Microsoft made a big move to make free-to-playXboxgames infinitely more accessible. Previously, an Xbox Live Gold subscription was required to play “free” games on the service, effectively making their free-to-play label as misnomer. Now that all free-to-playXboxgames are truly free to play, some fans may be wondering where exactly to start, as there’s quite a few titles that are part of the lineup.
Thefree-to-play Xbox games listis already quite the long one and will grow with time. For now, though, there’s already quite the selection of free-to-play games readily available for Xbox users to choose from.
RELATED:Microsoft Changing Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Renewal Practices
While there are many free games on Xbox without Gold, some definitely stand out more than others. Those who want to play the best of the best free Xbox games may want to consider checking out some of the heavy hitters first.
Updated July 22, 2025 by Dalton Cooper:In the past year, the list of free Xbox games that players can play without signing up for Xbox Live Gold has seen two major additions, strengthening the lineup and giving Xbox’s free-to-play library a significant boost.
Then in January 2022, Krafton relaunched PUBG: Battlegrounds as a free-to-play experience. PUBG: Battlegrounds became one of the best-selling video games of all time while it was being pushed as a premium product, but this jump to free-to-play should potentially expand its horizons to even more players.
Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment hit it out of the park withApex Legends, a battle royale that blends in elements of the hero-shooter genre. Since its successful launch in 2019, Respawn has kept fans engaged withApex Legendsthrough new character additions, map changes, and content updates. This includes theApex LegendsArenas mode, which offers a more traditional PvP experience and allows the game to exist as more than just a battle royale.
Apex Legendsis completely free to play, with the option of purchasing cosmetics with microtransactions. Nearly all of the launchApex Legendscharacters are available right off the bat, but a couple need to be unlocked, either by accumulating enough funds through gameplay or purchasing them outright.
Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific
Call of Duty: Warzoneremains one of the most popular battle royale games in the world, and so it being completely playable for free on Xbox is definitely a big deal.Call of Duty: Warzoneplayers on Xbox can play the game as much as they want without paying a dime, but there are cosmetic bundles available to purchase for those interested. Like many other modern live service shooter games,Call of Duty: Warzonealso has a Battle Pass, rewarding those who complete it with new cosmetics and other rewards.
Call of Duty: Warzonelets players check out the small-scale Rebirth Island for those wanting a more bite-sized battle royale experience, and it also has theCaldera mapavailable. The Caldera map was added toCall of Duty: Warzoneas part of the game’s transition toCall of Duty: Warzone Pacific, replacing the popular Verdansk map, and marking the game’s integration withCall of Duty: Vanguard.
Destiny 2
Afree-to-play version ofDestiny 2has existed for some time now, letting players get a taste of Bungie’s looter-shooter/MMO hybrid. There’s a significant amount of content that freeDestiny 2players can enjoy, but there’s also quite a bit blocked behind paywalls, requiring players to purchase the latest expansions if they truly want to experience the game to its fullest.
Fortnite
Battle royale games thrive in a free-to-play environment, and the perfect example of that is Epic Games’Fortnite. WhileFortnitemay not be quite as popular as it was a few years ago, there’s no denying the game’s incredible staying power.Fortniteis currently in Chapter 3, which flipped the existing battle royale map over and of course, added a variety of new skins for players to add to their collection.
The main draw ofFortniteis still its battle royale mode, but there’s plenty of other content in the game as well.Fortnite’s Creative Mode is also accessible for free players, as is every other game mode that it has to offer with the exception of Save the World.FortniteSave the Worldis the story campaign mode for the game, but it hasn’t received serious support from Epic Games in years as the developer’s attention has been focused almost exclusively on the battle royale experience.
Fortniteis free-to-play, but there is an item shop that sells various skins and other cosmetics for a limited time.Fortniteplayers also have the option of purchasing a battle pass as well, which includes specialized challenges, XP boosts, new items, and much more.
Halo Infinite Multiplayer
PUBG: Battlegrounds
One of the most popular battle royale games ever made isPUBG: Battlegrounds, which really helped kickstart the craze that would go on to inspire the likes ofApex LegendsandFortnite. For the longest time, a key difference betweenPUBGand the battle royale games it inspired was the fact that it was pay-to-play, as opposed to free-to-play. However, that changed in January 2022 when the decision was made to relaunchPUBG: Battlegroundsas a free-to-play game.
Roblox
Robloxis quite possibly the most popular gameon this list, with well over 100 million active players to this day.Roblox, for the uninitiated, essentially lets players create their own experiences and games and share them online. SomeRobloxgames have even become popular enough that they’ve spun off into being their own thing.Robloxhas remained popular on Xbox since it debut on the Xbox One in 2015, and now anyone can play it even if they don’t have an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
Free Xbox Games Without Gold
While the aforementioned games are arguably the biggest free Xbox games without Gold, there are many others available to play. Here is the full list of free Xbox games that do not require Gold. Please note that this list will evolve over time, as new free-to-play games will be added occasionally.
There have been rumors thatMicrosoft may do away with Xbox Live Goldentirely to focus its efforts on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service instead. If that were to happen, not only would Xbox fans be able to play these free-to-play games with no subscription, but they would also be able to enjoy the online multiplayer components for their favorite games without an Xbox Live Gold subscription as well. Whether or not that actually comes to pass remains to be seen, but Xbox fans can check out these free games in the meantime.
