Xbox gamers can jump into a number of classic Bethesda and id Software games for free now, as Microsoft has released a series of new game previews for Xbox Insiders.
If you signed up for Microsoft’s free beta platform, you can play The Elder Scrolls: Arena, The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall, Quake Champions, Wolfenstein 3D, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, and Hexen: Deathkings of the Citadel of Darkness for nothing. Do not boot your Xbox Series X | S or Xbox One as they can only be played on PC.
Microsoft made the games free to preview in the run-up to their full release on the Xbox store. Announcing the games in Xbox Wire (opens in new tab), he said he is looking for fans to test the games to report any bugs or glitches they find. It also means you can play all the games right now without paying a dime.
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There is quite a selection on offer. Wolfenstein 3D might look very dated, but it was a progenitor of the modern FPS. Playing the Elder Scrolls games will give you an interesting look at where the series came from and how it grew immensely to spawn Starfield. While Hexen never made it to the mainstream, it’s a cult classic that any old-school fantasy dungeon crawler will love.
Quake Champions is the latest title on the list. Released in 2017, the multiplayer shooter is released as a return to the frantic arena shooting that typified the early days of FPS. If you are an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you will also receive various in-game goodies to participate in the Quake Champions preview.
Although the games are only available for PC, you won’t need one of the best graphics cards to enjoy them. Most were released over 20 years ago, which means that even the most basic office PC can run them.
To play the freebies, you must be registered as an Xbox Insider. Fortunately, this is very easy to do. Go to the Xbox Insider page (opens in new tab) in the Microsoft Store and install the app. Log into your Xbox profile (or create one if you’re completely new) and you’ll see a menu on the left side of the screen. Click on “Previews” to find all the available beta programs you are currently enrolled in.
You should automatically see Bethesda and id games. Choose the game you like to play, click ‘Join’ to subscribe to your preview and wait to be taken to the Microsoft Store. Success! You just need to click the blue install button and you’re off.
Microsoft hasn’t specified whether the games are free forever. They will be available as long as any bugs are resolved, but will eventually be pulled from the Xbox Insider platform and placed on the Microsoft store. When this happens, they are likely to disappear from your account.