Games with Gold for February 2015

With February right around the corner, Microsoft has announced which games it will give away for free for those with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions. As is usually the case, Xbox One owners will get one free game in February, while Xbox 360 owners will get two.

As I noted in Got Xbox Live Gold? Then Get Free Xbox One and 360 Games Every Month, however, anyone who is an Xbox Gold Live subscriber should be sure to add every one of these games to their collection, even if they don’t own either console. That way, if you do get an Xbox One or 360 later, you’ll have a game library waiting

Here’s how Games with Gold usually works: For the entire duration of the month, Xbox One owners can download the one game that Microsoft is offering for free. But Xbox 360 users get two, with the first offered through the 15th of the month and the second offered for the second half of the month. February follows this schedule (though there are exceptions that generally involved either console getting addition free games).

Starting February 1, Xbox One gamers will get It Draws a Red Box (#IDARB), “an offbeat, crowdsourced multiplayer action game” that normally retails for $14.99. (This one is currently not available in the Store. I assume it debuts on February 1.)

From February 1 to 15, Xbox 360 gamers will get Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, “an emotional, atmospheric puzzle platformer” that normally costs $14.99.

And from February 16 to 28, Xbox 360 gamers will get Sniper Elite V2, “a pulse-pounding third-person shooter. As usual, all games are available for a limited time.” This game costs $29.99 normally, making this a particularly good deal.

So check back on Sunday, which is February 1. And then again on February 16 or later to grab that third game.