Xbox Series X has built up an impressive roster of games since launching in 2020. From fast-paced first-person shooter (FPS) games to challenging RPGs, Microsoft’s latest console has something for everyone. But with most new games clocking in at an eye-watering $70, it’s not always possible to play all the best Xbox Series X games. Thankfully, Xbox Series X is also home to a surprisingly deep library of free-to-play games.
While there is some crossover between the best free PlayStation 5 games, that just means there are more players to compete or join up with since almost all of these are cross-platform games.
The first game to put the battle royale genre on the map was PUBG: Battlegrounds, but it ended up giving away its No. 1 spot to Fortnite mainly due to it being a PC exclusive. Thankfully, it didn’t stay that way forever and you can now jump into one of the most hardcore games in the genre on your Series X. While that original version felt unstable and more like a mod, the game has been steadily improving and adding content for several years. It follows the same basic rules of the genre, but has a much more realistic sim style to it where aiming, shooting, moving, and getting hit all have far more weight than in other games.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.
Why does this run so well on Apple devices?