Xbox drops free game demos: 33 titles you can play right now

Free games! Well, sort of.
 By 
Alex Perry
 on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
Xbox logo on phone screen
Play these free game demos instead of hanging out with your family. Credit: Xbox drops new game demos: 33 titles you can play right now

Xbox just gave you something to do while you're bundled up inside, hiding away from the winter cold.

As part of its ID@Xbox Game Demo Winterfest promotion (ID@Xbox is Xbox's indie games publishing program), Microsoft dropped a whopping 33 free game demos you can play between now and Dec. 31. As you might expect, these are all for independent games and not shiny billion-dollar AAA titles.

Still, it's good to expand your horizons beyond the biggest, most popular games.


You May Also Like

Which new games can you play?

The list includes the self-explanatory Dinosaur Fossil Hunter, the turn-based post-apocalyptic RPG Vagrus - The Riven Realms, and a whole bunch of other games that are either upcoming or out now. Here's the full list:

  • 502's Arcade

  • Backbeat (Ichigoichie)

  • Captain Bones

  • Champion Shift

  • Chessarama

  • Deceive Inc.

  • Dinosaur Fossil Hunter

  • Donut Dodo

  • Go Mecha Ball

  • Hidden Through Time 2

  • Howl

  • Kiborg

  • King Arthur: Knight's Tale

  • Kingdoms and Castles

  • Long Gone Days

  • New Star GP

  • Oppidum

  • Parcel Corps

  • Pinball FX

  • Pinball M

  • PlateUp!

  • Puzzledorf

  • Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion

  • Shoulders of Giants

  • Sker Ritual

  • Slave Zero X

  • Slopecrashers

  • Space Boat

  • SquadBlast

  • Strings Theory

  • The Holy Gosh Darn

  • The Land Beneath Us

  • Vagrus - The Riven Realms

Between all of those demos, you should have plenty to do during those moments when you don't really want to hang out with your family during the holidays. Get to downloading, gamers.

Topics Gaming Xbox

journalist alex perry looking at a smartphone
Alex Perry
Tech Reporter

Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is now on sale for under $25
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: 1-Month Subscription - USA - Digital Code - Stackable - Final Sale

Epstein Files release: Microsoft permanently banned Jeffrey Epstein from Xbox Live
Xbox logo

Braze Xbox test message spams phones: What we know
A laptop screen shows the Xbox app homepage.


Xbox announces Partner Showcase: When is it, how to watch
Stalker 2 screenshot

More in Entertainment
How to watch Chelsea vs. Port Vale online for free
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea reacts

How to watch 'Wuthering Heights' at home: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's controversial romance now streaming
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi embracing in still from "Wuthering Heights"

How to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers online for free
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders warms up

How to watch Mexico vs. Belgium online for free
Israel Reyes of Mexico reacts

How to watch Brazil vs. Croatia online for free
Vinicius Junior #10 of Brazil leaves

Trending on Mashable
What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.


NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

You can track Artemis II in real time as Orion flies to the moon
Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman piloting the Orion spacecraft

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 2, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!