The four new games for January in Xbox Live's Games With Gold program has now been announced, bringing two titles each from Xbox and Xbox 360 to Xbox One and Xbox Live Gold members for free. These games can all be played on Microsoft's latest flagship home console by virtue of backward compatibility.
Beginning Jan, 1, 2017, users can download World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap and The Cave for free, while Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra Edition and Rayman Origins will be available for download beginning Jan. 16.
World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap
World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap merges elements culled from tower defense and action-RPG genres, offering single-player and cooperative play campaigns, alongside a versus mode as players combat monstrous foes in an attempt to overthrow their takedown of the everyday world.
World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap will be available to download for free on Xbox One from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31, 2017.
Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra Edition
Killer Instinct Season 2 was released as a free-to-play launch game for Xbox One in 2014, a reboot of the popular fighting series. The Ultra Edition added eight new players into the roster, alongside new costumes and accessories. It also brought Killer Instinct 2 Classic with an added multiplayer mode via Xbox Live.
Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra Edition will be available to download for free on Xbox One from Jan. 16 to Feb. 15, 2017.
The Cave
The Cave is a side-scrolling adventure platformer littered with logic puzzles. Players will explore the game's titular Cave, who also serves as the narrator all throughout. The Cave was released back in 2013 for Xbox 360 and other platforms to mixed reviews. Critics praised the inherent wit and humor embedded in the game, but expressed their dismay in the game's' seemingly simple puzzles.
The Cave will be available to download for free on Xbox One and Xbox 360 from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15, 2017.
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a Ubisoft spawn, and an iconic one at that, having branched out a new era of 2D side-scrolling platformers for the company. It was released in 2011 to widespread critical acclaim, earning glowing reviews targeted at its ingenious level design and simple gameplay. At the time, 1UP heralded it as the "the best 2D platformer not called Mario."
Rayman Origins will be available to download for free on Xbox One and Xbox 360 from Jan. 16 to Jan. 31, 2017.
Downloading free games in the Games With Gold program requires an Xbox Live Subscription. One of the games from last month's roster, Outlast, is still available until Jan. 15, 2017 on Xbox One.
