Get ready to loot and shoot or command your very own space crew this weekend during Free Play Days. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Space Crew Legendary Edition are available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, January 19 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, January 22 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
How to Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep the Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.
A world of whimsy, wonder, and high-powered weaponry awaits as the unpredictable Tiny Tina takes you along for the ride across her greatest campaign yet. Forge a highly customizable Fatemaker then embark on a quest to defeat the villainous Dragon Lord. Slay evildoers using a wildly diverse arsenal of guns, spells, and melee weapons, combined with the might of the Multiclass system that lets you harness the power of two unique classes! Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can also get 50% off all three editions of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands from now until January 23.
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Time for your toughest mission yet! Recruit and train your crew to tackle the growing threat from alien and android armies as you defend Earth to become a Galactic Legend in Space Crew: Legendary Edition. All new content free to existing owners of Space Crew!
Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
Hi! This is Nils from Daedalic Entertainment, publisher of Children of Silentown, I’m here today to tell the tale of how this idea evolved into today’s game – as a full-fledged title by a small group of people in their off-hours from their full-time software development and YouTube content creation jobs. Originally developed as an animated short, Elf Games and Francesca from Luna2 Studio collaborated to bring the Children of Silentown into the interactive medium. The passion this team exudes is infectious, poured into the project slowly but steadily over the years. Take a look at the Making Of video below to hear directly from the team. Even Jack, the punk, cannot wait to share it with everyone! Meet him and the team in the Making Of video embedded at the top this post.
Piero, the programmer of the team, shares that “we at Elf Games used four years of our free time to make Children of Silentown. It is a game that some say is a hauntingly beautiful point-and-click adventure game, but see for yourselves. We are very proud of it. But we are not full-time developers: Elf Games instead develops video games after business hours, as their members are already busy with their software development company.”
Children of Silentown is certainly a point-and-click adventure, however the team wouldn’t say it’s a conventional one. Most traditional point-and-clicks focus on finding items and combining them at the right time. Elf Games took these elements of course, but also combined them with elements from other classic adventure games. For example, they took inspiration from OneShot and A Bird Story, specifically, the camera view that allows more exploration and the quest-like structure in some parts. Moreover, the game features song-based mechanics that link directly to the story. By using songs, the player unlocks situations and puzzles. Each of these songs is linked to a thematic minigame that creates variety in the gameplay.
The short version of how Children of Silentown came to be goes like this: In late 2018 Francesca, known as Fraffrog on YouTube, showed Fabiola and Piero an original short movie she created for her channel but never published. She asked them what they thought about it and delighted, they told her that it would be perfect for a video game.
Children of Silentown is a game about Lucy, a girl living in a town surrounded by a forest inhabited by monsters. From a concept as simple as that, the team tried to create a story that could live on many levels. They wanted to create a story where every bit could be an additional piece to the puzzle the player has, to help them unveil how the town and the forest came to be.
“Video games are a strong passion in which we feel we can bring together our skills and creativity. We have spent the past four years creating this project in our spare time, mostly on weekends, so development has been slow, but steady. It is not easy to dedicate yourself to such a long project, but we really believed we could make it real”, Francesca recollects.
This is how it started, and, like many projects, the original plan was to make a small, simple project. But things changed very quickly. After releasing a short demo, and being amazed by how well-received it was, we decided it was worthwhile to make it a bigger project, enough to truly bring to light the characters and the story of the world of Silentown.
It makes sense that the development of Children of Silentown would also be a bit unusual, as was its original conception. The team has worked diligently to not only meet our vision for the story, but grow the game into something bigger than we originally planned. Many people today have multiple jobs or hobbies they pour themselves into, this is the case with Children of Silentown, which we are so excited to share with the world. We hope you can all see what a labour of love it was and you all enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed making it.
“Accompany Lucy and her friends in this grim, beautifully hand-drawn adventure game.
Lucy is afraid of the forest, just like any other child: every night, the echoing roars rob her of her sleep. Not even her dreams are a safe place where she could play.
People disappearing is nothing uncommon in the village, but this time, Lucy is old enough to investigate on her own. Or so she thinks.
Children of Silentown is a point & click adventure game telling a mysterious and endearing story. Explore the town and its dangerous surroundings, meet its quirky inhabitants, solve puzzles and master minigames.
Accompany Lucy on her adventure to get to the bottom of what is haunting the strange Silentown… if you dare.”
Keep your disposable android-body alive by automating everything. Automate farming, foraging, crafting and capturing – and even assimilate creatures into your production lines during your impossible mission to relight the world. But how did it come to be?
Oysters. Dirty, mud-covered oysters.
We’ve always been fascinated by how humans discover so many technological advancements from nature. I stumbled across a video of oysters filtering water.
In just five hours, a couple of oysters turn a completely filthy tank into something clean! In fact, they can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. We had a discussion over lunch about if they could alter fresh water mussels to filter out bacteria, we could just ship them worldwide and have a living filtration system. (You can’t, by the way. Please don’t do this and expect not to get sick!)
While fleshing out details for Atrio: The Dark Wild, we knew we wanted an assembly line, but we thought, “what if instead of building everything out of metal, we incorporated living things?” You could capture living creatures, and have them do tasks machines can’t do – digest and produce other compounds the same way we can’t print spider-silk. Pushbacks will split lines for you, tornatoads will pluck plants on your behalf, mini-deer will process and poop out new materials, and bees will replant mushrooms.
With that, our tag line was born “Capture creatures, and add them to your assembly line”.
Keep your disposable android-body alive by automating everything. Automate farming, foraging, crafting and capturing – and even assimilate creatures into your production lines during your impossible mission to relight the world.
FEATURES:
Hand Crafted Open World – Explore a beautiful and unique world, shaped by the contrast of sharp neon lights and darkness, while you fight to turn the lights back on.
Witty Story- Unravel the real reason that you’ve been sent to the surface in this witty narrative experience.
Unique Creatures – A roster of unexpected, half robot, half organic creatures wait for you on the surface.
Pooping Deer? – That’s right! Something as unusual as deer poop may be the key to your survival.
LA is a city known for its influential inhabitants: from silver screen stars to rock ‘n’ roll legends, they all seem to settle right here in Tinseltown. Fast forward to the zompocalypse, however, and most of the movers and shakers are no longer moving or shaking. Or, uh, breathing.
So, I hear you ask, who’s still kicking in HELL-A?
The Slayers
Dead Island 2features six playable slayers; here’s a little bit about four of them.
Jacob
This Brixton boy and former banker upped sticks and moved to LA to pursue a career as a Hollywood stuntman after the death of his beloved mum. Unflappable in the face of danger, Jacob brings a cool and collected attitude to every situation, no matter how hairy it is. An appreciator of the classics, you’ll often hear Jacob quoting Shakespeare as he rips through a horde of zombies. It’s safe to say this Brit is certainly making his mark on HELL-A!
Amy
An LA native and former Paralympian, Amy now competes at the highest level in the discipline of zombie-slaying. Years of honing her mental and physical abilities has left her with lightning-quick reflexes, iron focus, and a winner’s determination. A skilled and confident mistress of her own destiny, she’s accepted the situation in HELL-A and is even managing to bring a little positivity to proceedings as she takes on the undead across the city.
Dani
County Cork’s own rockabilly daughter. Dani originally made her way across the Pond to live and work in Boston. One icy cold winter later, she decided to relocate to the much warmer paradise of Los Angeles. She may not quite fit in with the influencers and pop stars residing in LA, but since landing in the city, she’s made herself a fixture of the local punk and alternative scenes, and found that joining a roller derby team was the perfect way to let out some pent-up aggression. The zombies won’t know what hit ‘em!
Ryan
This Fresno native’s success as a sexy-firefighter-o-gram and exotic dancer (call ‘The Big Hose’ – ask for Ryan) often sees him under the bright lights of LA. When he isn’t entertaining bachelorette parties by making his pecs dance, he’s devoted to his family. He has an especially close bond with his little brother, whom he raised for many years after their parents passed. Now that the city has gone to hell, his goal is to get back home to make sure his bro is safe. His lifelong pessimism has finally been justified, which is how he’s managing to take it all in stride with an eye-roll and desert-dry sense of humor.
Residents of HELL-A
And hey, while you’re touring HELL-A, keep an eye out! Certified celebrities have been spotted around the city. Former Hollywood leading man, Curtis Sinclair, is said to be still residing in his mansion in Beverly Hills. Apparently, he has enough single malt and cigars on hand to last two apocalypses. We’ve been informed that vlogger and internet prankster, Amanda Styles, has taken to documenting the current situation in HELL-A and is looking for volunteers — both alive and dead — to star in her videos. Jimmy Montana, Star of the long-running police procedural drama “The Badge” and notorious Hollywood-level diva, has been reported to be holing up in a hotel with a group of survivors somewhere in the city. And finally, former lead axeman for the iconic rock group “Gods n Whiskey”, Rikky Rex, is said to be sleeping off a hangover with his partner, Roxanne, after the couple hosted a rager of an evacuation party at their home in the Hollywood Hills.
See You in HELL-A
That’s a rundown of just a few of the faces you can expect to see in HELL-A come April 28th, 2023.
The much-loved zombie saga is back with a unique formula of horror, dark humor and over the top zombie-slaying, spanning an epic pulp adventure.
Dead Island 2 is thrilling First-Person Action RPG, stylish, vibrant and flooded with zombie infection. Explore iconic, gore-drenched Los Angeles. Meet larger-than-life characters. Slay countless foes in exquisitely bloody detail. And evolve to become the ultimate Zombie Slayer!
Pre-order now and get the Memories of Banoi pack, featuring two unique weapons, a special weapon perk and skill card.
FEATURES
Explore HELL-A – Dead Island 2 takes players across the most iconic locations of the City of Angels, now stained with horror, in an exciting pulp journey from the verdant suburbia of Beverly Hills to the quirky promenade of Venice Beach.
Brutal Melee Sandbox – Combat delivers the most intense, visceral and gory first person experience possible, with plenty of weapons and tactical (and brutal) options to chew your way through the zombie horde. Whether you’re slicing, smashing, burning or ripping, we want you to truly feel it.
Be the Ultimate Zombie Slayer – There are six characters to choose from, each with their own unique personality and dialogues. You can fully customize the abilities of each Slayer, with our brand-new skill system allowing you to re-spec instantly and try out the craziest builds.
Zombie Infestation – Ready to experience the most advanced dismemberment system in games? Our LA is crawling with zombies that look and react realistically. These mutated wretches are the reanimated, rotten heart of Dead Island 2 with dozens of distinct zombie types, each with their own mutations, attacks and hundreds of visual LA-themed variants. Our monsters are relentless, challenging, and true Los Angelinos. Will you be able to survive?
A Cinematic Co-op Adventure – As a proper RPG experience, Dead Island 2 offers plenty of exciting quests, a crazy cast of characters, and a thrilling pulp story, to truly immerse you in its twisted universe. Re-playability is guaranteed. Add an over-the-top co-op mode for up to three players, and you’ll stay in LA for a very long (and gory) trip.
The Deluxe Edition includes the Xbox and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, two premium character packs, featuring a unique costume and weapon, and the Golden Weapons Pack. Pre-order now and get the Memories of Banoi pack, with two weapons, a special weapon perk and skill card.
The much-loved zombie saga is back with a unique formula of horror, dark humor and over the top zombie-slaying, spanning an epic pulp adventure.
Dead Island 2 is thrilling First-Person Action RPG, stylish, vibrant and flooded with zombie infection. Explore iconic, gore-drenched Los Angeles. Meet larger-than-life characters. Slay countless foes in exquisitely bloody detail. And evolve to become the ultimate Zombie Slayer!
FEATURES
Explore HELL-A – Dead Island 2 takes players across the most iconic locations of the City of Angels, now stained with horror, in an exciting pulp journey from the verdant suburbia of Beverly Hills to the quirky promenade of Venice Beach.
Brutal Melee Sandbox – Combat delivers the most intense, visceral and gory first person experience possible, with plenty of weapons and tactical (and brutal) options to chew your way through the zombie horde. Whether you’re slicing, smashing, burning or ripping, we want you to truly feel it.
Be the Ultimate Zombie Slayer – There are six characters to choose from, each with their own unique personality and dialogues. You can fully customize the abilities of each Slayer, with our brand-new skill system allowing you to re-spec instantly and try out the craziest builds.
Zombie Infestation – Ready to experience the most advanced dismemberment system in games? Our LA is crawling with zombies that look and react realistically. These mutated wretches are the reanimated, rotten heart of Dead Island 2 with dozens of distinct zombie types, each with their own mutations, attacks and hundreds of visual LA-themed variants. Our monsters are relentless, challenging, and true Los Angelinos. Will you be able to survive?
A Cinematic Co-op Adventure – As a proper RPG experience, Dead Island 2 offers plenty of exciting quests, a crazy cast of characters, and a thrilling pulp story, to truly immerse you in its twisted universe. Re-playability is guaranteed. Add an over-the-top co-op mode for up to three players, and you’ll stay in LA for a very long (and gory) trip.
Dead Island 2 is thrilling First-Person Action RPG, stylish, vibrant and flooded with zombie infection. Explore iconic, gore-drenched Los Angeles. Meet larger-than-life characters. Slay countless foes in exquisitely bloody detail. And evolve to become the ultimate Zombie Slayer!
The Gold Edition includes the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, two premium character packs, Golden and Pulp Weapons Packs and Expansion Pass.
The Expansion Pass gives access to two brand new chapters of the story coming after release. Pre-order now and get the Memories of Banoi Pack.
FEATURES
Explore HELL-A – Dead Island 2 takes players across the most iconic locations of the City of Angels, now stained with horror, in an exciting pulp journey from the verdant suburbia of Beverly Hills to the quirky promenade of Venice Beach.
Brutal Melee Sandbox – Combat delivers the most intense, visceral and gory first person experience possible, with plenty of weapons and tactical (and brutal) options to chew your way through the zombie horde. Whether you’re slicing, smashing, burning or ripping, we want you to truly feel it.
Be the Ultimate Zombie Slayer – There are six characters to choose from, each with their own unique personality and dialogues. You can fully customize the abilities of each Slayer, with our brand-new skill system allowing you to re-spec instantly and try out the craziest builds.
Zombie Infestation – Ready to experience the most advanced dismemberment system in games? Our LA is crawling with zombies that look and react realistically. These mutated wretches are the reanimated, rotten heart of Dead Island 2 with dozens of distinct zombie types, each with their own mutations, attacks and hundreds of visual LA-themed variants. Our monsters are relentless, challenging, and true Los Angelinos. Will you be able to survive?
A Cinematic Co-op Adventure – As a proper RPG experience, Dead Island 2 offers plenty of exciting quests, a crazy cast of characters, and a thrilling pulp story, to truly immerse you in its twisted universe. Re-playability is guaranteed. Add an over-the-top co-op mode for up to three players, and you’ll stay in LA for a very long (and gory) trip.
Pre-order Shoulders of Giants today on the Xbox Store, available January 26
After almost three years of development, we’re overjoyed to announce that Shoulders of Giants is now available for pre-order. The game will be released on January 26, 2023, on Xbox! Check out the newest trailer above featuring a mix of single-player and co-op mayhem.
One of the very first ideas we had when we started making Shoulders of Giants, was the silhouette of a smaller character riding on the back of a much bigger character. And then we thought, what if you could control both of these characters at once? How would that work? Would that be fun?
It took a lot of experimentation and prototyping to find the sweet spot, and an experience that felt fresh yet familiar. We thought, what if we split up types of combat between these characters, one character does all the melee, and is a big powerful mech? And the other character perched atop its back a small, nimble, gun wielding frog?
Once we found this combination, we knew we had found the core of the game. The next question we asked ourselves was, what type of world would these characters be in? What would their goal be in the game?
We have always been huge fans of science fiction, and knew we wanted a world where there was a dark force these heroes had to overcome, the classic theme of dark versus light. But how could we actually take this theme and create an interactive way for the player to experience it?
We imagined after an intense boss battle having the entire world transform from barren and dark, to vibrant, lush and full of life in a cinematic way. We experimented with real-time ways the player could do this, and found it to be fun and exciting and it became a pillar of the players abilities.
Speaking of abilities, the last core idea behind the game was that we wanted Shoulders of Giants to feel like a colorful playground with a huge arsenal of sci-fi gadgets and weapons for the player to explore and tinker with.
Players encounter weapons and abilities like a firework-shooting grenade launcher, a giant stomping shoe, a surfable shield, and much more. The core combat is all about experimenting with different combinations of equipment to find that amazing combo that keeps things feeling fresh and exciting.
While combat is the main gameplay pillar, we knew that we wanted a story for the game to take place in and for the characters and world to feel grounded too. The forces of entropy have taken over the universe, it is the players job to combat this dark force and to restore order and balance back to the universe.
As you beat more levels and save more worlds from the forces of entropy, you will build up your heat meter, allowing you to access increasingly difficult levels. As you pass certain heat thresholds, you will unlock special story boss encounters as you make your way to the final boss.
Along the way, you will acquire new weapons for both Froggie and the heroic Robot of the Galaxy as well as new pieces of armor, XP to spend on your skill tree, and dyes to further customize the look of your characters.
While you can customize your own frog and robot with dozens of cosmetics that are unlockable in-game, the four above can only be acquired as a bonus for pre-ordering the game:
This pre-order bonus includes four color sets, so you and up to three co-op friends can save the universe in style right from the start of the game.
Even better, the game is 20% off during this pre-order period. For more information, check out the game’s store page and official website, or join our discord.
Simultaneously control a sword-wielding robot and a gunslinging space frog in Shoulders of Giants, an explosively colorful sci-fi roguelike. Play alone, with a friend, or as part of a four-person team, cutting through waves of enemies on a quest to rescue the galaxy!
The forces of Entropy are spreading chaos through the stars, corrupting living planets and urging on the heat death of the universe. Led by the psychic Owl, one scrappy team of space survivors are fighting to restore the balance. A mysterious mech! A sharpshooting amphibian! Together they must cut through waves of enemies and restore light and life to the galaxy!
Pre-order the game for access to limited-edition dye sets with special visual effects. Dazzle your friends!
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
As mankind faces the remnants of a mysterious artificial intelligence, it’s up to trainee pilot Aya and veteran ace Zarak to investigate the resurgent threat against free space. Along the way, these defenders of peace will need to confront their past and learn more about themselves before they can uncover the truth of their enemies.
A refreshing and highly re-playable bullet hell style shooter that pushes you to play dangerously. “Graze” past enemy bullets to charge your Graze Counter, then unleash it upon your enemies as a highly deadly attack! Ride the razor’s edge of life and death in this high-risk high-reward danger-oriented arcade style shooting game.
If I say, there’s an hour “hidden” between one day and the next… would you believe me? Master the power of the heart, Persona, and uncover the tragic truth of the Dark Hour. Experience the iconic, critically acclaimed RPG that reinvented the Persona series! Playable on Cloud, Console, and PC.
Experience a coming-of-age story that sets the protagonist and his friends on a journey kickstarted by a chain of serial murders. The world-renowned Persona 4 Golden promises unforgettable adventures, meaningful bonds, and heartwarming experiences shared together with friends. Playable on Cloud, Console, and PC.
A slice-of-life adventure game with beautiful pixel art set in the late ‘90s rural Indonesia that tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers. When a mysterious supernatural power is suddenly unleashed threatening their existence, they must explore and investigate their town to uncover hidden secrets, face the end of the world, and perhaps learn more about each other.
Raid and voyage in the Caribbean; engage in tactical naval battles; parley with pirate legends, and more in Tortuga – A Pirate’s Tale. Being a pirate is not your fault, but it is your responsibility! Take action to relieve the Spanish, Dutch, French, and English colonies from their burden of drowning in riches. But be wary! Unless you are sure you are the biggest fish in the sea, don’t venture out too early or too far from your trusted hometown port.
The critically acclaimed action-RPG series returns! Set in the Japanese folklore inspired land of Kamura, players will team up to battle fearsome monsters, craft a wide variety of gear and prevent the world from falling into calamity. Rise to the challenge and join the hunt! Playable on Cloud, Console, and PC.
As the OmegaBot, dodge metallic dangers, acquire powerful weapons, and blast your way through a ravaged world full of deadly machines. Avoid various traps and deadly obstacles by using your weapons and abilities. Make your way through metallic forests, ruins of futuristic cities, and other environments. Step away from the beaten path to find hidden secrets and maybe even new friends who will help you vanquish the curse that has stricken the land.
Welcome to 2023! Thank you for another bustling year of DC Universe Online on Xbox. Together we fought off Perpetua’s Dark Knights, stormed Neron’s Underworld with Black Adam, and Saved the Universe (literally, again).
Doesn’t ring a bell? Don’t worry. All our storyline content is delivered in free episodes, and you can still jump in right now.
Free Player and Member Gifts
By the way, right now is a very good time to head back to Gotham City and Metropolis because January 11 is the 12th anniversary of DC Universe Online.
To celebrate, all Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players can claim an anniversary gift pack with over $75 worth of items through the end of January. You’ll get the new Batman Ally and CR333 Character Advance which will put your character at the right level to play our 42nd episode, Legion of Doom.
Even better, all our members will receive another gift with over $75 of additional rewards. The member gift includes the Teal Textured Polymer Chroma Pack, a box full of Artifact XP, Catalysts, and Seals, and 12 Stabilizers – one for every year of DC Universe Online.
Not yet a member? Become one today and claim these items by January 31, 2023.
Anniversary Event Returns
The Attack of the Anti-Monitor event returns this year with new items. We particularly recommend checking out the updated Fate’s Faith gear suit and the Source Wall-inspired base items and boss statues. Head over to Anti-Matter Metropolis to test your skills in the Speed Force Flux raid alongside The Flash and Professor Zoom. Will you be able to send the Anti-Monitor forward another year into the future?
We hope so, because 2023 is shaping up to bring in three new episodes, plus all-new allies, artifacts, an emotes system, and that’s just what we can share right now. Make sure to follow our social channels to stay up to date with everything headed your way.
Download and Play Free Today
DC Universe Online is free to play for all Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players. All episodes are free to access for everyone, so you can play alongside your friends no matter the content. Once you start the game, choose your morality, mentor, and powers to use in battle. Then create and customize your unique character to begin your adventures in the iconic DC universe!
For additional content details and guides to get started in DCUO, please visit us at DCUniverseOnline.com.
DC Universe™ Online is now on Xbox One! Join thousands of other players in this Free-to-Play, massive online action game set in the popular DC Comics universe. Choose your side – Hero or Villain – and create your character to experience true action combat, as you fight alongside and against legendary characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Lex Luthor, and Circe.
Jump in and explore the DC Universe; walk the darkened streets of Gotham City, investigate the mysteries of the futuristic cityscape of Metropolis, and travel to legendary locations such as Arkham Asylum and the Watchtower.
The Xbox One version of DC Universe Online includes the following:
– Xbox One Exclusive items: Powered-Up Character Emblem + Powered-Up Cape + Vapor Aura!
Become a part of our thriving community at DCUniverseOnline.com!
Please note the download is around 35GB and could take several hours, but it’s worth the wait!
Dive into a physics-based fishy adventure this weekend during Free Play Days. I am Fish is available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, January 12 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, January 15 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
How to Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep the Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.
I am Fish is a charming, physics-based adventure starring four intrepid fish friends, forcibly separated from their home in a pet shop fish tank. Over the course of the game, you join them as they swim, fly, roll, and chomp their way to the open ocean from the far-flung corners of Barnardshire (the smallest county in England) in their bid for freedom and to re-unite once again.
Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
Xbox is working to reduce our environmental impact to help us reach Microsoft’s goal of being a carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste company by 2030 by rethinking how we design, build, distribute, and use our products.
Last March, we shared an update on our sustainability efforts across hardware, software, waste reduction, and collective action. We are constantly looking at the ways in which we can innovate, learn, and improve upon our measures, as well as continue collaborating with industry partners and game developers. We not only hold ourselves accountable to the carbon emissions in the production and distribution of our products, but to the emissions created with the use of our products in the homes of our fans as well. So, the way we design our hardware and software to be more efficient and optimized for renewable energy can have a big impact.
Today we are sharing updates that are rolling out to Xbox Insiders. The upcoming changes will create opportunities for our collective community of gamers to make choices to reduce environmental impact while gaming.
Xbox is now the first gaming console to offer carbon aware game downloads and updates
Being carbon aware means reducing carbon footprint by optimizing updates and downloads to run at a time when the console can use the most renewable energy. Windows Update became carbon aware last year for Windows 11 PCs, and now Xbox consoles are also becoming carbon aware.
When your console is plugged in, connected to the Internet and regional carbon intensity data is available, Xbox will schedule game, app, and OS updates for your console at specific times during the nightly maintenance window that may result in lower carbon emissions because a higher proportion of electricity is coming from lower-carbon sources on the electric grid. For example, instead of your Xbox waking up during the nightly maintenance window at a random time between 2:00 AM – 6:00 AM, your console will wake up at a time when it can use the most renewable energy in your local energy grid. This decreases fossil fuel dependency and CO2 emissions, and could potentially save you money. While only available to Xbox Insiders that use Shutdown (energy saving) right now, all Xbox gamers will have the chance to update soon so that your Xbox console is carbon aware.
Energy settings that help your Xbox save energy
Starting today, Xbox Insiders will notice that their Xbox Series X|S consoles automatically update to the Shutdown (energy saving) power option. This one-time update to your power settings will reduce your power consumption while your console is off, and will not affect performance, gameplay, or your console’s ability to receive overnight updates to system, games or apps. Remote features are supported while the console is powered-on; however, remote wake is not supported while the console is shut down. You can adjust your settings at any time, choosing what works best for you. Shutdown (energy saving) cuts power use by up to 20X when it’s off compared to Sleep.
As we continue to explore options for all players to reduce their environmental impact, Xbox One consoles will begin to see new power mode options, including shutdown (energy saving) as early as today. Xbox One consoles will be testing multiple messaging options to determine the best way to inform players of the change. This effort is to provide Xbox One gamers an opportunity to provide feedback on their experience.
Shutdown (energy saving) will allow Xbox One consoles to receive system, game or app downloads overnight, just like Xbox Series X|S. With Shutdown (energy saving) selected, Xbox One consoles will experience a slower boot time. Remote features are still supported while the console is powered on.
We encourage all players to learn more about the power setting options available to you. Every small step we take has larger collective impact – and choosing shutdown (energy saving) can have real, meaningful impact. For example, for every 2 consoles that switch to Shutdown (energy saving) for one year, we will save the equivalent amount of carbon removed by 1 tree planted and grown for a decade. This is based on an average of Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles on Shutdown (energy saving) for 20 hours per day for 1 year; actual energy savings and avoided emissions may vary by console and other factors. Using Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator | US EPA.
Improved sustainability with “Active hours” and Sleep
Another energy setting update that will start to roll out to Xbox Insiders today is the new “Active hours” setting. For those that select the Sleep power option, you can now adjust your console’s active hours. Your Xbox will boot quickly and will be available for remote wake during your selected active hours. When your Xbox’s active hours are done for the day, it will fully shut down and will draw 0.5 W vs. 10-15 W while active.
Xbox Series X|S active hours will be automatically enabled and scheduled based on times when the console was previously used
Xbox One consoles will have the option to configure their active hours, which will default to “always active” unless changed
How you can help
We can’t do this alone. We must work together with our players, developers, studios, and the industry if we’re going to help reduce gaming’s impact on the environment. We’re committed to collaborating with our developers, partnering with organizations, and empowering players to make more informed decisions.
Here are some specific ways you can help:
Choose the settings that help you and your Xbox save energy Choose shutdown (energy saving) as a power option on your Xbox. If you are not part of Xbox Insiders and want to adjust your settings to get the best energy saving option prior to the automatic update go to Settings > General > Power options. It will help conserve power and enable carbon aware updates on your Xbox.
Get carbon aware – Choose automatic updates. When you have configured your Xbox to get automatic updates and you have selected shutdown (energy saving) as a power option, you’ll have a carbon aware Xbox.
Shutdown sooner when inactive – Choose a shorter duration for when your Xbox will turn off when inactive. This will help to reduce the amount of time that your console will remain on when inactive before turning itself off. By default, this is set to 1 hour, but you can choose a time that is less than an hour by going to Settings > General > Power options > Customize power options.
