**Update 9/21/16: See October’s Games with Gold here.
Xbox has announced their Games with Gold lineup for the month of September.
Twice a month, Xbox gives their Xbox Live Gold members access to a selection of free games, which consists of two Xbox 360 and two Xbox One titles. All Games With Gold titles are backward compatible, so if you have an Xbox One you can play all four. If you have an Xbox 360 but plan to buy an Xbox One at some point in the future, you can still claim the Xbox One games now and they will be in your library when you get the new console. For more information on Games With Gold features and restrictions, see Xbox’s official site.
Next month’s Games with Gold are as follows:
- Earthlock: Festival of Magic: This turn-based RPG from indie studio Snowcastle games will debut on September 1st for Xbox One and PC with PS4 and Wii U versions to follow at a later date. The story takes place on a world called Umbra, where catastrophic events have stopped the planet’s spinning. A party of unlikely heroes will band together on what is initially a quest to save Amon’s uncle, and turns into a larger journey to save all of Umbra. Players will have to strategically utilize different stances, battle bonds, and customizable Talent Tables to defeat enemies, in addition to harvesting materials and crafting items.
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China: The Assassin’s Creed Chronicles trilogy is a series of 2.5D side-scrolling platformers, of which China is the first; chronologically, it takes place after the film Assassin’s Creed: Embers in 1526 China. The game, initially released on April 21, 2015, will be available on September 16th through 30th for Games With Gold.
- Forza Horizon: The fifth installment of the popular Forza racing game series, which will be available September 1st through 15th, first came out for the Xbox 360 on October 23, 2012. The game centers around the fictitious Colorado street racing event known as the Horizon Festival, where your goal is of course to become the champion. In typical Forza fashion, you will have a wide variety of cars at your disposal in order to accomplish this goal.
- Mirror’s Edge: This action-adventure platform, which initially made its way to Xbox 360 on November 11, 2008, is an appropriate choice given the recent release of its reboot, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. The protagonist, Faith, is part of a network of runners that operates in secret to deliver messages while evading the government’s notice in a dystopian, futuristic society. Players can download Mirror’s Edge from September 16th through the end of the month.
Games With Gold is a great deal because gamers can potentially get around $700 in free games a year just for subscribing a service that most would anyway. Check back every month for a list of the upcoming Games With Gold titles here at Heavy.