Xbox is closing out the year with one of its busiest Free Play Days lineups yet, giving players a packed weekend of sports, survival, shooters, and RPG exploration to dive into without paying full price upfront. Whether you’re into NBA courts, WWE rings, dinosaur-infested islands, time-loop mysteries, or the irradiated wasteland of Appalachia, there’s something worth downloading before the weekend hits.
Xbox Free Play Days dates and eligibility
This Free Play Days promotion runs from Thursday, December 18 through Sunday, December 21 for most featured titles, with a couple of key extensions on major games. Access to the main Free Play Days lineup requires an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, or Essential membership, which unlocks full downloads of each participating game for the duration of the event.
Two games run on slightly different schedules: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (multiplayer and Zombies only) stays unlocked until December 22, and Fallout 76 is free for all Xbox players—no Game Pass membership required—from December 16 through December 23.
How to start playing Free Play Days titles
Getting into these Free Play Days games is straightforward once your account is set up. First, make sure you’re signed in with the Microsoft account tied to your Xbox profile and Game Pass membership. Then:
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On the web, go to Xbox.com, open each game’s detail page, and select Install; this will send you into the Microsoft Store, where you’ll see the option to install via your eligible membership.
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On console, open the Xbox Store, go to the Subscriptions tab, and scroll down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S.
Once installed, you can play these titles just like any purchased game during the event window. Any Gamerscore, achievements, and saves you earn are tied to your account and carry over permanently if you later buy the game or continue playing it via Game Pass.
Sports fans: NBA 2K26, WWE 2K25, and PGA Tour 2K25
This weekend’s lineup is huge for sports gamers, with three big 2K titles all included in Free Play Days and all discounted for a limited time.
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NBA 2K26 Standard Edition lets you hit the court with your favorite NBA teams in Play Now, dive into an immersive MyCareer storyline on new-gen consoles, and build a squad in MyTeam while exploring The City. During the event it’s available at a reduced price from its standard $69.99 MSRP, making it a strong pickup if you like what you play.
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WWE 2K25 Standard Edition brings modern WWE action to Free Play Days, and Xbox players in the US and Canada get an extra incentive: purchasing WWE 2K25 between now and January 7 nets you a 15,000 VC Pack plus a $5 Xbox Gift Card. If you spend the weekend testing out the roster, modes, and creation suites, it’s a good chance to decide whether you want to commit.
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PGA Tour 2K25 rounds out the sports trio, focusing on precision and authenticity with a robust MyCareer, customizable MyPlayer, and a spread of multiplayer modes to challenge friends. While you’re playing, you can also tap into the “Swing into Holiday” event—12 days of daily free rewards to keep your season progressing.
All three sports titles are optimized for Xbox Series X|S, so players on current-gen hardware can expect sharper visuals and smoother performance during the Free Play Days period.
Survival and story: Ark: Survival Ascended and The Forgotten City
If you prefer survival or narrative-driven experiences, this Free Play Days lineup has two standouts worth queuing up.
Ark: Survival Ascended is a complete next-gen reimagining of Ark built in Unreal Engine 5, featuring richer lighting, detail, and environmental effects. You awaken on a mysterious island, surrounded by lush foliage, bright waters, and the distant roar of prehistoric creatures, and must gather resources, craft gear, and tame dinosaurs to survive. The game supports both Xbox Series X|S optimization and Xbox Play Anywhere, and is available on both console and PC via Game Pass, with a temporary discount from its usual $44.99 price.
For something more compact and narrative-heavy, The Forgotten City offers a time-loop mystery set in a ruined underground Roman city. You travel 2,000 years into the past, investigate the city’s inhabitants, and use the power to wind back time to untangle the events leading to its downfall. Moral choices and complex character relationships shape the outcome, and during the Free Play Days window you can grab it at around 80% off its $29.99 price, making it one of the best value pickups in the lineup if you enjoy story-driven adventures.
Extended access: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 free trial
Shooter fans get an especially generous offer with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – Cross-Gen Bundle running a free trial from December 16 through December 22. During this period, you can play a selection of Multiplayer and Zombies content at no additional cost, including a modernized version of fan-favorite map “Nuketown 2025” with updated visuals and refinements to combat flow.
The trial also gives access to a Zombies experience, including the thriller “Ashes of the Damned”, plus seasonal, limited-time content like the festive “Sleighjacked” multiplayer map and the Holiday Havoc moshpit. This holiday-themed playlist mixes popular modes with seasonal twists, giving players a taste of the broader Black Ops 7 experience before deciding whether to buy.
Because Black Ops 7 supports Smart Delivery and is optimized for Xbox Series X|S, you’ll automatically get the best version for your hardware, and your progress and unlocks will carry over if you purchase the full game.
Fallout 76 free for all players
Separate from Game Pass-tied Free Play Days, Fallout 76 is free to play for all Xbox members—no subscription required—between December 16 and December 23. This open-world online RPG continues to expand, and the current highlight is a new Burning Springs desert biome set in post-nuclear Ohio, ruled by an intelligent Super Mutant known as The Rust King, who commands Deathclaws and raiders.
You can explore solo or team up with friends to complete quests, build camps, and take on high-level threats throughout the Wasteland. Like the other games featured this week, Fallout 76 supports Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One X enhancements, and carries over your progress if you decide to keep playing after the free period ends or join via Game Pass.
Discounts and keeping your progress
One of the biggest benefits of Free Play Days is that they function as extended demos with full save and achievement support. If you find a new favorite, you can:
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Buy the base game or special editions at a limited-time discount, with pricing that varies by region and title.
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Keep all Gamerscore, achievements, and saves earned during the event, so you can pick up right where you left off.
Discount levels and availability differ by region, but this weekend’s lineup includes meaningful price cuts, especially on titles like NBA 2K26, PGA Tour 2K25, Ark: Survival Ascended, and The Forgotten City. Combined with temporary promotions like WWE 2K25’s VC bundle and gift card offer for US/Canada, it’s a strong opportunity to expand your library strategically.
Why this Free Play Days lineup matters
This end-of-year Free Play Days wave is effectively a mini-celebration for Xbox Game Pass members, bundling together:
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Big-budget sports releases for hoops, wrestling, and golf fans.
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A next-gen survival sandbox in Ark: Survival Ascended.
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A critically acclaimed narrative mystery with The Forgotten City.
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A blockbuster shooter trial via Black Ops 7’s multiplayer and Zombies.
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A long-running live-service RPG in Fallout 76, free to all players for an extended window.
If you’re looking to maximize value before the year ends, the move is simple: grab a couple of shorter experiences (like The Forgotten City and some Black Ops 7 multiplayer) alongside a longer investment title such as Ark or Fallout 76, and use the discounts to lock in anything that clicks with you. For more details on how these promotions work and upcoming lineups, Microsoft directs players to the official Free Play Days FAQ and regular updates on Xbox’s news channels.
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