What you need to know
- Xbox Games with Gold is a perk included in Xbox Live Gold that nets players four free games every single month.
- The Xbox Games with Gold for June 2021 has been revealed, and includes games like Injustice: Gods Among Us and The King's Bird.
- Recently, the program has come under fire for a lackluster selection of free games, with old or obscure games dominating.
- There have been calls from Xbox players to shelve Xbox Games with Gold in favor of the superior and more value-driven Xbox Game Pass service.
As we near the end of May, Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox Games with Gold for June 2021. The four free games being offered through the Xbox Live Gold program (also included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate) will likely disappoint many players, but plenty of people should also be able to find something they love here. Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Games with Gold both have experienced a shift in perception in recent years as Xbox Game Pass continues to dominate the value wars, but you can still add these four titles to your games library over the next month.
Xbox Games with Gold for June include four games worth a combined $80 and 3,200 Gamerscore, with the headlining game absolutely being the Xbox 360 backward compatible version of Injustice: Gods Among Us. The month will begin with The Kings Bird from June 1 to June 30 and NeoGeo Battle Coliseum from June 1 to June 15. Then, Shadows: Awakening will be available from June 16 to July 15, with Injustice: Gods Among Us from June 16 to June 30.
In our Xbox Live Gold review, it became clear that the outlook for the service wasn't the same as when it made its groundbreaking debut. Recent changes to Xbox Live Gold like the removal of the free-to-play multiplayer paywall, the middling offers from Xbox Games with Gold, and the rise of the value-driven and all-around-superior Xbox Game Pass Ultimate insinuate that Xbox Live Gold isn't going to be around forever anymore. While many players may still appreciate the free games they earn every month with Xbox Games with Gold, lots of vocal players have made it clear they wouldn't mind this shift.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is certainly one of the best values in gaming right now, with access to hundreds of high-quality games across Xbox and PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Games with Gold, and exclusive perks all included in one monthly subscription. If you're still not sold, be sure to check out some of the best Xbox Game Pass games, and all the new games coming to Xbox Game Pass.
All your gaming needs, in one subscription.
Is the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the best value in all of gaming? It's possible. Ultimate bundles your Xbox Live Gold subscription, an Xbox Game Pass subscription for both Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and Xbox Cloud Gaming for on-the-go. That means access to hundreds of games, with more added all the time, for a single monthly subscription cost.
