Xbox has revealed which games are coming to Xbox Live’s Games with Gold for May 2021. Gamers can now get four games, two from the Xbox 360 era and two from the Xbox One era, free with an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The games are available to download and play for free to Gold users.
The games on offer are Armello, Dungeons 3, LEGO Batman, and Tropico 4. Armello is available from May 1 through 31. Dungeons 3 is available from May 16 through June 15. LEGO Batman is available from May 1 through 15. Tropico 4 is available May 16 through 31. I mention each of them separately because these release windows are a bit confusing. Side note, but Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, Truck Racing Championship, and Hard Corps: Uprising are still available to download at the time of this writing.
It’s strange to hear these games referred to as “Xbox Live Games with Gold” given that we’re no longer referring to the new Xbox network as Xbox Live, but the name will probably be phased out over time. The games are available for free to anyone with an active Gold or Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Armello and Dungeons 3 were released on Xbox One in 2016 and 2017, respectively. LEGO Batman and Tropico 4 are both originally Xbox 360 games, playable on Xbox One and Series X/S via backward compatibility.
The announcement post seems to subtly push Gold subscribers towards Game Pass, saying, “If you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold.” Games with Gold still doesn’t have the prominence and prestige of the Xbox Game Pass additions, so don’t expect any new releases. Games with Gold is closer to PlayStation Plus, with free games being the perk for your subscription to a paid online service. But hey, free games are free games, and the four mentioned above are good.
Source: Xbox Wire