This premise serves as a fun setup for a post-apocalyptic romp, and it is matched by an atmospheric presentation.

Phantom Dust‘s combat takes a while to fully comprehend, but it is complex, unique, and clever. Although played in real-time, the action is built upon a card system that offers a lot of options for deck builds, and new elements are introduced fairly regularly throughout the single-player campaign. Learning the intricacies of the cards is half the battle, and once everything clicks, Phantom Dust really begins to shine. Although the campaign is enjoyable, this game’s main selling point is its multiplayer, which is not that active in this day and age.

Warframe

With its 10-year anniversary approaching, Warframe is well-established as one of the free-to-play market’s heavyweights. Digital Extremes’ third-person shooter was initially relatively small-scale, featuring largely corridor-style stages that players would grind endlessly. However, the project has ballooned considerably in scope over the years. Nowadays, Warframe offers deep lore, variety, overwhelming customization options, and rock-solid combat.

Compared to some other free universes, Warframe is accessible to newcomers, although the campaign’s opening hours can be a bit slow and repetitive. Nevertheless, for anyone looking for a free Xbox game that can keep them entertained for months without requiring a monetary investment, Warframe is about as good as the options get.

Call Of Duty: Warzone 2.0

Soon after the debut of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision dropped the next era of Warzone, the publisher’s free-to-play battle royale game. Creatively entitled Warzone 2.0, the sequel is not a massive departure from its predecessor, although it is more than just a reskin. This version launched with a fresh map, a revamped Gulag, and a new mode called DMZ. Ultimately, players who enjoyed the original Warzone will likely feel at home with 2.0.

As far as battle royales are concerned, Warzone 2.0 is among the most satisfying on the market. Visually, the game looks good, and it runs well on current-gen hardware. The gunplay is also fantastic, which should hardly come as a surprise considering Call of Duty‘s pedigree. Despite debuting separately, Warzone 2.0 can be regarded as Modern Warfare 2‘s companion app, and together they provide a robust experience.

Dauntless

Dauntless does not hide its Monster Hunter inspiration. The game shares many similarities with Capcom’s franchise, although its stages are closer in design to pre-Monster Hunter World releases. In 2023, Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise are both available on Xbox consoles, and the latter will be added to Xbox Game Pass on January 20; consequently, Dauntless can be difficult to recommend since the action RPG must exist alongside its more famous brethren.

That said, Dauntless is not a clone of Monster Hunter. The game’s combo-heavy combat system stands on its own two feet, offering a lighter and quicker experience than most weapon types in Capcom’s franchise. The free-to-play title feels like an MMO as well, which sets it apart from Monster Hunter. While it could use a larger roster, Dauntless‘ Behemoths are a lot of fun to fight.

Super Animal Royale

There are so many free battle royale games that they can start to blur together, but Super Animal Royale is an exception. Even if it is not the genre’s greatest representative, Pixile Studios’ release has a unique visual style and premise that sets it apart from the crowd. More importantly, the gameplay is rock-solid. 64 players compete in a top-down slaughter to the end, and they fight using special animals. Progression comes in the form of experience points gained after a match, which then open up new Super Animals that can be used in future battles to the death.

Over the years, quite a few games have tapped into the ironic juxtaposition of adorable avatars engaging in ultra-violence, and Super Animal Royale is among the more successful examples of this strange marriage. This game probably won’t reinvigorate interest in the genre for people exhausted with battle royales, but it is good enough to warrant a look from fans of these sorts of projects.

The Pinball Arcade

This selection comes with the caveat that if someone is specifically interested in picking up neat tables based on popular licenses, then they will need to purchase them (and the PC version is superior to the Xbox One with regard to updates). The free version comes with a single table and the option to preview premium ones, so the aesthetic is not going to change all that much.

Focusing solely on the gameplay, The Pinball Arcade is pretty great and one of the better options in this niche subgenre. Ultimately, this is still traditional pinball without any significant changes or embellishments, but there is a reason this activity has remained popular for so long. Pinball is just a fun way to kill a few minutes.

Apex Legends

Respawn’s Apex Legends is a contender for the best battle royale title on the market, a proclamation driven by its polished gunplay, frequent updates, and squad-based gameplay. The latter introduces an element of strategy and coordination that is absent from most other releases in the genre, and it is combined with stellar first-person shooter gameplay reminiscent of Respawn’s Titanfall series.

As there are so many free-to-play battle royale games on Xbox, newcomers to the genre might not know where to start. If someone is only willing to try one game, they should pick either Apex Legends or Fortnite.

Fortnite

Fortnite shot its way up the charts like a SpaceX rocket, turning it into one of Xbox’s must-haves. The game introduced construction elements to a battle royale mode that encourages players to build fortifications and strongholds. The players were quick to pick up on this, and have seamlessly integrated building platforms with combat; making one of the most complex yet rewarding combat systems ever in a game.

RELATED: More Battle Royale Games Worth Your Time (& To Avoid)

Fortnite also features wacky dance emotes that have cemented themselves as the game’s main hooks. Fortnite is an iconic game that can be played solo or with a squad.

War Thunder

If Battlefield is a bit too pricey, War Thunder is the perfect zero-cost alternative. The game features a whole WW2/Cold War battlefield to engage in, filled with open fields, urban jungle, and vast airspace. The massively multiplayer game engages 32 competing players in full-scale PvP matches with over 1700 available military vehicles to choose from.

There are also PvE and solo missions based on battles throughout history. The vast battlefield along with the gargantuan selection of vehicles leaves no limits to player strategies and tactics. Though it isn’t as popular as Warzone or Fornite, War Thunder‘s realistic gameplay is something that can be appreciated by a wider market.

Free-To-Play Episodes

Now, this section is dedicated to a different breed of free-to-play Xbox games, specifically titles that only give players a sample of the overall experience. These projects divided their content into episodes that were released over a few months rather than all at once. Consequently, publishers made the first episode free in order to entice people to pick up the rest of the season.

Typically, each chapter/release includes roughly two hours of content, which should be more than enough time for someone to determine whether they are invested enough in the story and characters to drop some cash. These freebies are definitely worth checking out before buying the whole season, and when all these episodes are taken together, they should eat up a sizable amount of time.

Path Of Exile

For the most part, the free-to-play scene is dominated by multiplayer projects. However, there are a couple of RPG-themed exceptions, and Path of Exile is among the best on the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. Grinding Gear Games crafted an old-school action RPG that harbors back to the likes of Diablo 2, and there is a lot of game here despite its “free” price tag.

The campaign should keep players entertained for a few dozen hours, and that is only a drop in the bucket of the entire Path of Exile experience. Forget free games, Path of Exile is simply one of the greatest modern RPGs.

Rocket League

Rocket League‘s popularity speaks for itself. Debuting in 2015, the game blends soccer with cars, producing an experience that is simultaneously accessible but also skill-based. Rocket League was a huge hit before it went free-to-play, but the latter ensured the game would remain active for years to come.

Unlike some other free-to-play games, Rocket League is designed for short play sessions. Have 20 minutes to kill? Play a quick match in Rocket League. It will be time well spent.

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