Like clockwork, the annual summer games drought is already well upon us, offering naught but promises of grand adventures yet to come in the months ahead. Indeed, Call of Duty: WWII, Destiny 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Origins look set to make this one of the best holiday seasons of the decade to date, but until those days draw closer, patience is key.
Unless of course, you’re an Xbox Live Gold member, in which case, Microsoft’s on hand to keep your restless digits occupied for at least another month with Games With Gold. Starting August 1, a new batch of titles will be made free to all subscribers of the service, and as always, there should be something on the menu to suit a variety of different tastes.
First in line is Slime Rancher. The colorful farming simulator will be available to download at no additional cost for the entire month of August, allowing fans of the genre to care for their very own galactic farm full of formless, blobby creatures. Learn to use the quirky, unconventional tools at your disposal and you too can be a successful digital farmer. Following that on August 16 is Trials Fusion, Ubisoft’s successful extreme sports series that asks only that you suspend your disbelief while performing its physics defying stunts.
Rounding out the rest of the month’s offerings are the Xbox 360 titles Bayonetta and Red Faction: Armageddon. Available from August 1-15 and August 15-30 respectively, both are classics from the previous console generation worthy of your time, especially the former, which is often considered to be a defining entry in the hack and slash genre. Of course, if you already traded in your 360 for its successor long ago, both will be available through Xbox One Backward Compatability, so be sure to check them out.
That’s a wrap for the month ahead, then, but if you’re still lagging behind on July’s Games With Gold selection, both Dragon Age: Origins and Phantom Dust‘s DLC are still available for a further five days. Be sure to grab them while you can!