Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can jump into the zombie action RPG Dead Island for free this weekend.
Following the reveal of Dead Island 2 during Gamescom Opening Night Live last month, the first game in the comically grotesque zombie series will be free on Xbox for a limited time. According to a Microsoft blog post (opens in a new tab), Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play Dead Island Definitive Edition for free until Monday, September 26 at 12pm PST / 3am EST / 8am BST / 6pm AEDT.
It is joined by Hunting Simulator 2. Both games have been made free over the weekend as part of Xbox's Free Play Days program, which gives Game Pass and Gold subscribers new games to try each week.
How to get Dead Island on Xbox Game Pass
You can download Dead Island over the weekend on your Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One. Load up the store, go to the Subscriptions tab, tap the Xbox Live Gold tile, and scroll down to the Free Play Days section. There you should find Dead Island ready and waiting.
You can also download the game remotely via your PC. Head over to the Dead Island listing page (opens in new tab) on the Microsoft Store, sign in with your Xbox account, and click the green "Install to" button. A list of all the consoles connected to your account will be displayed, allowing you to remotely install the game on the one you want.
Dead Island's main campaign runs around 8pm, so you'll need to put in a large portion of your weekend if you want to complete it. It may not be one of the best co-op games out there, but its gruesome melee violence and four-player co-op campaign with some friends is worth checking out. This is also the Definitive Edition, so it includes all previously released DLC for Dead Island.
Head-banging zombies in a tropical paradise may also get you in the mood for the game's upcoming sequel, which is scheduled to hit screens on February 3 next year. But don't expect a total overhaul. During our hands-on session with Dead Island 2, we discovered that we couldn't just progress through the game. Hopefully distracting zombies with Amazon Alexa will give us the edge we need.