If you owned an Xbox 360 back in the day, there’s a good chance you spent hours collecting green orbs and throwing entire cars at gangsters in Crackdown.
The open-world action game was released in 2007 and quickly became a best-seller due to its over-the-top action and its compelling loop of leveling up your supercop. And now is the ideal time to return to Pacific City as Crackdown is currently free.
There are no strings attached to this deal — you don’t need an Xbox Live or Game Pass subscription — and once you’ve claimed Crackdown, it’s yours to keep. Just head over to the Microsoft Store on either your Xbox console, or web browser of choice, and add the game to your library. Note, there’s no indication of how long this freebie will stick around so we advise claiming it as soon as possible.
Crackdown is fully playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X, and I actually returned to the game earlier this year when looking for something mindless to play in between new releases. Not only does it play better than ever on Xbox Series X, with a silky smooth framerate and sharper visuals, but the simple pleasure of growing your character’s attributes in categories such as Strength, Agility and Explosives remains as engaging as it was more than 15 years ago.
Yes, the story is still pretty much non-existent, but when the action is this ridiculous who needs an engrossing narrative? At its core Crackdown is about causing as much carnage as possible, and when it comes to creating chaos there aren’t even many modern games that can stack up. It’s considered a classic for a very good reason.
Crackdown 2 is also free on the Microsoft Store, alongside all of its DLC packs. And while the sequel received a lukewarm reception upon release in 2010, I’m firmly in the camp that believes it’s underappreciated. The mutated hordes that roam the streets at night fit the franchise’s tone, and there’s a slew of more creative weapons in Crackdown 2 including a deadly harpoon gun and a homing rocket launcher.
There are even more free games on Xbox
If Crackdown's particular brand of comically-excessive action isn’t really your style — or you just want as many freebies as possible — you’ll be pleased to know that the Microsoft Store is giving Xbox players even more free games right now.
Phantom Dust, a 2004 real-time strategy game released on the original Xbox, is currently free on the Microsoft Store, as is Too Human, an ambitious RPG released in 2008 for the Xbox 360.
Phantom Dust is considered a cult classic (and a favorite of Xbox chief Phil Spencer), whereas Too Human is most notable for its protracted production and for failing to live up to the lofty promises made by developers. Nevertheless, for the low price of free, it’s still worth adding to your library.
These games are also playable on Xbox Series X thanks to the console's fantastic backward compatibility features. And while they may not look as pretty as a modern game nor be as mechanically complex as the latest releases, you might be surprised just how much you enjoy them even in 2023.
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