The first season of Telltale Games’ episodic adventure game series The Walking Dead will be available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers in October, Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced.
In a first for the Games With Gold program, both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 editions of The Walking Dead will be available for free in the same month, giving players on both platforms the chance to experience Telltale’s acclaimed series.
Originally released as a series of downloadable episodes throughout 2012, The Walking Dead is a choice-driven adventure game in which players must forge alliances with fellow survivors in the wake of a zombie outbreak. Player actions and choices are reflected throughout the game’s first season, and decisions made in early episodes have far-reaching consequences.
Telltale followed up with a second season of The Walking Dead in 2014, continuing starring character Clementine’s journey. A third season is currently in development alongside ongoing Telltale projects based on the television series Game of Thrones and 2K’s first-person shooter franchise Borderlands.
The Xbox One version of Ubisoft’s Valiant Hearts will also launch as a free download in October for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Taking place during World War I, Valiant Hearts features multiple playable characters who each must weather wartime challenges and hardship.
Gameplay in Valiant Hearts unfolds throughout a series of 2D vignettes that frequently swap out playable characters and settings. Players progress by solving environmental puzzles and interacting with other characters in a style similar to classic point-and-click adventure games.
Also up for grabs in October is the Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Serving as a prelude chapter to the recently released Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes tells a brief story that directly follows up on the events of 2010’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The Xbox One edition of Ground Zeroes previously launched as a featured Games With Gold freebie earlier this year.
Valiant Hearts will be available as a free download throughout the month of October, while the Xbox One version of The Walking Dead will be free to download between October 16th and November 15th. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be free on the Xbox 360 between October 1st and October 15th, and 360 players can download The Walking Dead from October 16th through October 31st.
