PS Plus vs. Xbox Games with Gold: Which Free Games Were Better In 2018?
Xbox Games with Gold
PS Plus wasn’t alone in its efforts to step things up for 2018. Xbox Games with Gold also delivered some excellent “free games” this year, with the brilliant backward compatibility feature of the Xbox One proving a huge boon.
In fact, you’ll notice as you glance down the list of notable monthly games that many of the headlines are actually Xbox 360 titles. But playable, and sometimes enhanced, on Xbox One, Microsoft was able to swap in older games when contemporary ones weren’t available.
Normally that would mean something substandard as a replacement, but because of the strength of the backward compatible library, they were often just as good as PS Plus’ PS4 current-generation offering. Specifically, we’re talking about games like Hitman Blood Money, Forza Horizon 2, and Dragon Age 2.
But Xbox Games with Gold hardly needed to lean too heavily on older games to supplement its lineup in 2018. Standout months like May and November saw Metal Gear Solid V and Battlefield 1 were a big highlight, as was the one-two punch of April’s The Witness and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
Given that Games with Gold services just two platforms –Xbox One & 360– compared with PS Plus’ four, there isn’t quite the volume of free content on offer. Still, the generally great quality of the titles available definitely made it a worthwhile investment in 2018.
- January – The Incredible Adventures of Van Hellsing 3/Zombi
- February – Shadow Warrior
- March – Superhot/Trials of the Blood Dragon
- April – The Witness/Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
- May – Metal Gear Solid V
- June – Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia/Smite
- July – Death Squared
- August – Forza Horizon 2/For Honor
- September – Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
- October – Hitman Blood Money, Overcooked
- November – Battlefield 1/Assassin’s Creed
- December – Dragon Age II/Never Alone
