Five games are free to play this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members, from Thursday, November 5 until Sunday, November 8. Xbox Wire’s Free Play Days list also gives two more games to everyone, no membership needed.
The five member games are PAYDAY 3, Nowhere Prophet, BALL x PIT, Deceive Inc and Age of Wonders 4. IXION gets a 2-hour trial over the same dates.
Which games are free to try?
Two groups apply, according to Xbox Wire:
- Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members: PAYDAY 3, Nowhere Prophet, BALL x PIT, Deceive Inc and Age of Wonders 4
- IXION: a 2-hour trial from November 5 until November 8, listed by Xbox Wire in the Game Pass section
- Everyone on Xbox, no Game Pass needed: Anno 117 and Crime Boss: Rockay City, from November 5 until November 8
Xbox lists PAYDAY 3 as free on Xbox Series X|S for the weekend. Its store page also lists PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming, with cloud play needing a Game Pass tier.
How do you start playing?
Find each game’s detail page on Xbox.com and install it from there. Clicking through sends you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the install option for your Game Pass membership.
On console, open the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and scroll to the Free Play Days collection on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
What do the games cost if you want to keep them?
Xbox Wire lists limited time discounts for players who want to keep going after the trial. Progress and achievements carry over, including your Gamerscore. The prices below are shown in dollars on the US edition of Xbox Wire, and discounts and availability may vary by title and region:
- PAYDAY 3: $29.99, now $19.49, which Xbox Wire describes as 35% off from November 4 to 18, with extra savings on select PDLC
- Nowhere Prophet: $24.99, now $7.49, described as 70% off
- BALL x PIT: $14.99, now $7.49, described as 50% off for a limited time
- Deceive Inc: $19.99, now $1.99, described as 90% off during the weekend
- Age of Wonders 4: $49.99, now $24.99
- IXION: $34.99, now $12.24
- Crime Boss: Rockay City: $19.99, now $4.99
- Anno 117: Pax Romana Gold Edition: 40% off, with a $59.99 price shown
About the games
PAYDAY 3 is a co-op heist shooter set in New York. Xbox’s store page describes it as a 1 to 4 player co-op FPS, played alone or with friends.
Nowhere Prophet is a single-player card game with randomly generated maps and tactical combat, from No More Robots.
BALL x PIT mixes brick-breaking, ball-fusing and base-building in a survival roguelite from Devolver Digital.
Deceive Inc is a multiplayer game of social stealth from Tripwire Interactive, where you disguise yourself and extract a package.
Age of Wonders 4 is a fantasy 4X strategy game with turn-based tactical combat from Paradox Interactive.
IXION is a city-builder set on a space station from Kasedo Games.
Anno 117: Pax Romana is a Roman Empire city-builder from Ubisoft. PlayStation lists its release as November 13, 2025. The Gold Edition includes 3 DLCs, including Dawn of the Delta, and Xbox Wire says progress from the free weekend is saved if you buy.
Who it suits
City-builder fans. Anno 117, Age of Wonders 4 and IXION are three different takes on planning and managing, and the trials let you test the pace.
Friends who like co-op. PAYDAY 3 and Crime Boss: Rockay City are built around crews and missions.
Players without Game Pass. Only Anno 117 and Crime Boss: Rockay City are open to everyone.
Who should wait. If you do not own a game and have no Game Pass tier, the five member titles will not unlock for you. Check sale prices on the store page, since they can change.
What is still unknown?
Xbox Wire does not say which platforms each trial covers beyond what the store pages show, and it does not give an end date for the Deceive Inc, Nowhere Prophet or BALL x PIT sales. Discounts, percentages and availability may vary by title and region.
Next step
Open Xbox.com, search for the game you want and check the date and your membership before you install. The weekend ends on Sunday, November 8.
