Xbox Live Gold subscribers now have the opportunity to claim yet another free game for their collection, with Autonauts free to claim from now until February 15. Microsoft has made some major changes to the Xbox free Games with Gold program in the past year, but it has not changed the staggered releases for its monthly free games.
Every month, Xbox gamers are treated to free games that they can play forever as long as they're subscribed to Xbox Live Gold. One of the free games is given away at the beginning of the month, and another is made available in the middle of the month. Both free games are available for about a month at a time. Previously, the Xbox free Games with Gold service included two Xbox 360 games every month as well, but those titles have been phased out and now fans are only treated to two free Xbox One games with each update.
Right now, the Xbox free Games with Gold games are the aforementioned Autonauts, available until February 15, and Iris Fall, which is available until January 31. Iris Fall is a brief puzzle game that earned mixed reviews at the time of its original release. Autonauts, meanwhile, is quite a different beast and could take dozens of hours for players to complete.
Xbox Free Games with Gold Games for January 2023
- Iris Fall (until January 31)
- Autonauts (January 16 - February 15)
According to How Long to Beat, the average time it takes people to complete Autonauts is a staggering 96 hours. Completionists that want to get absolutely everything in the game will be looking at dedicating upwards of 173 hours. The game earned mostly positive reviews when it first launched, so while it may not have much name recognition, Autonauts does seem like it's giving Xbox Live Gold subscribers significant bang for their buck.
While Autonauts does seem like a solid pick for the Xbox free Games with Gold program, there are still many who are disappointed with Microsoft's support for the service. Recent years have seen Microsoft largely ignore its Xbox free Games with Gold, instead focusing its efforts on Xbox Game Pass. It's worth pointing out that those with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription can claim these free games as well, as the highest-tier of that particular service comes with all the Xbox Live Gold benefits included.
There have been rumors that Xbox Live Gold is going to be phased out eventually, and it does seem like Microsoft is heading in that direction. For now, though, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can continue claiming their free games every month.