Technically, the next batch of Xbox Live Gold free games aren't supposed to be available until Sunday, August 1. However, Microsoft has been making a habit of making the next batch of Xbox free Games with Gold games available for subscribers to download a day in advance. The Xbox free Games with Gold for August 2021 are no exception, with subscribers now able to download the first two games that make up next month's lineup.
Starting today, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can claim Darksiders 3 and Lost Planet 3 for their digital games library. Darksiders 3 is one of the Xbox One free games for August 2021, whereas Lost Planet 3 is an Xbox 360 offering. Darksiders 3 will be available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to claim until August 31, whereas Lost Planet 3 is only available until August 15, so subscribers should be sure to claim them as soon as they can.
Darksiders 3 is the latest numbered entry in the Darksiders franchise. A prequel to the original Darksiders game, with a story that takes place concurrently with Darksiders 2, the game stars Fury as the main playable character as she hunts down the Seven Deadly Sins on Earth. While it does retain some elements of the previous games in the series, Darksiders 3 has more of a Dark Souls-influence.
Just like Darksiders 3, Lost Planet 3 is the latest numbered entry in its respective franchise, and it's also a prequel to the first Lost Planet game. Lost Planet 3 is a third-person shooter with RPG elements that sees players trying to survive as a colonist on the inhospitably frozen planet E.D.N. III. It places much more emphasis on its narrative than the other games in the Lost Planet series, but features the same setting and enemies.
Later in the month, Darksiders 3 and Lost Planet 3 will be joined by Yooka-Laylee and Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Yooka-Laylee is a traditional 3D platformer game, meant to be a spiritual successor to Rare's Banjo-Kazooie franchise, whereas Garou: Mark of the Wolves is a Fatal Fury fighting game. Yooka-Laylee will be available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers from August 16 to September 15, whereas Garou: Mark of the Wolves can be downloaded from August 16 to August 31.
With Darksiders 3 and Lost Planet 3 being made available a day early, there's still time for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to claim the free Games with Gold for July 2021 if they haven't done so already. They consist of Planet Alpha, Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break, and Midway: Arcade Origins.