Free Xbox Games with Gold for February 2016
By Dalton Cooper 26 January 2016
Major Nelson reveals the free Games with Gold games on Xbox One and Xbox 360 for February 2016, which includes the likes of Gears of War 2, Hand of Fate, and more!
As is to be expected, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can look forward to four free games to download in February; two on Xbox One, and two on Xbox 360. These games are quite varied in terms of genre, and while only one is all that well known, hopefully there’s a little something for everyone this month.
Starting Xbox One’s Games with Gold program for February 2016 is Hand of Fate, which will be available as a free download from February 1st to February 29th. Hand of Fate is a unique action-RPG that includes elements of trading card game deck building to help it stand out from the pack. Read our Hand of Fate review to find out why it’s one of the strongest additions to the Games with Gold lineup for February.
The other free Xbox One game for February is something that gamers will probably be less enthusiastic about, especially those that subscribe to both Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus. It’s Styx: Master of Shadows, a stealth game that released to mixed reviews in 2014. It was also part of the PlayStation Plus free games of July 2015 lineup, marking yet another occasion where Xbox is playing catch-up with its free games. Those interested in downloading Styx for Xbox One will have the chance to do so from February 16th to March 15th.
Moving on to Xbox 360, Sacred Citadel will be free from February 1st to February 15th. Sacred Citadel is a spin-off of the Diablo clone Sacred series, with a completely different art style and gameplay philosophy than the series that birthed it. It looks like a cartoon and plays like a beat ’em up, and unfortunately released to less than stellar reviews back in 2013.
Finally, Gears of War 2 is the second free Games with Gold game for February, and it will be available to download from February 16th to February 29th. Critically acclaimed and a blockbuster hit, Gears of War 2 is by far the most well-known Games with Gold title for February, but it may not be all that satisfying for hardcore Xbox fans. After all, the biggest Xbox enthusiasts likely played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and so there’s a good chance, thanks to that game giving players all the previous Gears of War games for free, that many Gold subscribers already have access to Gears of War 2 in some capacity.
It’s also worth noting that Xbox Live Gold subscribers have a bonus free game to download at the time being. While not officially part of the February 2016 Games with Gold lineup, The Witcher 2 is free to download on Xbox 360 until February 5th, as a way to celebrate the game being added to the Xbox One backward compatibility list.
While Xbox Live Gold subscribers wait for the next batch of free games to be made available, be sure to download January 2016’s free Games with Gold titles while they’re still free to download. Last month’s offerings included the first season of the Killer Instinct reboot as well as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, so grab them before they’re gone.
Source: Major Nelson
