Xbox Live Gold Users Can Now Download Popular Horror Game for Free

Xbox Live Gold subscribers on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X -- via Games With Gold July 2023 -- have a new free game to download, and it's the perfect game for fans of horror games. While the best days not just when it comes to horror games, but horror entertainment in general, are behind us, each year a few notable horror games release. It's rare for these games to be AAA games for a variety of reasons. Typically, they are smaller indie games. A recent example of this is Darkwood, which is free between now and the end of month via Xbox Live Gold. 

For those that have never heard of this game, it came out in 2017 via developer Acid Wizard Studio, who also served as the publisher of the game. On Metacritic, Darkwood boasts a solid score of 80. Meanwhile, on Steam, 94 percent of nearly 14,000 user reviews recommend the game, giving it a "Very Positive" user review rating. 

"Roam by day, survive the night. Darkwood is a different type of survival horror game that builds tension through slow-burn atmosphere without relying on jump scares. While the sun is out, explore an open world of the corrupted woods to scavenge weapons and materials. Once the sun dips, you'll need to hole up surrounded by whatever traps and barriers you can build and pray you can hide from or fight the creatures that emerge in the dark. Good luck making it through the night with your body and mind intact."

Xbox Live Gold is available via Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. Depending on how many months you want to subscribe, the price varies. For example, a single month of the subscription service runs at $10. However, if you commit to 12 months, you can nab a subscription for $60, which is a rate of $5 a month. Meanwhile, you can also secure an Xbox Live Gold subscription via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles in Xbox Live Gold at a price point of $15 a month.

Games With Gold, on the other hand, is a part of Xbox Live Gold. Xbox Live Gold primarily grants Xbox users to online services and multiplayer games. This is the reason most subscribe to it. Its second biggest function is Games With Gold, a monthly offer of free Xbox games. How it works in its current form is that every month Xbox gives out two Xbox games, for free, to subscribers. One of these Xbox games is available to download, for free, between the start of the month and the end of the month. The other free Xbox game becomes available between at the middle point of the month, and remains available, for free, until the middle point of the next month. 

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