Xbox Game Pass is one of the top gaming subscription services. It offers a catalog of games that players can enjoy for free as part of their subscription. The list of games gets updated on a monthly basis, with new games joining while others get retired. Typically, games stick around for at least a few months once they’re added to Game Pass before being retired. But for a limited time, Xbox’s Free Play Days is adding 5 new games for all subscribers to try.
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Xbox Free Play Days is a weekly event where gamers get access to extra titles as part of their Xbox Game Pass subscription. Unlike traditionally added games, this lineup is usually only around for a few days. It’s more of a free trial to see whether you might want to buy certain major game titles. This week’s games, which are available from December 18th to December 21st, include some relatively new releases that subscribers won’t want to miss.
All Games Included in 2025 Xbox Free Play Days for December 18th-21st
For this week’s rendition of Free Play Days, Xbox Game Pass members have a few days to check out 5 major, recently released games entirely for free. The following games are free to try for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and Essential members from December 18th to December 21st:
- NBA 2K26
- WWE 2K25
- PGA Tour 2K25
- Ark: Survival Ascended
- The Forgotten City
Many of these games are newer titles released in the last few years, which makes this a bit different compared to many Free Play Days offerings. With just a few days to check them out, it’s not likely you’ll be able to finish the games. However, it can be a good way to see if you’ll like them well enough to buy. And each of the featured games for Xbox Free Play Days is on sale for a solid discount this time around, so you can grab the full game for less if you decide you want to keep playing.
How to Play Xbox Free Play Day Titles
New games are up for grabs through Xbox Free Play Days each week, giving Xbox Game Pass members a chance to try out a variety of new and older games. Unlike a demo, the gameplay doesn’t cap at any particular point. Instead, gamers have more or less unfettered access to the game for the limited window of Xbox Free Play Days.
To check out these games while they’re still free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, just head to the game’s page in the Xbox Store. From there, you can click “Get It Now” to download the game for free as an Xbox Game Pass subscriber. You’ll need to be signed in to your Xbox Game Pass account for this option to be visible. On console, you can easily grab the games from the curated Free Play Days collection.
Access to games offered via Xbox Free Play Days expires when the event is over. Typically, this happens at midnight in your time zone, so this week’s games will be available until 11:59:59 PM on December 21st. After that, you will need to buy the full game to keep playing. If you do decide you want to keep going, any progress you make during the free trial period will carry over if you choose to buy the full game. This is true even if you take a while to decide whether you want to invest in the game or not.
This week’s lineup will expire on December 21st, so if these games interest you, make time to check them out before they’re replaced with a new round of trial games. Next week’s games aren’t yet confirmed, but we likely will see one more round of Free Play releases to round out 2025.
Are you planning to check out these games while they’re available through Xbox Free Play Days? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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