The Xbox Live Free Games With Gold for January have been revealed, and it’s a hell of a lineup! The star of the show, for once, is actually an indie game. Most people love to complain about indie games in the Games With Gold lineup, but when that indie game is Celeste, people stop complaining and start cheering.
Here’s the full free game lineup, straight from the Xbox Wire:
Celeste (January 1 – 31)
- Recent winner of The Game Awards 2018 Best Independent Game category. Help Madeline survive her inner demons and scale to the top of Celeste mountain in this tight, narrative-driven platformer. You’ll uncover a multitude of devious secrets and side chapters in 700+ screens of hardcore challenges, built into a touching story of self-discovery. Don’t miss out on this highly acclaimed title.
WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship (January 16 – February 15)
- On a race track, the car makes all the difference. In a rally, it’s all on you. Take your driving skills to the limit in World Rally Championship 6. Whether fog, mud, or punctured tires, you’ll deal with it all, in 11 Super Special Stages including local split-screen multiplayer. Experience rally racing like never before.
Lara Croft: Guardian of Light (January 1 – 15)
- Team up with a friend or go it alone in Lara Croft: Guardian of Light. In this co-op action-adventure title, traverse and solve deadly traps, fight hordes of the undead and collect over 60 artifacts and relics with the help a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior. Retrieve the ancient Mirror of Smoke and stop the forces of evil.
Far Cry 2 (January 16 – 31)
- Survive war-torn Africa and eliminate the mysterious Jackal in Far Cry 2. The first sequel in the award-winning franchise features real-time storytelling, where every decision you make will affect the final outcome of the game. Use cunning, subversion and brute force to exploit your enemies and fulfill your deadly mission.
All of these games deserve some playtime in your library, but make sure you don’t miss out on Celeste. Really tough platformers have to be tough because they’re exceptionally well-designed, or else they won’t be fun. Celeste is exceptionally well-designed, and it has a story that everyone should experience. It’s wholesome, it’s beautiful, and it has a wonderful soundtrack. Enjoy!
