This weekend's Xbox Free Play Days are a good mix: a big open-world zombie game, two monster-raising RPGs and a sports sandbox that doesn't need a subscription at all. Xbox Wire's October 22 post sets out the lineup, and the important detail is that the games come with different rules.
The Game Pass ones
Three games are free from Thursday, October 22 until Sunday, October 25 for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members:
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Reloaded Edition, listed at $11.99, down from $59.99 (80% off, for a limited time).
- Let's Build a Zoo, listed at $6.99, down from $19.99, with up to 65% off when bundled with DLC.
- Tropico 6, listed at $9.99, down from $39.99 (75% off the base game), with up to 60% off DLC until November 2.
You download them through the Microsoft Store or the Subscriptions tab on your console. Xbox's post lists Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and Let's Build a Zoo also carries the Xbox Play Anywhere logo.
The ones anyone can play
The other half of the lineup doesn't need Game Pass, but read the small print:
- Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin are three-hour timed trials, free for all Xbox players. Xbox lists them at $9.89 (down from $29.99) and $9.99 (down from $39.99).
- Riders Republic is free for all Xbox members from October 22 until October 26, a day longer than the Game Pass titles. Xbox's post doesn't give a price for it. Pure Xbox, which added Riders Republic to its own rundown later that day, says it's the Deluxe Edition that's 80% off.
So there are three different deals here: a weekend window for Game Pass members, a fixed three-hour clock for the Monster Hunter games, and an extra day for Riders Republic. If you want to try the Monster Hunter Stories games properly, budget your three hours rather than leaving them running in a menu.
What carries over
Xbox's post is specific about one thing only. If you buy a game after playing it during the event, you keep "your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event." The post doesn't say anything else about save progress, so don't assume a trial save will carry over. Check the game's store page before you sink hours in.
Pure Xbox's summary makes the same split clear: "You're going to require some sort of Xbox Game Pass subscription in order to play Dying Light 2," while the rest "are free to play for all on Xbox, however keep in mind whether they're a timed trial or not."
Our pick: if you've got Game Pass and one evening, Dying Light 2 is the biggest game here, and the 80% discount makes it an easy keep if it clicks. Without Game Pass, Riders Republic is the best value: no subscription, no timer, and an extra day. That's opinion, not Xbox's. Either way, the clock runs out on Sunday for most of these, and on Monday for Riders Republic.
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