What you need to know
- Xbox Games with Gold provides four free Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, or Xbox 360 games to subscribers every month.
- On Thursday, the company revealed the four titles heading to Games with Gold in Aug. 2022.
- The lineup includes games like Calico, Saints Row 2, ScourgeBringer, and Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine.
- In case you missed it, Games with Gold will stop offering Xbox 360 titles beginning in Oct. 2022.
The value of Xbox Games with Gold is still questioned by the Xbox community every month, but that isn’t stopping Microsoft from rolling out a fresh lineup of free titles at the end of each cycle. On Thursday, the company revealed what’s coming to Xbox Games with Gold in Aug. 2022, including an intriguing indie title and the return of a classic to the service.
Xbox Games with Gold for Aug. 2022 (opens in new tab) includes the usual dispersal of games, split between two Xbox One and two Xbox 360 titles. Throughout the next month, players will be able to add all four of these games to their library for free. This time around, the offered titles amount to a combined value of $54 and 3,400 Gamerscore. The four games include:
- Saint’s Row 2, available from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15, 2022
- Calico, available from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, 2022
- Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine, available from Aug. 16 to Aug. 31, 2022
- ScourgeBringer, available from Aug. 16 to Sept. 15, 2022
The headlining title in the Xbox Games with Gold roster seems to be Saints Row 2, an epic open-world action game originally released for the Xbox 360 and a predecessor to the upcoming Saints Row reboot. That being said, Saints Row 2 was already offered on the service a few years ago, so some subscribers may already have the game in their library. Calico also looks like an intriguing indie game for those who may be interested in a relaxing, adorable cat cafe adventure.
In case you missed it, Microsoft announced in July that Xbox Games with Gold will no longer offer Xbox 360 titles beginning in Oct. 2022. The reasons cited for the change come down to a dwindling supply of compelling backward-compatible games that can be offered through the service. All Xbox 360 games that have been redeemed through Games with Gold are permanent additions to players’ libraries, however, even without an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
The still-vital Xbox Live Gold service, which houses Games with Gold, has “lost its spark” over the last few years, with its value no longer being obvious. Microsoft’s more ambitious Xbox Game Pass subscription, which grants access to hundreds of incredible games, has certainly stolen the thunder from Microsoft’s aging online multiplayer service.
If you want access to it all, there’s no better solution than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes full access to Xbox Live Gold and Games with Gold, Xbox and PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming for console-level gaming while on the move.
