It"s not the new year just yet, but Microsoft has already pushed out the promised very first free games of 2019 to Xbox Live Gold members. Xbox One owners can now grab the acclaimed platformer Celeste, while those with Xbox 360 consoles may claim a copy of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
Sticking to tradition, Xbox One owners can also claim the latter title thanks to it being in Microsoft"s backward compatibility program.
Here are the store links to grab the two games straight away:
Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight, hand-crafted platformer from the creators of multiplayer classic TowerFall.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Experience the first ever co-op action-adventure game featuring Lara Croft. Team up with a friend or go at it alone as you traverse and solve deadly traps, fight hordes of undead enemies, and collect over 60 artifacts and relics.
Interestingly, this is the second time that Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light has been offered for free through the Games with Gold program. Its previous rotation was back in January 2014, during the service"s early days.
Xbox Live Gold subscriptions are discounted on the Microsoft Store too, with the promotion running for a few days more. The one-month subscription is down to $1, and 12-months of Gold can be had for $59.99.
Don"t forget that claimed Xbox 360 games will remain playable even if the Gold subscription is discontinued, while claimed Xbox One games require an active subscription to play.