Better yet, on Xbox One (opens in new tab), Microsoft often allows you to permanently keep hold of any Achievements you earn in a game’s trial run. That’s free Gamerscore points for playing a free demo, which are often worth playing for the entertainment value in and of themselves! Instead of having to trawl through the Xbox Marketplace looking for the right freebies for you, I’ve selected some of the very best Xbox One demos available and listed them below for your browsing pleasure.

Metro Redux

Curious about that eerie first-person shooter reveal at Microsoft’s 2017 E3 conference this year? The one with the giant rat? It’s the third game in 4A Games’ grounded, melancholic survival series, Metro, and continues the story left off by Metro 2033 (opens in new tab) and Metro: Last Light. Both of those titles were remastered and resold as one package (Metro Redux (opens in new tab)) a few years ago, and you can try the demos right now on Xbox One. 

That’s right, demos, plural. You can download and play trials for either or both of the titles, playing around a third of the campaign for each, which gives you a good deal of flexibility and freedom for your consideration. Luckily, they’re both excellent games, and your progress will carry on if you decide to jump in full time for the Russia-set rambling. 

Titanfall 2

The good news gods must have been smiling upon earth when it was announced that Respawn would be making a third Titanfall game with EA (opens in new tab), but you might not have yet had the chance to play the recently released sequel.

The least you can do to show your support is give the demo a whirl, which contains approximately an hour of gameplay, using a mid-game chapter from Titanfall 2 (opens in new tab)’s stellar campaign. Be warned, though, you’ll be aching to play more by the end of it, especially once you make friends with BT. 

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Bethesda has a pretty good track record when it comes to demos of late. You can download trials for Dishonored 2 (opens in new tab), Prey (opens in new tab), Doom (opens in new tab), The Evil Within 2 (opens in new tab), and now Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (opens in new tab), which only released in October. 

Machine Games’ FPS sequel is a loud and proud Nazi slaying simulation, but its unforgiving run-and-gun gameplay isn’t for everyone, so this demo is a good excuse to see if your penchant for its bold flavour of gunplay can last to see the story through to its conclusion. The best part, though, is that the demo is the entirety of the game’s first level: the one where you’re killing Nazis from a wheelchair. Excellent. 

Rise of the Tomb Raider 

You’ll have to buy the complete product if you want to witness Lara Croft’s promised ascension in full, but the first two chapters contained within the Rise of the Tomb Raider (opens in new tab)’s demo give you a good sense of how it’s all going to play out. 

There’s shooting, crafting, raiding, upgrading, and exploring to be done, and it can take you anywhere between two to three hours before the demo is up, depending on how you prefer to play. Oh, and it features at least one scene where Lara dies in some horrible, excruciating way. Sorry about that.  

Watch Dogs 2 

If Watch Dogs 2 (opens in new tab) protagonist Marcus Holloway had known that Ubisoft is offering a three hour trial of open-world adventuring in his game for no charge, he’d probably have never hacked the studio’s offices in the first place. 

The demo includes full access to the single player and multiplayer features of the San Francisco-set sandbox, but be warned – you’re on a timer for the entire thing, so spend your minutes wisely before the demo automatically comes to a close. If three hours isn’t enough (and let’s face it; it isn’t), you can continue on seamlessly from your trial’s progress once you decide to cash in on the full game. 

Gears of War 4

As far as value for no money goes, The Coalition has outdone itself with the Gears of War 4 (opens in new tab) free trial. You can enjoy up to ten hours of the game at no cost, which includes the opening Act of the campaign, and as much PvP and Horde multiplayer that you can wring out of the experience. 

You’ll know by the end whether you want to pay up to keep going or not, and even if you don’t, that’s ten hours of high quality gaming for the price of nothing. Go on, pat yourself on the back for being such a frugal gamer.

Forza Motorsport 7 

You might enjoy the odd driving sim every now and again, but never enough to warrant a full blown purchase on the next big racing game. The Forza Motorsport 7 (opens in new tab) demo has you covered, then, offering a small but not insubstantial set of racing experiences that have enough replay value for you to return to whenever you feel the need for speed.

There are three unique tracks, each boasting a different car to test them out in, and the demo even includes a race at at the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, which is a nice showcase for Motorsport 7’s breathtaking dynamic weather technology. Better yet, you’ll never have to worry about those pesky and overbearing microtransactions plaguing the full game. 

Halo Wars 2 

The original Halo Wars came out so long ago, that it’s difficult to know if the recently released sequel to the cult hit RTS is something that could hold your interest. It’s exactly the kind of game that can benefit from a demo, and Microsoft isn’t oblivious to this, offering a free trial that introduces players to all the important nuts and bolts of its strategically-minded gameplay.

It uses the campaign’s opening mission, so you won’t have free reign of every gizmo and gadget available in the full game, but it does give you a basic understanding of the kind of Halo experience that Halo Wars 2 (opens in new tab) is. At the very least, it’ll save you from making the horrible mistake of buying the full title thinking that it’s another classic Halo FPS outing. Welp. 

Dead Rising 3 

Sometimes you’re not in the mood for enrapturing narratives, elaborate role-playing, or tough-as-nails PvP. Sometimes, you just want to whack a few zombies round the head with a baseball bat. Dead Rising 3 (opens in new tab) offers exactly that kind of therapy for the low, low price of nil, with a demo that chucks you head-first into its open world, with 20 minutes to do as you please with whatever you can find. 

Tear zombies in half with a cement saw if you want, or head towards a nearby side quest for something more purposeful. Whatever you’re doing, it’s mindless gratification from the get go, and tells you all you need to know about the kind of game that Dead Rising 3 is. 

FIFA 18

There’s a reason that every annual FIFA demo consistently breaks its own records as the most popular demo released on consoles, year after year, without fail. Not only is it the FIFA community’s first chance to test out the new software for themselves, but it always boasts a striking amount (pun intended) of replay value, thanks to the fact that players can enjoy match after match to no end, even if the conditions and choices contextualizing each game are necessarily limited.

If you’re not a massive fan of video game footy, but don’t mind having a quick kickabout whenever a friend is round, this demo is the perfect option, allowing you to easily boot up a game of FIFA 18 (opens in new tab) without ever having to spend dime. 

The post Gears of War 4, Wolfenstein 2, and the best demos you can play for free on the Xbox One right now appeared first on Game News.

The main ‘career mode’ is called the Forza Driver’s Cup. It’s Divided into six different tiers, and you can only progress to the next once you’ve accrued enough SP. 

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Take part in short races to max out SP

SP is awarded for finishing races, like points, and although you do get more SP for finishing higher, it’s still doled out if you finish a little down the field. That means that, since you can earn 300SP for finishing an hour-long endurance race or 200SP for a single Formula E race that takes 5 minutes, it makes more sense to tackle short series with lots of races if you want to progress through the game and reach the higher levels sooner. 

Buy cars to… get more cars

Each tier of the Driver’s cup has big events at the end of it, and these yield cool cars when you win them. So tackle them whenever you get the chance. But the best cars are not only tucked away in special races. You can buy them! Problem is, many are locked away behind walls of ‘Collection Tiers’. Don’t worry though, your collection level increases as you get more cars. And it’s a case of the more the better, so get as many as you can. You do this either by straight-out buying one, winning one from a special race or series as we’ve seen, from reaching a driver milestone by levelling up with good old-fashioned XP and selecting a car if it’s offered as a prize (and we’d advise always doing that when it offers), or from a prize crate. 

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Boost with mod cards

Prize crates are full of semi-random goodies, and they usually cost credits to buy. The best way to win credits quickly is to use mod cards. These are single or multi-use modifier cards that, as in Forza Motorsport 6, you play before a race and then try to fulfil its criteria in order to get a boost in credits when the race finishes.

Look for cards that increase your credits easily, especially those that fit your driving style. If you’re good at hitting the cornering challenges (like get required entry speed, braking point, acceleration point, apex and overall line and get a ‘Perfect’ grade), then play the mod cards that reward that. If you’re good at overtaking, play those. Some mod cards restrict the driving line to ‘braking only’ – but if like us you don’t drive with it on, that means an ultra-easy credits boost. For any card that doesn’t fit your particular skillset, sell it immediately and use the money either to buy cars or to unlock another prize crate.  

You should focus on the best prize crates, with the highest chance of winning something awesome. These require a lot of credits, so take some time to look through your stash of mod cards and your garage, and sell anything you don’t want. Be careful, though, you might want to keep your cars as they might be useful in later series, otherwise you’ll only need to buy them again. And that would be waste of money.

So, in summary, drive as often and as much as possible, always use mod cards in races – ones that suit your driving style and the series in question – save your money for the best prize crates, and sell mods you don’t think you’ll use. Do all that and racing greatness awaits.

The post How to progress fast, and get the best cars in Forza Motorsport 7 appeared first on Game News.