Xbox Drops 5 New Free Downloads For All, No Game Pass Required

Xbox has just dropped five free downloads for all of its players and enthusiasts, and the good part is that these freebies do not require an Xbox Game Pass membership to be obtained. The majority of what we understand as freebies on Microsoft’s platform is often locked behind the subscription service. They aren’t 100% free, since players will still need a membership, but those who do subscribe receive them without having to pay for anything extra, such as the 15 day-one releases on Xbox Game Pass.

Players who use the platform should be delighted to know that they will not need an Xbox Game Pass membership to obtain a set of new freebies that have just been released. As was reported by Pure Xbox, five new freebies have been made available for everyone, regardless of whether they have a Game Pass subscription, if they play on consoles, PC, or mobile, or if they even play Xbox games at all.

According to the report, you can now grab five different free Xbox wallpapers from the official Xbox website. Each of these wallpapers represents one of the console generations for the brand. The first free wallpaper is for the original Xbox, followed by the second freebie, which portrays the Xbox 360. The third freebie is a wallpaper representing the Xbox One generation, while the fourth is dedicated to the current generation, spearheaded by the Xbox Series consoles on Microsoft’s side.

The fifth and final free wallpaper made available officially through Microsoft is for Project Helix, which has already been confirmed to be the next hardware generation for the company. It remains to be seen exactly how the project will blend the console and PC experience, as was teased by Microsoft, and other details are scarce. However, it’s now known that Project Helix is the code name for Xbox’s next generation.

There have been leaks about the release date for Project Helix, with some players concerned that its speculated arrival in 2027 may be “too soon.” If one considers that the previous generation had a lifespan of seven years, it would make sense for the current generation to be replaced seven years later, too, seeing that the Xbox Series X/S consoles were first released in late 2020. By 2027, it’s going to be seven years since their arrival.

Of course, there is a lot more to consider, seeing that much has changed in the current tech field. For example, there is an ongoing global components shortage that has seen prices of pieces like SSDs skyrocket, and that could affect not only the price of the next piece of hardware, but also its potential release window. Even without the hardware, however, Xbox is moving into a new era with new ways to offer games and services, in and outside of Xbox Game Pass.