A day removed from Sony announcing the free PS Plus Games for August 2020, Microsoft has now announced the free games that Xbox Live Gold subscribers can look forward to in August. Next month, fans can claim two free Xbox One games for their digital collection, along with two games for the original Xbox. In a change of pace, there are no Xbox 360 games as part of the free Games with Gold for August 2020.
For Xbox One, fans can claim Portal Knights from August 1 to August 31, and Override: Mech City Brawl from August 16 to September 15. Portal Knights is a sandbox RPG that is similar in tone to Minecraft, whereas Override: Mech City Brawl is a 3D brawler that earned mixed reviews at the time of its release. Despite the mixed reviews, though, Override: Mech City Brawl boasts a full campaign as well as local and online multiplayer modes, so those that do enjoy it at least have a lot of content to try out.
As far as the original Xbox games go, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can claim MX Unleashed from August 1 to 15, and then Red Faction 2 from August 16 to August 31. Red Faction 2 is arguably the most significant game in the lineup, though it being 18 years old at this point may still rub fans the wrong way.
Overall, it seems likely that Xbox Live Gold subscribers may not be too happy with the free Games with Gold for August 2020 lineup. There are no major AAA games on the list, continuing a pattern that Microsoft has been sticking to for months now. It seems as though Microsoft is more concerned about bolstering its Xbox Game Pass library than providing worthwhile Games with Gold titles, and it may be evidence that the company is planning to phase the program out as rumored.
Some credible Xbox insiders have suggested that Microsoft is going to do away with Xbox Live Gold to focus exclusively on Game Pass. This will reportedly include removing the online multiplayer paywall, allowing anyone with an Xbox to play games online without having to pay for a subscription every year. Nothing like this has been announced in an official capacity, though, so fans should wait for more information from Microsoft before jumping to conclusions.
In the meantime, there's still a few days left for fans to download the Xbox free Games with Gold for July 2020.