Xbox One multiplayer and 10 games including Modern Warfare will be free to play this weekend

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All part of the Big Gaming Weekend

(Image credit: Activision)

Xbox One multiplayer will be free to all players this weekend, as will several big games that you can play with friends.

Microsoft is hosting an aptly named Big Gaming Weekend from Friday, August 7 through Monday, August 10. During that time, you won't need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to participate in multiplayer, and 10 games – six from Xbox Game Pass and four others – will also be free to play. Some games have more specific trial windows, with a few opening as early as 12am PDT / 3am EDT / 8am BST on August 6, but they're all clustered around those days. Here's the full list of games and times:

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (8/7 - 8/10, multiplayer only, console only)
  • Gears 5 (8/6 - 8/10, console and PC)
  • Black Desert Online (8/6 - 8/10, console only)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ (8/6 - 8/10, console only)
  • Monster Hunter World (8/6 - 8/10, console only, Iceborne not included) 
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (8/6 - 8/19, console only)
  • Borderlands 3 (8/6 - 8/9, console only)
  • Subnautica (8/6 - 8/10, console and PC)
  • Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker (8/6 - 8/10, console only)
  • Ark: Survival Evolved (8/6 - 8/10, console and PC)

Apart from Borderlands 3, all of these games will be free to play from August 7 through August 10. So even if you already have Xbox Live Gold, you can still get some free trials out of the Big Gaming Weekend event. To make the most of the event window, you can start queueing these downloads now, though they won't be accessible until the event officially stats. 

Microsoft says there are no big changes coming to the experience of Xbox Live Gold, despite persistent rumors suggesting otherwise. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.