Xbox live free. Free Xbox Live Codes Full List – July 2023 Updated

How to Cancel Xbox Live

At a Glance: Xbox Live is a popular gaming network for Xbox consoles, providing multiplayer access and exclusive features. Xbox Live Gold is the paid subscription that offers these benefits, but some features are now available for free users. To cancel Xbox Live Gold, you can do so online through the Microsoft Xbox website or directly from your Xbox console. Xbox Live Gold offers free games and exclusive deals, but it may not be necessary for casual gamers or those playing free-to-play titles like Fortnite.

Xbox Live is one of the best entertainment subscriptions around, allowing you to connect to Microsoft’s exclusive gaming network and a whole lot of other benefits besides.

However, you might want to cancel your Xbox Live subscription for any number of reasons. And when you do, it’s important that your know-how. This article will discuss all the steps you need to take.

What is Xbox Live?

If you have Xbox One and Xbox 360, Xbox Live will completely round up your Xbox gaming experience. Even though it’s been around for some time, it has successfully become a market favorite even today.

Xbox Live’s premium service is called Xbox Live Gold. It was succeeded by Games for Gold, which launched in 2013 on the Xbox and 2014 on the Xbox One, becoming another huge success.

This paid subscription connects you to Microsoft’s exclusive gaming network, allowing you to play multiplayer games on your console.

However, some people don’t think that Xbox Live Gold isn’t necessary anymore these days.

Features like voice chat and the chat party system used to be exclusive to Gold members – however, due to recent changes introduced in 2021, these features are now available to free players. Multiplayer access is also now unblocked for Free to Play games such as Fortnite.

Additionally, you also don’t need Gold if you’re playing offline games with multiplayer factors, such as playing split-screen games on one PC. It’s also not required if you’re playing multiplayer games offline or watching video streaming sites.

How to Cancel Xbox Live

As mentioned above, some of the paid Xbox Live features are now available even to free users.

For one, free-to-play games don’t require a paid subscription anymore, so if your Xbox experience revolves around games like Fortnite, you’re fine with the free subscription.

There are also plenty of other reasons that you might not want to subscribe to Xbox Gold. You might be cutting costs, or you might be trying to cut your playing time. Regardless, you should know how to cancel your Gold subscription easily.

We’ll discuss how you can cancel your paid Xbox Live subscription in the next sections.

Cancel Xbox Live Online

Canceling your Xbox Live Gold subscription is quick and easy, and there are several ways to do it.

The simplest one is unsubscribing through your browser. Follow the steps below.

• The first thing you have to do is visit the Microsoft Xbox website.
• You will see several sections on the right side, such as the Game outage alert, Controller replacement days, etc. On the left, you will see the green Sign In button. Press that to continue.
• Use your Xbox account to log in.
• Once you’re in your account, navigate to the My Account button that you will see at the bottom of the interface.
• Here, you will be presented with several options that include Xbox Live.
• Go to the Xbox Live section.
• Click Cancel Auto Payment and confirm.

Once you’ve confirmed your cancellation, your subscription will then end on the next billing cycle. Until then, you can still receive the benefits of your subscription, but once your next billing period approaches, this will all be disabled.

Cancel Xbox Live from Your Xbox One

If you’re not a PC gamer, don’t worry – you can also cancel your subscription straight from your Xbox console. Simply follow the steps below.

• Turn on your Xbox console.
• On your Settings menu, pick “Accounts.”
• You will then be presented with a list of options. From this, choose Subscriptions.
• You will then see all the subscriptions you have on your Xbox Account, including your Xbox Live Gold subscription. Navigate to the subscription you want to cancel, and then press “A” on your controller.
• The next section will present you with the details of your subscription. Under the “Payment and Billing” section, you should be able to find the “Cancel Subscription” button. Choose that.
• There will be other instructions that you have to follow, so simply follow on-screen instructions until you cancel your payment.

Cancel Xbox Live from Your Xbox Series X/S

Microsoft also provides a way for you to cancel your subscription straight from your Xbox Series X/S. Just follow the steps below.

• Turn on your console.
• From your homepage, navigate to Xbox’s support website.
• Click the blue sign-in button.
• Use your Microsoft credentials to log in.
• You should then see details of your Microsoft Account. Look for the Xbox Live Gold subsection.
• Look for the Manage button and click it.
• Here, you will see a bunch of options for your Microsoft Account. Click Turn off auto-renew.
• Microsoft will ask you for your confirmation. If you’re still sure about your decision, simply confirm your cancellation.

Does the Xbox Live Free Trial Auto-Renew into a Paid Subscription?

If you’re subscribed to the Xbox Live free trial, make sure to take note of when your trial will expire. That’s because your subscription will automatically convert to a monthly paid subscription once your trial ends.

You’ll get charged with the payment method that you added to your account upon signing up for the free trial.

How to Save on Xbox Live Gold

With the Games With Gold feature, you can access several games for free for a limited time.

Anyone with an Xbox Gold subscription can redeem them for free, and you will be able to keep them forever. However, if you don’t redeem the game until the period lapses, you won’t get to keep it. The Games for Gold offer can last from several weeks to a month.

You can then play all redeemed games for free until your subscription is active. This means that if you’re diligent in redeeming games, you can compile a library containing hundreds of games that you got for free.

As long as you maintain your Gold subscription, you’ll be able to play your redeemed games. If your subscription lapses, you won’t be able to play them, but you’ll regain access to them once you resubscribe.

In addition to free offers on Games With Gold, Microsoft also offers attractive deals exclusive to Gold subscribers. These deals change every week, so if you have your eye on a specific game, you should check the offers every week.

Once you’ve purchased a subscription from Deals With Gold, you won’t lose your access to it even if your subscription lapses.

How to Cancel Xbox Live: Wrap-Up

Xbox Live Gold is a great subscription for any hardcore gamer. It enables multiplayer for many big-name games and gives you free access to a ton of games for free.

However, if you’re just a regular player, subscribing to Xbox Gold might be unnecessary since some games are already free to multiplayer. If you’re sticking to games like Fortnite and PUBG, you might find that the Gold subscription is not worth its significant price tag. Whatever your reasons are, now you know how to cancel your Xbox Live subscription. If you want to know how to cancel other services like HBO, Hulu, and Netflix, be sure to check out our other posts!

Read

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

Free Xbox Live Codes Full List – July 2023 Updated

Xbox Live is one of the biggest marketplaces where players can access thousands of exciting games, movies, and accessories for the console. If you’ve been searching for free Xbox Live codes online but ended up with tons of code generators, which are actually scams, don’t frustrate. We’ll show you the genuine legit ways to score a free Xbox Live code.

ways to get free Xbox Live codes

Here are 7 tips for you to get free Xbox Live codes and save big when purchasing at Xbox. Read on to check them out!

Method 1 – Take surveys to earn free Xbox gift cards

If you’re interested in earning extra cash in your spare time, try get-paid-to websites. They offer generous rewards for users who accomplish simple fun tasks, such as taking surveys, testing products, or watching videos. If you don’t know where to get started, here are two platforms with the best earning opportunities:

Option 1 – Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is one of the highest-paying survey websites available in the US, UK, and Canada. After signing up and verifying your email, you’ll get matched paid surveys. Each completion of a survey offers 50 – 300 points, equivalent to 0.5 – 3. Reaching 500 points, you can cash via PayPal or redeem gift cards to popular brands like Xbox, Nintendo, and more.

Option 2 – Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a popular community where millions of people are sharing opinions and ideas in exchange for rewards. You just complete your profile and received matched answering surveys. The surveys give you different points (1,000 points equals 10). When enough points are accumulated, you can redeem cash via PayPal or get free e-gift cards of Walmart or Amazon (and more) to purchase whatever you want.

Method 2 – Join Microsoft Rewards

Microsoft Rewards is a good tool to get started when you look for some freebies. By completing simple activities such as playing games, watching movies, claiming special offers on your Xbox or searching with Bing, you can earn Microsoft points and redeem real rewards ranging from Xbox Live Game Pass, Gold subscription to a gift card.

Method 3 – Sign up for Xbox Live free trial

Xbox Live Gold membership running at 9.99/mon is another way you can enjoy the gaming service to the full extent. It packs wide-ranging features like multiplayer, party chats, 4 bonus games each month and exclusive member discounts that will satisfy all your needs at Xbox Live. And the good news is you can have a free test drive for 14 days.

Simply take advantage of the Xbox Live Gold trial when no free deals are found, or use other tricks to unlock Xbox Game Pass for free.

Method 4 – Use Xbox Live promo codes

If you’re not entitled to a free trial, you can grab an Xbox Live promo code to save. While searching for a working promo code is always troublesome, Coupert does this automatically for you.

Coupert is a free powerful browser extension that hunts and verifies the best discounts for any sites you’re on. Here’s how to use it:

• Add Coupert to your browser, Chrome, Firefox or Edge.
• Open the Xbox website and click the Coupert icon at the far right.
• You’ll see all the available Xbox promo codes. At checkout, it will try all the codes to find the one with the best discount, and then apply it for you.

BONUS: With Coupert, you can also earn points when you buy from one 7,000 participating stores, and redeem those points for cash.

Method 5 – Earn cashback

Whenever you’re making purchases at Xbox, you can get 7% cashback with Extrabux. That’s quite an easy way to save, and you can earn the cashback to buy something more. Follow the steps to start earning today!

• Sign up with an email and password to grab the 20 welcome bonus.
• Search for the Microsoft Store page at Extrabux.
• Click Start Shopping to navigate to the Microsoft website.

Now you’ll just shop as normal, and cashback will be added to your account 7 days after your transaction is validated. To withdraw the cash, click the profile icon at the top right corner and click Balance Request a Payment.

Method 6 – Follow social media

Social media is always a place to discover free stuff. It’s quite easy to find Xbox giveaways on or Discord. It never hurts to try your luck. Besides, you could follow the Xbox subreddit to see if anyone shares idle Xbox Live codes or sells them at a discounted price.

Method 7 – Buy discounted gift cards

You might want to shop for Xbox Live gift cards when you can’t grab a free code at all. Never rush to pay the full price, as many third-party card resellers give amazing discounts to help you get a few dollars off. Among different providers we’ve searched, Raise is currently providing the best discount rate for Xbox pre-paid gift cards at up to 10%. Buy now and make savings!

Conclusion

There are several methods you can get free Xbox Live codes. The most straightforward one would be joining Microsoft Rewards and completing daily tasks to earn reward points.

Hopefully this post helped. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to share your comment with us.

By Brinksley Hong

Brinksley is a content writer for Super Easy. As an online shopping addict, she enjoys discovering deals and coupons to save money and sharing them with more readers. She is also obsessed with reading, traveling and music, and has a particular passion for technology and digital marketing.

What Is Xbox Live Gold, and Is It Worth It?

If you have an Xbox One or Xbox 360, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service is required to play multiplayer games online.

Readers like you help support How-To Geek. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read

Quick Links

If you have an Xbox One or Xbox 360, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service is required to play multiplayer games online. A subscription costs 10 per month or 60 per year. Xbox Live Gold also includes additional benefits, like free games every month and discounts on some digital games.

What Is Xbox Live Gold?

Xbox Live Gold is Microsoft’s online gaming subscription service for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. It’s required to play online multiplayer games. Whether you’re playing a co-operative game with a single friend over the Internet, or you’re playing a competitive multiplayer game with a bunch of people you don’t know online, you need Xbox Live Gold to do it.

Microsoft has also added some additional features to this service. Xbox Live Gold members get a few free games every month, and they also get access to members-only sales on some digital games.

You Need Xbox Live Gold For Multiplayer Gaming

If you want to play online multiplayer on your Xbox One or Xbox 360, you will need Xbox Live Gold. Your subscription also enables access to the party system and voice chat. If you try to use the online mutiplayer features within games without Xbox Live Gold, you’ll be stopped in your tracks and told you need Xbox Live Gold to continue.

This service isn’t necessary for playing single-player games, and it isn’t required when playing multiplayer games offline. For example, you don’t need to pay anything to play a split-screen game with two people in the same room on the same console.

Xbox Live Gold also isn’t required if you want to watch Netflix and Hulu, or use other media-streaming apps. For example, In the Xbox 360 days-and even when the Xbox One launched-you needed to pay both the Netflix subscription fee and the Xbox Live Gold subscription fee just to watch Netflix on your Xbox One, but Microsoft changed this. Xbox Live Gold is now only useful to gamers.

How Does Games With Gold Work?

Every month, Microsoft offers several free games through its Games With Gold service. While these games are available-for the entire month or just for two weeks, depending on the game-you can choose to redeem them via the website or on your Xbox console. You can then download-and keep-the game for free.

If you don’t redeem the game during its free time period, you don’t get it for free. This means you won’t get any of the previous Games With Gold for free when you subscribe. It also means that, if you don’t stay on top of the free game offers, you’ll miss some games and won’t get them for free. However, people who have been members for a long time may have libraries full of hundreds of games they got for free, if they’re diligent.

On an Xbox One, once you’ve redeemed a free game, you can download and play it whenever you like, forever-as long as you have an active subscription. If your subscription lapses, you won’t be able to play the game anymore. If you restart your subscription, you’ll regain access to all the games you previously redeemed.

On an Xbox 360, once you’re redeemed a free game, it’s yours to play forever-even if your subscription lapses.

Games With Gold includes both Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. However, Microsoft has promised that all Xbox 360 games released through Games With Gold will be playable on the Xbox One via backwards compatibility. In other words, all Games With Gold games will work on an Xbox One.

You can view the current games available through Games With Gold on Microsoft’s website, and a list of games Microsoft has previously given away on Wikipedia. As of August 2017, you’ll see quite a few indie games for Xbox One and older big-budget (at the time) games for Xbox 360. Microsoft also has given away some of the early big Xbox One games, including Watch Dogs and Ryse: Son of Rome. But don’t expect to see the latest blockbuster games on their release date-expect smaller indie games and older big budget games.

How Does Deals With Gold Work?

In addition to the free games, Microsoft offers a variety of exclusive deals on digital Xbox One and Xbox 360 games to members. You can view the current deals on the Deals With Gold website and in the Store on your Xbox. These deals change every week. And as with the free games, you won’t see the latest big-name games here as soon as they’re released.

Once you’ve purchased a game, it’s yours to play all you like, even if your subscription ends.

So, Is It Worth It?

Overall, the big benefit to Xbox Live Gold is the multiplayer access. Xbox Live Gold is absolutely worth it if you want to play multiplayer games on your Xbox One. This is now pretty standard. Sony’s Playstation 4 requires its similar Playstation Plus service for online multiplayer, and even Nintendo will soon begin charging a subscription fee for online multiplayer features on the Nintendo Switch. Every game console has started charging for this feature, so the only way to play online games for free is to switch to a PC.

The other features are designed to be a bonus. Microsoft does offer quite a few games through Games With Gold, and you can get access to a steady stream of games to play if you’re patient. However, you’re limited to the handful of games Microsoft chooses for you. Sales are also nice, but only if you actually end up buying the older digital games that are on sale. If you primarily buy used physical games, those may be cheaper on sale than the deals you’ll find through Games With Gold.

Keep an Eye Out for Free Trials

If you’re still on the fence, Microsoft sometimes offers free trials of Xbox Live Gold with new consoles and some games. You may see a Try Gold For Free promotion for some free Xbox Live Gold time on your console, or you may have received a prepaid code you can redeem for trail time bundled with a game or console. However, there’s no simple way to get a trial if your console doesn’t offer one to you and you don’t have a prepaid code. You’ll need to sign up for the paid subscription instead.

When purchased from Microsoft, Xbox Live Gold costs 10 per month, 25 per three months (8.33 per month), or 60 per year (5 per month). If you plan on sticking with it for the long haul, the yearly subscription is the best deal-although you can’t cancel it and get your money back during the year you’ve paid for. That’s the catch.

Overall, Xbox Live Gold certainly seems like a more valuable service than Microsoft’s separate Xbox Game Pass subscription, which costs 10 per month. It offers no discount for buying more time, still requires a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription to play games offline, and offers access to a library of games that includes many games that were previously offered for free via Games for Gold in the past.

Chris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times-and that’s just here at How-To Geek.

With over a decade of writing experience in the field of technology, Chris has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, IDG’s PCWorld, Digital Trends, and MakeUseOf. Beyond the web, his work has appeared in the print edition of The New York Times (September 9, 2019) and in PCWorld’s print magazines, specifically in the August 2013 and July 2013 editions, where his story was on the cover. He also wrote the USA’s most-saved article of 2021, according to

Chris was a PCWorld columnist for two years. He founded PCWorld’s World Beyond Windows column, which covered the latest developments in open-source operating systems like Linux and Chrome OS. Beyond the column, he wrote about everything from Windows to tech travel tips.

The news he’s broken has been covered by outlets like the BBC, The Verge, Slate, Gizmodo, Engadget, TechCrunch, Digital Trends, ZDNet, The Next Web, and Techmeme. Instructional tutorials he’s written have been linked to by organizations like The New York Times, Wirecutter, Lifehacker, the BBC, CNET, Ars Technica, and John Gruber’s Daring Fireball. His roundups of new features in Windows 10 updates have been called the most detailed, useful Windows version previews of anyone on the web and covered by prominent Windows journalists like Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley on TWiT’s Windows Weekly. His work has even appeared on the front page of Reddit.

Articles he’s written have been used as source for everything from books like Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff, media theory professor at the City University of New York’s Queens College and CNN contributor, to university textbooks and even late-night TV shows like Comedy Central’s @midnight with Chris Hardwick.

Starting in 2015, Chris attended the Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas for five years running. At CES 2018, he broke the news about Kodak’s KashMiner Bitcoin mining scheme with a viral tweet. A wave of negative publicity ensued, with coverage on BuzzFeed News, CNBC, the BBC, and TechCrunch. The company’s project was later reportedly shut down by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition to his extensive writing experience, Chris has been interviewed as a technology expert on TV news and radio shows. He gave advice on dark web scans on Miami’s NBC 6, discussed Windows XP’s demise on WGN-TV’s Midday News in Chicago, and shared his CES experiences on WJR-AM’s Guy Gordon Show in Detroit.

Chris also ran MakeUseOf’s email newsletter for two years. Nearly 400,000 subscribers received the newsletter complete with a handwritten tip every day.

The 15 best free Xbox games July 2023

If you’re looking to play incredible games on your Xbox but you don’t want to spend anything on them, then check out our best free Xbox games guide.

Videogames are an expensive hobby, but this list of the best free Xbox games will show you that you don’t have to pay up to have fun. We all know the best price is free, and if you don’t enjoy a free-to-play game, all you’ve wasted is some hard drive space that can be quickly recovered.

Free-to-play games used to come with a stigma of being just not very good, but the best free Xbox games on this list are all pretty great. Sure, not all the titles are contenders to get on our best Xbox Series X games list, but they still offer hours worth of fun – and that’s what matters, right?

These are the best free Xbox games:

• Halo Infinite
• Call of Duty Warzone 2
• Overwatch 2
• Rocket League
• Fortnite
• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• The Sims 4
• Enlisted
• PUBG: Battlegrounds
• Smite
• Warframe
• War Thunder
• Fallout Shelter
• Path of Exile

Halo Infinite

Microsoft’s classic space shooter has returned, and this time it has free-to-play multiplayer — nice. With the series’ return comes a return of its arena-style combat with a whole host of game modes. From casual play and Big Team Battle to full-on Halo Infinite ranked play, there is absolutely loads on offer in Halo Infinite.

Those who are a bit fed up of the last few years of twitch shooting dominance will find Infinite’s fun, slower-paced action refreshing. Chunk down enemies’ shields with energy weapons before delivering the Magnum’s coup de grace never felt so good. Or, the one-hit-kill melee from behind. Wonderful.

Warzone 2

While Warzone 2 has had its fair share of criticism from fans of the first iteration of the battle royale, there’s no escaping the fact that this is an amazing free-to-play FPS experience.

The original game took the battle royale formula from progenitors like PUBG, Firestorm, and Fortnite, then perfected the formula by adding a Call of Duty twist in the form of loadouts. Warzone 2 builds upon that, but with lots of new content in the form of maps and modes – including DMZ, a spin-off mode that taps into the extraction shooter genre.

To survive the battlegrounds of Al Mazrah and Ashika Island, you’re going to want to pick up the best Warzone 2 guns and best Warzone 2 loadouts.

Overwatch 2

The sequel to the Hero shooter has arrived and this time it’s free-to-play. It still features the same team-based shooting mechanics that you came to love in the first game, with a few small tweaks.

It’s not a massively different game at its core, but it still offers plenty of fun, especially if you want to take on the challenge of mastering several heroes on our Overwatch 2 tier list.

Rocket League

If you thought football games were fun, then how about a football game set in a large walled-in arena, but where the players are cars and the ball is the size of a house?

Rocket League’s main 3v3 mode pits two teams against each other in a bid to score as many goals before the match ends. Oh, and the cars have rockets attached to them and can jump, meaning you can fly around and do all kinds of crazy tricks. The skill ceiling is huge, and pro play in the Rocket League ranks will probably blow your mind after you see the manoeuvres that can be pulled off with Rocket League’s cars.

That’s also why it’s moreish. There’s nothing like the world around you blurring as you hurtle back towards your goal with your thrusters on, just making it there in time to throw yourself in front of the goal line, blocking the onrushing enemy’s shot. Then, there’re the times you get that perfect lob shot from the other end of the pitch. Get it on download now.

Fortnite

Can you believe that Fortnite once had a campaign? At this point, it has become one of the most quintessential battle royale games, but don’t let the gaudy graphics fool you, Fortnite’s gameplay offers a lot of depth. Drop in alone or in a team, and scavenge the best Fortnite weapons and resources in a bid to survive with an ever-decreasing circle chasing you down.

In Fortnite, however, you have to also mine materials like wood and metal because you can actually build using these materials. Floors, walls, Windows, and more can all be quickly erected anywhere in the world, meaning that when you start taking fire from other players, the norm is to stick up as many walls and ramps as fast as possible for cover.

By the end of a game of Fortnite, it’s not uncommon to see a horizon of wonky skyscrapers exploding as the remnants of the server duke it out.

Apex Legends

Yes, this is another battle royale; no, it isn’t just a clone of the others. The brilliant thing about Apex Legends is that it is part of the Titanfall universe, which means it’s set in a futuristic world where individuals compete in a combat arena to become Apex Champions.

Apex Legends might play similarly to other battle royales, but before you drop in, you have to select a character from a roster of distinct characters who each have their own unique abilities. Finding the right composition of these characters is the only way you’re going to climb the Apex Legends ranks.

Aside form its core battle royale experience, Apex now boasts a bunch of other modes, so even if you’re a BR-hater, you’ve got no excuse to drop in and give this amazing FPS game a go.

Destiny 2

Bungie’s looter-shooter Destiny 2 used to be a paid-for experience, but now the core game is available free-to-play for all. Don’t be put off by how long the game has been out, Destiny 2 still has a huge and dedicated player base. It combines the great feeling first-person shooting Bungie is known for with story missions, strikes, and raids seen in more traditional MMOs.

The best thing about Destiny 2 is that it never ends. As a live-service game, it constantly receives updates and expansions that add more and more content for you to while away the hours on. Bungie’s game will be right up your alley if you love embracing the grind, chasing that high you get when you finally get that hard-won rare drop.

Just make sure you’re wearing the best Destiny 2 armor and equipping the best Destiny 2 weapons when you do those raids, though.

The Sims 4

It’s been nearly a decade since The Sims 4 was released into the wild, but with all eyes on The Sims 5 release date, EA decided to make The Sims 4 free-to-play.

With plenty of pre-built houses to move into and lots to build onto, the possibilities for The Sims 4 are endless, giving you hours and hours of fun at your fingertips. If you’d rather play God and throw a pool party without ladders, then you can do that too – we’re not your boss.

Just remember that only the base game is free, though. So if you want to dabble in the DLC, you’ll have to buy those.

Enlisted

A multiplayer World War 2 shooter with a FOCUS on team play, Enlisted is great for those looking for their original Call of Duty or Battlefield 1942 fix. You can either play against players only, or you can hop in a game mode that allows each player to command their own historically accurate squad.

As you gain XP and level up your squads, you can spend the resources you gain in-game to outfit them with better weapons, more soldiers, and more equipment. But the battle isn’t limited to just infantry; tanks, aircraft, and other vehicles are all available, meaning if you’re more of a dogfighter you can outfit your plane with cannons or bombs and take to the skies.

There’s nothing like listening to the screech of your Stuka as you dive-bomb the enemy trying to capture objectives your team holds.

PUBG: Battlegrounds

PUBG: Battlegrounds is famous for having its roots first as a mod, then being developed into a full standalone release that you had to buy, but now it’s free. PUBG is a battle royale that overlaps other titles like Apex Legends and Fortnite, but it plays much slower than both.

If you enjoy realistic combat and weapons, and the nuances like bullet drop that go with it, then PUBG might be your game. You’ll find yourself stuffing your combat gear full of all kinds of assault rifle magazines and grenades, as well as bandages and medkits.

When you do finally put down the loot and venture outside of your hidey-hole, your reward might just be the single sniper shot that ends your game.

Smite

Imagine a MOBA where you actually control your character in third-person, attacking and using abilities like an action game. Now, imagine that all the characters are gods – real historical and mythological gods from past cultures, like Zeus or Aphrodite. Combine these two aspects and you have Smite.

Smite has stand-out level design, and the third-person camera gives players the ability be crept up upon, making assassins all the more lethal in the jungle as you don’t have a top-down camera like in most other games of this ilk. There’s something freeing about being in direct control of your in-game avatar, and playing as your favourite deities adds a unique angle on a crowded genre.

There’s nothing like hunting down your prey as the bow-wielding Artemis and summoning your good friend the Calydonian Boar to mangle your enemies in their tracks.

Warframe

A fast-paced online action game, Warframe is a slick and stylish third-person shooter that is designed to be played at lightning-fast speeds as you dive, dash, and slide across the game’s levels, switching from shooting guns to up close and personal slasher combat on the fly.

Did we mention that a Warframe is actually a big mech suit that covers your entire body making you a walking metal death-machine badass?

Part story-driven experience and part online looter-shooter, Warframe is Destiny on speed. The game is constantly being updated too, and it has added things like ship-to-ship space battles over the years. Grab some friends or squadmates, tackle co-op missions, and get those rewards in order to customise your warframe even further.

War Thunder

War Thunder started out as an online multiplayer aviation combat game where players started with some ratty old biplanes that had some guy firing a belt-fed machine gun from the backseat and slowly bought and upgraded new planes with in-game currency. It has since evolved into a game where players can also drive tanks and crew ships too.

There are all kinds of different game modes, from straight dogfights to objective-based gameplay where you have to brave the AI anti-air flak to bomb airfields and important strategic locations, dodging defending enemy fighters. Now, players can control tanks, planes, and ships simultaneously in one large combined-arms battlefield.

Fallout Shelter

If you’re a Fallout fan who’s played Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, then it might be worth checking out Fallout Shelter. It’s a Vault management simulator with stylish animated graphics, and puts you in charge of keeping vault dwellers happy and alive – or not.

You’ll come to personally know each of your underground denizens as the game goes on, and you’ll be responsible for expanding your underground fallout vault with new rooms, managing the community, and even sending some of them to the peril of the wasteland above to find what loot they can for the vault.

Path of Exile

Those with a hankering for Diablo-like action will likely find lots to love in similar fantasy RPG Path of Exile. The game’s expansive and gritty world of Wraeclast is where you’ll while away the hours, tackling its lengthy campaign solo or with friends, and then inevitably spend more time trying out different builds and equipment.

But it goes far beyond that. Path of Exile has a deep skill tree and character customisation system, and it has an almost never ending amount of content to sink your teeth into. There’s also PVP available, as well as different classes, sub classes, and skills for that added replayability factor.

Even though this list is about the best free Xbox games, if you’re one of the lucky few who nabbed one of the newest consoles you might be interested in the best Xbox Series X games. Or, you might be inclined to wonder how you can pick up even more games that are almost as good as free – and that’s with Xbox Game Pass.

You can read our Xbox Game Pass list to find out everything that’s available there, but it’s worth noting that while you will have to fork out some dough, you’re more than getting your money’s worth as the service regularly adds hundreds of dollars worth of new titles every month.

And they said Xbox has no games. For options outside of the Xbox sphere, you should read our free shooting games guide. Have fun!

Xbox might be celebrating Forza Motorsport with a nice new controller

Jesse Gregoire A lover of the best PS5 games and the best Xbox Series games, Jesse also has a penchant for FPS games like Halo Infinite Destiny 2.

Network N Media earns commission from qualifying purchases via Amazon Associates and other programs. We include affiliate links in articles. View terms. correct at time of publication.