Microsoft has officially announced all four Xbox Games With Gold titles for December 2021! These games are available to download for free for Xbox Live Gold members (including subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate).
Here's the complete list of titles you can look forward to in December:
Xbox Series X / Xbox One
The Escapists 2 (December 1 - 31)
The Ultimate Prison Sandbox! Risk it all to breakout from the toughest prisons in the world. Explore the biggest prisons yet, with multiple floors, roofs, vents and underground tunnels. You’ll have to live by the prison rules, attending roll call, doing prison jobs and following strict routines, all the while secretly engineering your bid for freedom!
Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition (December 16 - January 15):
Return to the remote island nation of Tropico in the next installment of the critically acclaimed and hugely popular ‘dictator sim’ series. Expand your Dynasty’s reign from the early colonial period to beyond the 21st Century, facing an all-new set of challenges, including advanced trading mechanics, technology and scientific research, exploration and multiplayer modes.
Xbox 360 / Original Xbox
Orcs Must Die! (December 1 - 15):
Slice them, burn them, skewer them, and launch them - no matter how you get it done, orcs must die in this fantasy action-strategy game from Robot Entertainment. As a powerful War Mage with dozens of deadly weapons, spells, and traps at your fingertips, defend twenty-four fortresses from a rampaging mob of beastly enemies, including ogres, hellbats, and of course, a whole bunch of ugly orcs.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (December 16 - 31):
In this Insanely Twisted, 2-D action-adventure game, explore unique environments and battle bizarre creatures as you make your way toward the center of the mysterious Shadow Planet! Solve complex puzzles and upgrade your ship with alien technology as you fight to save your home world. Featuring both local and Xbox LIVE multiplayer game modes.
Which Xbox Games With Gold are you most looking forward to in December 2021? Let us know below.
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Comments 27
@SplooshDmg I was gonna ask if it was good. I've heard the third one is good fun.
I'll definitely give them all a blast although Escapists 1 didn't quite stick with me.
I used to love Orcs must Die and will pick up number 3 when the price decreases. Enjoy those who haven’t played it yet!
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is highly rated. Orcs must die and The Escapist 2 are as well. Good haul will gladly take free games. Even if I just demo them on my home entertainment system.
Cue all the "Games with Gold must die!" comments 😂
No interest in the Xbox One games, but I've heard decent things about Orcs Must Die and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet looks interesting. Not games i would buy but I'll definitely take for free.
Not bad games but nothing I would prioritise over other games, either bought or on Game Pass.
@Alduin Metacritic scores of 75, 76, 77 and 83. So not rubbish games. Either you are too busy with this year's call of duty, you don't even subscribe and are pointlessly trolling some good work done by developers by calling their hard work rubbish or they are just games that you don't care about. Lukcily the service isn't planned around just you.
Despite common complaints, I usually find at least one title each month which looks entertaining. I remember watching videos of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet years ago, and now I get to try it. And Orcs Must Die sounds delightful.
I'm fine with the GWG selections, as usual.
Ugh, Thats pretty rough right there.. GWG is horrible..
I know my wife will enjoy the Escapists 2. God I love how multiple accounts can play games just 1 person downloads.
This makes me seriously consider downgrading to regular Game Pass from Ultimate. I don't use the cloud much, I'm mostly a single player gamer and GwG has been rubbish for a long time now.
It's crazy how Xbox keeps getting given a free pass for its games with gold offerings since gamepass came along. They're actively not trying because they want you moving away from games with gold (why do you think they tried to raise the price?)...seriously, least Sony fanboys put up a huge fuss if they get one dodgy month out if every 5 decent ones...Gold hasn't had a good month in years and and you guys are just happy to be blindsided by gamepass's monthly offerings.
I'm happy with them but I used to pay for gold in the days when all it covered was online play without anything extra. I like trying stuff I wouldn't usually buy as well. Have found some great games since they started GWG.
@Leuke You can not kill the dead.
@Bleachedsmiles PS gamers that subscribe to Now are mostly unhappy with it because the two services duplicate each other so it feels like you get nothing on Now when they give the same things on Plus. Then again, Now is dirt cheap.
I already have Tropico 5 on PlayStation when they gave it for free on PS Plus many years back, but I'll take it for Xbox now too since that's what my brother plays on. I can compare achievements if I ever decide to play it again.
Critically a solid month, but honestly it would be nice to get a higher profile game that's also not extremely old from time to time like PS Plus.
I love a good side scrolling shooter, twisty planet should be fun
Ehhh Orcs must die is about it?? It was a good year until December I guess
A 360 game I don't already own?
Its a Christmas miracle! XD
I'll check them all out. Everyone complains about the Games With Gold games but I think they're pretty good. Have you seen what Playstation Plus gets you?!
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Escapist 2, and Tropico are all gems. Stupid hype for them.
Not played the other but I'll check it out for sure.
No games owned! A rarity, it might have happened twice this year now. 😱🤣
I personally like it when the games are not triple A, they'd have sold lots of copies anyway so everyone is more likely to own them. I like these 'lesser' or more quirky titles.
I had a lot of fun with Orcs Must Die back on the OnLive service, so I'm happy to own that and jump in again. The Xbox One games aren't really my cup of tea but they are quality games. Others will enjoy them for sure.
ITSP is one of those indie games I can remember getting a bit of buzz in the XBLA days so… might as well cross that one off the big list of stuff I missed out on because I was a broke student at the time.
Eh, someone will enjoy them, I guess.
@Qphlat27 Yes, have you?
@Beermonkey I did as well...when we knew no better. Standards have changed due to competition and the gaming landscape - we were getting exclusive games back then that weren't on PC day 1. Sony's online was barebones. Now the push is for cross-play - yet Xbox still place a paywall for us when their own exact same games are on pc without any additional costs.
And Sony's online offers the same features at the same standard as Xbox live - yet get better quality games on plus month after month - even PsPlus worse months offer more value than gold does.
Who in their right mind would gladly opt to pay for golds offerings month after month if multiplayer wasn't behind a paywall? Let's fine out.
Gamepass's value is clear, it doesn't need a MP paywall on top. They should ditch the MP paywall altogether - like I said, the landscape has changed. Xbox first party is on another platform without locking away any of the content they're charging you for. Why the hell are console gamers (who they 'value') still being charged to unlock what's on a disc in 2021? Without any benefits over the pc versions?
If people would still really gladly pay for games with gold then have it still offered as an option where they can subscribe and keep getting the games. I'm sure all those defending golds offerings will still be paying for gold if online wasn't part of it.
But MP locked behind a paywall under the excuse you're getting these shouldn't any longer cut it. Not when more and more things will be cross-play this gen.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet looks worth a try
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