November's Xbox Games with Gold take a trip in time with backward compatibility

By Danny Cowan October 29, 2015

xbox games with gold adds backward compatible dirt3 header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft announced November’s downloadable freebies for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, revealing that the service’s first-ever batch of backward-compatible Xbox 360 games will be given away starting next month.

The lineup effectively gives Xbox One owners access to four free games in total throughout November, doubling the platform’s previous monthly allotment.

Starting on November 1st, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can download the Xbox One version of Pneuma: Breath of Life free of charge. Originally released in February, Pneuma is an existentialist first-person puzzler that puts players in control of a witty god, Pneuma, who is able to shape his surroundings using psychic powers.

Also on tap for next month’s giveaway is Knight Squad, a multiplayer action game that makes its Xbox One debut as part of the Games With Gold program. Described by creator Chainsawesome Games as “Bomberman meets Gauntlet,” Knight Squad is a hectic, overhead-view arena combat game with multiple cooperative and competitive versus modes of play.

Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners alike can also download Codemasters’ rally racer Dirt 3 for free starting next month via Games With Gold. Released in 2011 as part of the Colin McRae Rally series, Dirt 3 features detailed physics simulation and realistic drifting action across multiple racetracks in Europe, Africa and the United States.

Dungeon Siege III is the last featured title in next month’s Games With Gold lineup. Developed by Fallout: New Vegas and South Park: The Stick of Truth studio Obsidian Entertainment, Dungeon Siege III boasts an in-depth combat system and several different character classes, ensuring a lengthy quest.

Pneuma: Breath of Life and Dirt 3 will be available as free downloads for Xbox Live Gold subscribers starting on November 1st. Knight Squad is up for grabs from November 16th through December 15th, and Dungeon Siege III is free to download from November 16th through the end of the month.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Gaming

Final Xbox Live Gold games include a free hidden gem worth downloading

Blue Fire's main character runs on a wall.

Microsoft revealed the final two games that will be available for free as part of the Games with Gold program for Xbox Live Gold. The service isn't really going out with a bang, but one of the games is a solid Souls-inspired indie platformer that's worth a download as Games with Gold's swan song.

The two games Microsoft will give away are Level 91 Entertainment's Inertial Drift and Robi Studios' Blue Fire. Inertial Drift is a vibrant, neon-infused arcade racer with unique twin-stick controls that players have to master in order to steer and drift properly. Racing game fans should get a kick out of it, but the game to really care about in this final batch is Blue Fire.
Blue Fire is a 3D platformer, but it takes more inspiration from the likes of Dark Souls and Hollow Knight than Super Mario 64. While it's a pretty fast-paced platformer with a satisfying dash move at its core, it makes players platform through pretty dark and moody settings that interconnect like Dark Souls areas do. The game also sometimes places emphasis on combat, which is usually a bad sign in platformers, fights can actually sometimes be pretty tough and satisfying in Blue Fire.

Gaming

Your Xbox Live Gold subscription will turn into Xbox Game Pass Core this September

Microsoft finally made the decision to move on from its monthly online-access subscription service Xbox Live Gold. On September 14, Xbox Live Gold will transform into Xbox Game Pass Core, with current Gold subscribers automatically gaining a Game Pass Core subscription.

An Xbox Live subscription tied to online play has existed in some form since Xbox Live launched in 2002, but Xbox Live Gold as we now know it truly came into form in July 2013 when Microsoft started the Games with Gold program that gave subscribers free games each month in addition to that online access. Although Microsoft rolled back some online restrictions in 2021, Games with Gold continues to this day. That will all end when Game Pass Core launches.

Gaming

Try these 2 indie greats before they leave Xbox Game Pass next week

An orb sits in an alien desert in Exo One.

I’m always excited for those two days every month when Xbox drops a blog post detailing the new additions coming to Game Pass. Even in slow months, there’s usually a hidden gem on there that I’m curious about digging into. Though as curious as I am about checking out what’s new, I often forget to scroll to the bottom and see what’s leaving the service. And just as there are a few standouts added to the service each month, Game Pass also tends to quietly lose just as many with each new batch.

That’s exactly the case this July. While the service gains Grand Theft Auto V and Exoprimal this month, it’s also losing two standout indies: Spelunky 2 and Exo One. If you’re looking for some games to play during a slow month for big releases, here’s why you should check out both before they leave the service on July 15.
Spelunky 2