Original Xbox Game From 2003 Now Available for Free

An original Xbox game from 2003, an exclusive for the first-ever Xbox console, is now available for free, for some. Back in 2003, games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Call of Duty, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Tony Hawk’s Underground, and more headlined a year that was actually pretty light compared to the years around it. Many of these same games don’t hold up 22 years later and aren’t as relevant as they used to be. That said, this is also a very nostalgic era of gaming for many and those with a Prime Subscription can revisit this era for free.

Courtesy of Prime Gaming, which is free with an Amazon Prime subscription, this original Xbox and PC game from 2003 is free to download and keep until April 30. Unfortunately, for those on modern Xbox hardware — such as Xbox One, Xbox Series S, or Xbox Series X — this free download is limited to PC. As for the game itself, it is Dues Ex: Invisible War.

For those unfamiliar with the RPG classic, it debuted back on December 2, 2003, at least in the United States. It didn’t come to Europe until a few months later on March 5, 2004. In the modern era, Eidos Interactive is known for developing the series, but back then it was Ion Storm, though the studio eventually was closed and incorporated into Eidos Interactive, who was publishing the games at the time. The studio was notably founded by John Romero, a co-founder of id Software and a pioneer in the industry.

Deus Ex: Invisible War notably takes place twenty years after 2000’s Deus Ex, also made by Ion Storm. Unfortunately, the follow up was not as well received, and is widely considered the weakest game in the series. It still sold well though, and earned a very solid 84 on Metacritic. It never got its own sequel and never got a follow up at all until 2011’s prequel, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

“Approximately 20 years after the events depicted in Deus Ex, The World is only beginning to recover from a Catastrophic worldwide depression,” reads an official description of the game for those unfamiliar with it. “In the Chaotic period of recovery, several religious and political factions see an opportunity to re-shape a worldwide government to their agendas, understanding that the right moves now could determine the shape of human society for decades Even centuries to come. In this techno-nightmare, take part in the dark struggle to raise the world from its own ashes.”

Those that check out Dues Ex: Invisible War now that it is free to download on PC via Prime Gaming should expect a game that is about 9 hours long to beat, with a handful of hours extra for side content. Meanwhile, completionists will need to double this amount of time with the RPG.