The Xbox Series X/S is home to a litany of great games, from the biggest triple-A experiences to smaller indie projects. However, not all Xbox owners may be willing or able to cough up the dough to get all the best titles. Luckily, the console also has a number of brilliant free games.
Most of them are supported by in-game savings, incentivizing players to spend money on microtransactions or by implementing gacha mechanics that reward players with things like new characters or skins. But many can still be enjoyed for countless hours without spending a single penny, which is never a bad thing in the eyes of the frugal gamers among us. So, with such titles in mind, here are some of the best free games on Xbox Series X/S.
Updated October 31, 2022 By Ben Jessey: Many people consider new games for the Xbox Series X/S to be very expensive. Luckily, though, you don’t have to break the bank to find enjoyable things to play on the system. This is because there are also a bunch of good free games available on the console.
This list already contained a bunch of the best. But there were others worth mentioning. So we’ve updated this list to add some of the good ones that were missing last time.
10/10 fall guys
Not all free games start out this way. For example, you had to spend your hard-earned cash to experience this colorful title. Now Fall Guys is free, and it’s still great. If you’ve never played it before, it’s a unique type of online battle royale.
Instead of your combat skills, it’s your platforming abilities that are put to the test. Exactly how they are tested depends on the turn. You may need to run, play football, jump over rotating obstacles, grab stories, or do whatever the game asks. The ultimate goal is to survive each round and claim the crown.
9/10 The Sims 4
For many years, The Sims series has provided some of the best life simulation games of all time. And you can get one of the best entries for nothing, because The Sims 4 is now free.
If you’ve ever played a Sims game, you know what to expect. You create a family, buy or build a house, and control their lives. This means taking care of their careers and relationships, as well as meeting their needs. The Sims 4 comes with plenty of content to make this process as enjoyable as ever.
8/10 killer instinct
Despite being free-to-play, Killer Instinct has still managed to rival the best fighting games on the planet from a pure gameplay standpoint. This is because the title provides very slick and well-polished combat mechanics. Another feather in the title’s cap is its visuals, as the stages and fighters are incredible.
The only thing holding the game back from true greatness is a lack of content. That’s no surprise, considering the game costs nothing. What there is, however, is great fun.
7/10 MultiVersus
As far as platform fighters go, Super Smash Bros. has generally been the star of the genre. However, MultiVersus gets its money’s worth. After all, it’s a fast and enjoyable title that has a bit of strategy due to the ability to assign perks before battles.
The most eye-catching aspect of the game, however, is the roster. The game includes classic characters from various Warner Bros. properties, such as Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny, and Arya Stark. And said list is continually being updated to include more recognizable faces.
6/10 brawlhalla
Brawlhalla is another game trying to unseat the monopoly that the Super Smash Bros. series. a about the platformer fighting genre. And it does a good job of matching the genre leader, as the game offers smooth and frenetic fun.
As with most games of this type, the goal is to weaken your opponents and knock them off the map. Or at least that’s the goal of standard mode. There are several other game modes that mix things up a bit. Whatever you do in the game, you will always have the chance to admire Brawlhalla’s adorable character models.
5/10 PUBG: Battlegrounds
PUBG is often credited with helping to popularize the Battle Royale genre. Its basic premise is simple: up to 100 players are dropped onto a remote island where they must scavenge weapons and resources while battling until only one is left standing. And if any of this sounds familiar, you’ll have no problem seeing the extent of his influence.
The fact that the game continues to support a sizable player base five years after debuting on Steam in Early Access and Xbox Game Preview is a testament to its longevity. It only recently became a free-to-play title on consoles as well, making it a good time for new players to jump in and partake in some of its mayhem.
4/10 Apex Legends
Apex Legends is another free game in which players can spend many hours on their Xbox Series X|S. Set in the Titanfall universe, the game mixes the concepts of battle royale and hero shooter. Unlike the free-for-all nature of other battle royales, however, players are split into teams of up to three members and must work together to take down other teams.
Each player can also choose from a pool of 20 playable characters, each with unique special abilities that cater to different playstyles. over 25 million players in its first week alone.
3/10 rocket league
The only thing better than soccer (or soccer as it’s known in the rest of the world) is soccer played with rocket-powered vehicles. At least that’s the logic behind Rocket League, a popular sports game from Psyonix. It has players using their cars to knock an oversized ball into their opponent’s goal posts, which seems easy enough until you factor in its physics-based gameplay.
The game has since grown to support its own esports, with a casual playerbase of over 40 million. And just like PUBG, Rocket League didn’t start life as a free-to-play title. But now that it’s free to download for anyone with an Xbox Series X or S, there’s no harm in picking it up and trying it out for yourself.
2/10 Fortnite
Fortnite is one of the most popular online games across multiple consoles and even smartphones. Much of this popularity can be attributed to its free-to-play battle royale mode, which like other battle royales has up to 100 players on a huge open map that gets smaller over the course of a match.
Its defining feature comes in the form of a building mechanic that allows players to use gathered resources to build structures on the fly. This can be used for both defensive and offensive purposes, with advanced players able to erect towering structures of all shapes and sizes in seconds. The newly introduced Zero Build mode seeks to reverse that, however, removing that aspect of its gameplay from the equation to create something resembling a more traditional battle royale game.
1/10 Infinite Halo
When it was first announced that the multiplayer portion of Halo Infinite would be completely free, many were both thrilled and skeptical. But after a number of test flights and an early beta release, much of that skepticism has been allayed. The game was, quite simply, the epitome of Halo at its best.
Players get the same triple-A multiplayer shooter experience they’ve come to expect from the series, without compromising on its overall quality. That’s not to say that the game itself is perfect or free of issues, as there have been several ranging from matchmaking issues to a lack of post-launch events. But given that 343 Industries is committed to keeping the game going with updates and downloadable content, we can be sure they’ll be enough to keep players coming back for years to come.
