New Games with Gold for July 2023

Enjoy two completely different vibes this July with Games with Gold! On Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, try to survive the terrors of the night in Darkwood, and then starting on July 16, puzzle your way through a whimsical tale of love, loss, and finding yourself in When the Past was Around.

Xbox Live Gold members will have exclusive access to these games for a limited time as part of Games with Gold. So will Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, who receive all the fantastic benefits of Gold plus access to hundreds of high-quality games with Xbox Game Pass.

• Darkwood ($14.99 ERP): Available July 1 to 31
• When the Past was Around ($8.49 ERP): Available July 16 to August 15

Darkwood

Roam by day, survive the night. Darkwood is a different type of survival horror game that builds tension through slow-burn atmosphere without relying on jump scares. While the sun is out, explore an open world of the corrupted woods to scavenge weapons and materials. Once the sun dips, you’ll need to hole up surrounded by whatever traps and barriers you can build and pray you can hide from or fight the creatures that emerge in the dark. Good luck making it through the night with your body and mind intact.

When the Past was Around

Discover the touching and bittersweet love story of Eda and Owl. Unlock the puzzles in a beautifully rendered point and click adventure with hand-drawn art and a magical score that will stick with you for days. This is a calming, meditative game that reflects on love and loss in a surreal world made up of disjointed rooms from memory and time.

Read more about our Games with Gold program here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire for all the latest news on Xbox. Like we said before, if you are an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, hundreds of high-quality games you can play on console, PC, and across devices from the Cloud, and access to EA Play at no extra cost. New games are added all the time, so you’re never without something new to try when you’re looking to find your next favorite game. If you’re new, or if you’re an existing Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for Console member, join or upgrade today. 

Darkwood

Crunching Koalas

☆☆☆☆☆ 240

★★★★★

$14.99 $5.99

Get it now

Darkwood is a challenging survival horror that does not rely on jump scares. Xbox Series X|S version was enhanced with: – Native 4k resolution – Save game import Craft weapons, prepare traps, fortify hideouts – you will explore and scavenge the eerie forests of the Soviet Bloc by day, then hunker down in your hideout at night. With nightmarish forces corrupting the woods, wait and pray for the sun to come up the next morning. Wade through the grueling, bizarre world of Darkwood and delve into the creepiest secrets of its inhabitants to escape the infested land before it destroys your body and consumes your mind. Features: – No jump scares: an atmospheric horror experience that creates a feeling of tension without cheap horror tricks. – Day and night cycle: roam the corrupted woods by Day and use your hideout to seek survival during the night. – Randomly generated map and events: the world will vary for each play-through and each player. – Crafting: scavenge for materials to upgrade your hideout and create weapons, traps or potions. – Skills and perks: develop your character by injecting a strange essence into your bloodstream. – No hand holding: test your skills and figure out things on your own! – Branching storyline: shape the world of Darkwood and determine the fate of its inhabitants.

When the Past was Around

Chorus Worldwide Games

☆☆☆☆☆ 212

★★★★★

$8.49

Get it now

When the Past was Around is an adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between. This is the story of Eda, a girl in her early 20s. Like anyone in her age, she’s lost. She lost her way in the journey to achieve her dreams. She lost her way in the journey to find love. That until she met The Owl. The man that would help her burn her passion, the man that would help her find the spark in a relationship, and also the man that would teach her about heartbreak. The game tells a bittersweet tale between a girl and her lover in a surreal world consisting of disjointed rooms from memories and time. With each gathered clue, solved puzzles, and unlocked door, the girl will find her way, unraveling the secrets between her and her lover, the secrets which she used to know.