Xbox Free Play Days this weekend give Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential members three full games to play for free until Sunday, October 25: Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Reloaded Edition, Tropico 6 and Let’s Build a Zoo. You don’t need Game Pass at all for Riders Republic, which any Xbox player can play free until October 26, or for the three-hour trials of Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. All six are on sale if you want to keep playing, and the best deal is a little hidden: Riders Republic’s Deluxe Edition costs less than the Standard one right now.
Prices and end times below are from Xbox Wire’s Free Play Days post and the US Microsoft Store, checked October 23, 2026 at 13:45 UTC.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Reloaded Edition is free for Game Pass Essential and up through Oct 25, then $11.99. Image: Techland
Table of Contents
Xbox Free Play Days this weekend: what’s free and who can play
| Game | Who can play free | Free until | Sale price (was) | Sale ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Reloaded Edition | Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential | Sun Oct 25 | $11.99 ($59.99, 80% off) | Nov 5, 09:59 UTC |
| Tropico 6 | Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential | Sun Oct 25 | $9.99 ($39.99, 75% off) | Nov 5, 09:59 UTC |
| Let’s Build a Zoo | Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential | Sun Oct 25 | $6.99 ($19.99, 65% off) | Oct 26, 23:59 UTC |
| Riders Republic | Every Xbox player, no membership | Mon Oct 26 | Deluxe $11.99 ($59.99, 80% off); Standard $39.99 | Nov 5, 09:59 UTC |
| Monster Hunter Stories | Every Xbox player (3-hour trial) | Oct 26, 19:59 UTC | $9.89 ($29.99) | Nov 5, 09:59 UTC |
| Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin | Every Xbox player (3-hour trial) | Oct 26, 19:59 UTC | $9.99 ($39.99, 75% off) | Nov 5, 09:59 UTC |
Xbox Wire gives dates only. Store data keeps the free licenses live a little longer (Oct 26, 20:00 UTC for the Game Pass trio), but don’t count on the extra hours. Prices are US and vary by region; Xbox Wire says Tropico 6’s sale ends November 2, though the store showed November 5.
Which game is worth your weekend?
Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Reloaded Edition
Techland’s open-world zombie game is the weekend’s biggest download, and at $11.99 the best value: a weekend only scratches the surface. Worth your time if you like parkour, night-time tension and co-op.
Tropico 6
Kalypso’s island dictator sim is free ahead of Tropico 7 on January 28, with up to 60% off its DLC too. If you play, our Tropico 6 money-making guide still covers the basics of keeping El Presidente’s treasury full.
Let's Build a Zoo's breeding screen; the game is $6.99 until Oct 26. Image: No More Robots
Let’s Build a Zoo
The cozy pick. No More Robots’ pixel-art zoo sim has you breeding animals, keeping visitors happy and, with DNA splicing, stitching together oddities like the Giraffephant. It’s the cheapest game here at $6.99, and its sale ends first (Monday), so decide early.
Riders Republic
Ubisoft’s extreme-sports open world (bikes, skis, snowboards across US national parks) is free for everyone as part of its 5th anniversary, which also brings Ubisoft-themed rewards and an in-game concert with DJ Henri PFR. If you’d rather buy than subscribe, skip the Standard Edition: on the US store the Deluxe Edition is $11.99, while Standard is still full price at $39.99. Game Pass members may not need either: Xbox Wire’s store card tags the game with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The free weekend also comes weeks before the Riders Republic Switch 2 release on December 9, which adds an offline mode on every platform.
Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2
These are timed trials, not full free weekends: three hours each, no Game Pass needed. Both turn-based RPGs swap the main series’ hunting for befriending and riding monsters, so they suit newcomers who find Monster Hunter’s combat intimidating. At $9.89 and $9.99, the pair costs under $20 together.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin has a free three-hour trial for every Xbox player. Image: Capcom
How to play Xbox Free Play Days games
- On Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One, open the Store, go to the Subscriptions tab and scroll to the Free Play Days collection.
- Or open each game’s page on Xbox.com from the Xbox Wire post; you must be signed in to see the install option that comes with your membership.
- Install and play. The three Game Pass games need Ultimate, Premium or Essential; Riders Republic and the Monster Hunter trials don’t need any membership.
The cheapest way into the members-only games is Game Pass Essential at $9.99 a month in the US (Premium is $14.99, Ultimate $22.99); our guide to Xbox cloud gaming prices breaks down what each tier includes.
Does your progress carry over if you buy the game?
Xbox’s promise is specific: buy the game and you keep playing “while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event.” The post doesn’t mention save files. Xbox cloud saves normally let you continue when you buy the same Xbox version, but that’s standard behaviour, not a per-game guarantee. The Monster Hunter trials stop after three hours of play.
More on Game Pass this month
See what else arrives in Xbox Game Pass October 2026 wave 2, led by Final Fantasy VII Remake and Mouthwashing, and the nine games leaving Game Pass on October 31.
Sources: Xbox Wire, Free Play Days (Oct 22, 2026); US Microsoft Store listings for Dying Light 2 Reloaded Edition, Tropico 6, Let’s Build a Zoo, Riders Republic Deluxe Edition, Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2, checked Oct 23, 2026 13:45 UTC.
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Featured image: Ubisoft
