Microsoft is serving up some FREE Xbox demos for a host of unreleased games starting today. The 2023 Game Developers Conference, or GDC, kicked off in San Francisco today with the show’s usual awards and breadth of exhibitors. But Microsoft has a special treat for folks whether you can make it to the show proper or not in the way of some FREE Xbox demos to enjoy for the week. These are very early looks at unreleased titles, and you don’t need anything but an Xbox console to play them all week long without dropping a nickel. Head below for more details.
ID@Xbox GDC Online Demo Event
Starting today and running through until March 27, 2023, Microsoft is serving up a dozen FREE Xbox demos for gamers to enjoy. These titles come by way of the ID@Xbox GDC Online Demo Event – a week long program that allows gamers to enjoy some unreleased games still early in the development process and (optionally) provide feedback to the developers.
We encourage you to continue to check them out all week before they disappear. Oh yeah, and don’t forget you can provide feedback to the developers, too!
All of the demoes, now available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, have been chosen to “show how varied the ID@Xbox line-up is.” Including everything from multiplayer horror FPS titles to live action mystery, Microsoft says “there’s something for everyone included” but is reminding gamers that most of the titles participating in the ID@Xbox GDC Online Demo Event represent “an early look at gameplay and may not represent the full game at their release, including the availability in each country as developers continue to update and refine their title ahead of launch.
How to play the FREE Xbox demos
To search for the free demos on your Xbox console do the following:
- Visit the Microsoft Store on Xbox
- Select the Search button
- Type “Demo,” press Enter
- Then select Demos to find these games
If you are checking out GDC in-person, you can find these demos at the ID@Xbox Sponsored Kiosk in the IGF Pavilion (Booth: N2431) at the Moscone North Hall. The IGF Pavilion is open Wednesday, March 22 through Friday, March 24.
You’ll find quick list of the FREE Xbox demos included the event below (some of the links to the individual game pages Microsoft has provided don’t appear to be active just yet):
ArcRunner (TrickJump Games)
Reset an AI gone rogue as you traverse the space station, The Arc, in this beautiful Cyberpunk-styled action-roguelite set in the far future! Start each run as an augmented, cloned human and save The Arc from destruction!
Backbeat (Ichigoichie)
A truly creative strategic puzzle game. Manipulate four threads of time to guide your band through perilous predicaments. Manage squad resources to maximize your score.
BattleCakes (Volcano Bean)
Indulge in a delicious adventure as you choose to battle or befriend your enemies to save the day your way! Personalize your cupcake hero and meet charming friends along the way.
Booom-Slang! (Skermunkel)
The villainous Conductor Chaos challenges you to become the next star player of Booom-Slang! You will need to master a myriad of single-player and multiplayer modes to make it to the top.
Boxville (Triomatica Games)
Boxville is an adventure puzzle game about speechless cans living in the city of boxes and drawing doodles on cardboard to tell their stories.
Evil Wizard (Rubber Duck)
Evil Wizard is a humor-filled action RPG that puts you in the shoes of a former Final Boss. Rise from defeat, rediscover long lost powers, and fight to reclaim your castle from an army of so-called heroes.
Fall of Porcupine (BUNTSPECHT.GAM)
New jobs can be tense – especially when you’re about to become a doctor! Join Finley on an original narrative adventure as you take your first steps in a new and exciting world.
Fractal Space (Haze Games)
Live the memorable experience of a first-person, story-driven adventure and puzzle game. Avoid traps, use your jetpack and taser gun to think your way through zero gravity puzzles in a mysterious space station.
Sker Ritual (Wales Interactive)
The round-based co-op survival FPS and spin-off to the award-winning British horror game, Maid of Sker. Play solo or with up to four players to survive the supernatural onslaught of the Quiet Ones.
Soulvars (Ginolabo)
Burn your soul! Soulvars is a pixel art turn-based deckbuilding RPG where your party of Soulbearers face off against invading Dominators in dynamic high-speed battles.
The Isle Tide Hotel (Interflix Media/Wales Interactive)
An absent father must rescue his teenage daughter from an eclectic cult before their final night at the Isle Tide Hotel. Players investigate the strange events that unfold to save Eleanor Malone in this live-action interactive mystery game, where every decision affects the story.
The Library of Babel (Tanuki Studio)
Join Ludovik in a 2D Stealth Platformer and Graphic Adventure set 20,000 years after the extinction of humanity, as he explores the jungles of a futuristic Babylon to discover the secret behind the Library of Babel’s sudden lockdown and the mysteries behind their mythical creators.
More of the latest in the world of Xbox:
- Microsoft unveils new green wireless Xbox controller
- Microsoft unveils epic Mandalorian and Grogu Xbox consoles
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-month subs at $23 (Reg. $45)
- Bethesda officially announces Starfield release date, more
- Microsoft launches shimmering Stellar Shift wireless Xbox controller
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