July’s free Xbox Games with Gold features Inside, Castlevania

July’s range of free titles in the Xbox Live Games with Gold program are a bit of a mixed bag — a pair of games considered era-defining master works within their genre, a cute, chaotic four-player multiplayer party game and also Meet the Robinsons, a game based on a Disney movie you’d forgotten about until right this second.

Let’s break it down.

Playdead’s brilliant, horrific platformer Inside is available all month (July 1-31) for Xbox One owners. Set in a strange, monochromatic world where science fiction horror lies around every corner, Inside follows a young boy on the run from a brutal regime. But where is he running to? Trust us. It’s brilliant and you should play it. Our review is here.

For Xbox 360 owners, Konami’s seminal RPG platformer Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is available from July 1-15 and you owe it to yourself to play it. The game that took the Castlevania series in startling new directions and considered by ardent fans to be the greatest in the series. It features dazzling combat, deep RPG systems and a difficult curve that is absolutely no joke. Loved Hollow Night? Doesn’t exist without Symphony of the Night. Play it.

From July 16-Aug 15, Xbox one owners can grab Big Crown Showdown, a fun and funny four-player party game perfect for your next shindig. Tiny knights beating the hell out of each other on nefariously designed levels. Seriously, its a great time and you should check it out.

And then, yeah, Meet the Robinsons is the final Xbox 360 title for the month. It is, if nothing else, a great reminder of how much nicer things have been since movie tie-in games moved to mobile and left consoles alone. You can grab it if you want it from July 16-31

All you need to grab any of the titles above is an active Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Friendly reminder that Xbox One owners can download all four titles as Xbox 360 titles features in Games with Gold are always backwards compatible.

David Smith

David Smith is the former games and technology editor at The AU Review. He has previously written for PC World Australia. You can find him on Twitter at @RhunWords.