Games with Gold July 2021: Free Xbox One and Xbox Series X games countdown

Microsoft is preparing to reveal the free Games with Gold games for July 2021.

Unlike the official PS Plus announcement – which has a fixed date to be revealed each month – we don’t know when this news will be dropped.

Recent months have seen Microsoft reveal the lineup just days before the month ends, and the first of the new Xbox One free games are released.

But while we don’t know exactly when the news will be shared, we know that the two games will be available to download on Thursday, July 1, and another batch on July 16.

And for those keeping track, this gives existing subscribers less than a week to download the current The King’s Bird and Injustice.

Shadows: Awakening is staying on Games with Gold until July 16, 2021.

Making predictions for Games with Gold can be a difficult task, as there are so many titles to choose from.

Highlights so far include Little Nightmares, Dungeons 3 and Gears 5, which remains one of the only Xbox Series X optimised games released so far.

And the big question is whether Microsoft is going to repeat that release with another cross-gen title soon.

Games that would prove popular as part of Games with Gold would include titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Minecraft Dungeons, State of Decay 2, and Grounded.

But with the Xbox Game Pass proving to be Microsoft’s main focus in 2021, the Games with Gold lineup has failed to live up to fan expectations most months.

In the meantime, Games With Gold subscribers can download and play The King’s Bird and Shadows: Awakening.

The King’s Bird is a precision platformer that “is an artistic, momentum-based game that seamlessly combines precision-platforming with physics-based gliding.”

Meanwhile, Shadows: Awakening is described as a unique, isometric single-player RPG with real-time tactical combat.

“Take control of a demon summoned from the Shadow Realm – the Devourer – to consume the souls of long-dead heroes and embark on an epic adventure with challenging gameplay, a gripping storyline and enchanting graphics.

“Do you have the focus and wits to master the world of the Heretic Kingdoms? Gather your party, control powerful heroes and use their skills to your advantage.

“But who is in charge… the demon, or the souls that it has devoured? It’s up to you to either thwart a major threat and save the world, or to plunge it into complete disaster.

“After the members of the secret council known as the Penta Nera are assassinated, their souls are consumed by the Devourers – evil demons which possess the ability to absorb the memories and personalities of the souls they acquire and materialize them as their puppets.

“Re-emerging into the mortal realm once again, the demonic Penta Nera continue their quest for power and immortality, but at what cost?”