From July 1 to July 31, Xbox One owners can download racing game WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship, and from July 16 to August 15, they can claim the two-on-two basketball game Dunk Lords. Xbox 360 owners, meanwhile, can claim Saints Row 2 for free from July 1 to July 15, and Juju from July 16 to July 31. Saints Row 2 is a well-received GTA clone, whereas Juju is a side-scrolling platformer not unlike Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Country.
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It remains to be seen how fans will react to the free Games with Gold for July 2020 in the long run, but it looks like they’re not terribly happy about the lineup. At the time of this writing, the free Xbox Games with Gold for July 2020 announcement video on YouTube has 991 dislikes versus 850 likes. This is a better ratio than some of the free Games with Gold lineups have received, but it is still a clear indication that fans aren’t happy with the offerings.
It does seem as though Microsoft has been giving away older and lesser-known games as part of the free Games with Gold lately, whereas PlayStation has been doing the exact opposite with its PS Plus Instant Game Collection program. For example, the free PS Plus games for June 2020 consisted of big budget, blockbuster games like Call of Duty: WW2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2, whereas the June Games with Gold were almost all indie titles.
Why Microsoft has been giving away less exciting games for the free Games with Gold program is unclear, but it may have something to do with Xbox Game Pass. Giving away higher quality or more well-known games for free could potentially make Xbox Game Pass seem like a less appealing prospect. However, that’s just speculation at this time, and Microsoft hasn’t given any real answer as to why the Games with Gold titles have been lacking lately.
Regardless, the free Games with Gold are still free bonus games that players can claim as part of their Gold subscriptions, and while it’s an older game, Saints Row 2 is still a lot of fun to this day. In the meantime, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can still claim and download the free Xbox Games with Gold for June 2020 for a few more days.
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