What you need to know
- Xbox's Games with Gold gives subscribers a handful of free Xbox games every month.
- The free titles for June 2023 have been revealed, with two beloved indie games comprising the list.
- Adios is a short, powerful narrative adventure, while The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is an innovate audio-only RPG.
- Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to claim both games for free in June.
It's no secret that Xbox's maligned Games with Gold service has earned next to no positive feedback from the community in recent months and years, but that may be about to change (at least for players who love creative indie games).
Xbox has just revealed the titles heading to Xbox Games with Gold in June 2023, and it's two genuinely amazing and critically acclaimed indie games. The announcement comes shortly after Xbox announced the new games heading to Xbox Game Pass in the next few weeks, which also included a solid list of games for players to explore. Here are the two games coming to Games with Gold this month, with a combined value of $37.98 and 2,000 Gamerscore:
- Adios — June 1 to June 30, 2023
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown — June 16 to July 15, 2023
Adios is a very short, incredibly well-written narrative adventure game with an emotional story, and it's sure to move some players to tears during its brief span. The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a unique and innovative RPG with no visuals — That's right, the entire game is just audio, and is pushed forward with its excellent voice acting and writing quality. Both of these indie games are beloved by critics and players alike.
In case you missed it, a lot more is happening this month as well. Diablo 4 is almost here, and you can now read our full Diablo 4 review praising the game for its industry-defining campaign, stunning visuals dripping with gore and viscera, and aggressively addictive gameplay. We also praised Street Fighter 6 in our review, which is guaranteed to attract the vast hordes of fighting games fans. Both titles are absolutely some of the best Xbox games coming out this year.
Minecraft's 1.20 "Trails & Tales" update is arriving on June 7, 2023, and Microsoft is hosting its massive and highly anticipated Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on June 11. There's clearly a lot to look forward to in June already, but maybe we can all find time to play the two great games coming to us via Xbox Games with Gold.
If you want to add these Games with Gold titles to your library, you'll need to be subscribed to Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes the former service in addition to Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Windows Central's take
Some will still likely complain that there are no big-name, big-budget games on the docket for this month's Xbox Games with Gold, but those who adore creative indie games will have a blast with what's on offer here. I loved Adios; I unfortunately forgot about The Vale: Shadow of the Crown, but this is a fantastic reminder and an even better opportunity to finally play it myself.
As long as Xbox continues to offer interesting, high-quality titles through Games with Gold, I honestly don't care if it's the latest and greatest "AAA" games or not. I like playing good games, and this month delivers that. I'm happy.
