Ethan Crossfield 
Xbox owners have six games to try through September 13 in the latest Free Play Days promotion. Madden NFL 27 and Dustborn are available to every Xbox member, while Borderlands 4, F1 25 2026 Season Edition, Surviving Mars: Relaunched, and CarX Drift Racing Online require an eligible Xbox Game Pass membership. Players can find the offer by opening the Xbox Store, selecting the Subscriptions tab, and scrolling to Free Play Days.
What changed in this week’s Free Play Days lineup
The promotion combines major recent releases with smaller, more specialized games. Borderlands 4 leads the selection as an open-world looter shooter set on Kairos, where four new Vault Hunters battle the planet’s ruler while building characters through skill trees, Action Skills, and a large arsenal. Its inclusion arrives alongside the new Loveless the Hacker DLC character, giving curious players an opportunity to sample the game before exploring its latest content. Borderlands 4 holds an Xbox Metascore of 90 based on seven critic reviews. F1 25 2026 Season Edition offers Formula 1 racing, the revamped My Team mode, the third chapter of Braking Point, and the 2026 Season Pack. The edition supports a career that moves from the 2025 season into the 2026 team lineup.
Which players can access each game
Game Pass members can try Surviving Mars: Relaunched, CarX Drift Racing Online, Borderlands 4, and F1 25 2026 Season Edition. Surviving Mars: Relaunched focuses on building and managing a human colony, including domes, life-support systems, resources, and the Martian Assembly’s society-shaping laws. CarX Drift Racing Online is built around drift physics, vehicle tuning, community tracks, and multiplayer for up to 16 players. Both games offer a different pace from the weekend’s larger releases: one is a colony-management challenge, while the other is a competitive driving sandbox. Dustborn and EA Sports Madden NFL 27 do not require Game Pass. Dustborn follows Pax, an exiled con artist crossing an alternate-history America aboard a robot-driven tour bus, using dialogue and relationships to navigate the journey. Madden NFL 27, released August 13, 2026, adds the Persona Engine to Franchise mode, along with changes to receiver-defender battles, coverage, short-yardage play, and pre-play controls.
How to decide what to play before September 13
Players looking for the broadest trial should start with Borderlands 4, particularly if the open-world format and new DLC are appealing. F1 25 2026 Season Edition is the clearest choice for racing fans who want structured single-player and multiplayer competition, while CarX Drift Racing Online suits players more interested in tuning and drifting. Surviving Mars: Relaunched rewards longer sessions and careful planning. Dustborn is the no-cost option for players who prefer a narrative-focused adventure, and Madden NFL 27 is the most immediately accessible choice for football fans because it is free to all Xbox members. The offer ends September 13, so downloads and playtime should be planned before the promotion leaves the Store.
What players should know
- The promotion runs through September 13.
- Madden NFL 27 and Dustborn are free for all Xbox members.
- Borderlands 4, F1 25 2026 Season Edition, Surviving Mars: Relaunched, and CarX Drift Racing Online require eligible Xbox Game Pass access.
- All six games are listed under the Xbox Store’s Subscriptions tab in the Free Play Days section.
- Borderlands 4 has an Xbox Metascore of 90, while F1 25 2026 Season Edition has an Xbox Metascore of 82.
Expert View
This is a well-balanced Free Play Days selection rather than a lineup aimed at one audience. Borderlands 4 and Madden NFL 27 provide the strongest mainstream draws, while Dustborn, CarX Drift Racing Online, and Surviving Mars: Relaunched give players distinct alternatives. The main limitation is access: four games are restricted to eligible Game Pass members, so non-subscribers have only two trials to choose from.
