We've been busy drafting up a list of upcoming free-to-play games on Xbox for 2026 over the past few days, and we noticed two of the most major ones are actually coming out this month — or at least, that's the plan as things stand.
The first of these is 2XKO, which is a free-to-play fighting game from Riot Games, known for developing the likes of League of Legends and VALORANT. 2XKO actually features characters from League of Legends, and it's based around "explosive 2v2 showdowns" that can be played either solo or with someone else.
The second big free-to-play release on Xbox in January 2026 is Highguard, which was only announced at The Game Awards a few weeks ago. It seems the developers expected a big reaction to this one, with the game being announced last at the show, but the feedback hasn't been great — and now there's concern about how it'll fare when it arrives.
Despite the lukewarm reception, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for PvP raid shooter Highguard, especially considering it's being developed by "the creators" of Apex Legends and Titanfall.