We’re just about to hit November, where stores start turning ever more festive but leave it to Xbox Live to give you a few gifts a little early.
Provided you have an Xbox Live Gold account, that is. If you are one of those who has paid their monthly (or, more cheaply, annual) dues to the Microsoft monolith, then here’s what you can expect to score for nothing from 1 November. And if you’ve been lax in your freebie-collection, we’ve got a couple of last-chance items for you as well.
ON XBOX LIVE GOLD IN NOVEMBER 2017
Trackmania Turbo (XB1)
Forza Motorsport 7 recently arrived for anyone seeking realism, but Trackmania Turbo is like the polar opposite: this arcade-style bonanza finds you zipping along rollercoaster-esque tracks with literally hundreds of courses included. It’s free throughout November.
Tales from the Borderlands (XB1)
An episodic narrative adventure spun off from cartoonish aggro-shooter, Borderlands? That might seem entirely unnecessary, but truth be told, this is one of Telltale’s best story-centric experiences. It’s hilarious even if you don’t know the source games well. The whole first season is free from 16 November to 15 December.
The Turing Test (XB1)
Square Enix’s The Turing Test is a first-person experience, but this one’s about solving puzzles within a research station on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. It seems a bit like Portal or The Talos Principle, with brain teasers and a bit of a narrative unfolding along the way. This one popped up free on 16 October and stays that way until 15 November.
Nights Into Dreams… (XB1/360)
Grabbing a powerful new Xbox One X console? If so, then you’ll definitely want to play this… port of a Sega Saturn game. Right? Just kidding! But if you have a soft spot in your heart for the Sonic maker’s whimsical 32-bit original, now you can grab it for free between 1-15 November.
Deadfall Adventures (XB1/360)
Looking for some action-packed fun in this bunch? Look elsewhere, unfortunately: Deadfall Adventures was a pretty dull and sadly generic first-person shooter when it hit Xbox 360 a few years ago, and time surely hasn’t done it any favours. Still, it’s free between 16-30 November if you want to find out for yourself.
IF YOU MISSED OCTOBER’S PICKS…
Microsoft still has a couple of last month’s freebies available until the end of the month, so in case you haven’t grabbed them yet, be sure to download these games before November arrives.
Gone Home (XB1)
Gone Home has been derided as a “walking simulator” by some, but there’s more to it than that. As a college student who returns home to her family’s empty estate, you’ll explore the remnants of their lives to piece together what happened and why they’re missing. It’s available free throughout October.
Medal of Honor: Airborne (XB1/360)
Call of Duty is heading back to World War II in a matter of days, but before then, you can loop back on one of last generation’s better WWII shooters with Medal of Honor: Airborne. No, we’re not sure that a decade-old first-person shooter will still hold up today, but hey, it’s free – give it a shot. Grab this one before 31 October.