2021’s most-overlooked game is now available “for free” for Xbox players

Chances are this brilliant game completely passed you by last year.

Okay, so a couple of things to explain about that headline. First up is the "for free" bit, which is obviously in quotation marks for a reason. If you have an Xbox (or a PC), then you need to subscribe to Games Pass immediately. It is essentially the Netflix or Disney+ of gaming on the Xbox, as you pay €12.99 per month and are given access to hundreds of games throughout the Xbox's back catalogue through previous generations of the consoles. Additionally, Xbox exclusives are made available "for free" on Day One to subscribers of Games Pass. So instead of having to pay the €70 price tag for Halo: Infinite when it arrived earlier this year, it was simply added as part of your Games Pass subscription. There are also other recent games that get added to the service on a regular basis, which is where Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy comes in. Initially released in late October 2021, it came from the same developers behind that frankly awful Marvels' Avengers game from 2020, so interest was low ahead of launch. However, when the game did arrive, players were greeted with a visually stunning epic, complete with a completely original origin tale of how the Guardians came to find each other and work together successfully, all tied together with some fantastically fluid gameplay that made it all feel like you were playing Uncharted-in-space. It would go on to win Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2021, as well as Best Soundtrack at the Steam Awards, which - considering the fantastic soundtracks the Guardians movies had - should come as no surprise to anyone. The game didn't sell particularly well unfortunately, but Xbox gamers can experience now "for free" with their Games Pass, as it has been added to that subscription this week. Highly recommended! Clip via Marvel Entertainment