Crackdown Goes Free On Xbox One Ahead Of Crackdown 3's Launch

Microsoft has made Crackdown free on the Xbox Live marketplace, allowing you to effectively purchase the game on Xbox 360 without paying a dime. And thanks to backwards compatibility, it's playable on Xbox One (with Xbox One X enhancements available). With Crackdown 3's release right around the corner, it's a good opportunity to see how the series began.

In Microsoft's announcement of the deal, there was no word whether or not the game would be free forever or for a limited time. However, as the deal is to "celebrate the launch of Crackdown 3" it's probably best to act on this offer prior to Crackdown 3's launch next week.

When we got the chance to check out Crackdown 3, we thought it's single-player was a little too much like the original game. Despite the 12 year difference in release dates, Crackdown 3's campaign looks and plays just like the first title in the series. However, Crackdown 3's multiplayer is fantastic, and made an incredible first impression that completely overshadowed the single-player gameplay.

Crackdown 3 is one of three major February PC releases that isn't releasing on Steam. A Microsoft first-party exclusive, Crackdown 3 is releasing on the company's store. Also this month, BioWare's multiplayer-focused shooter Anthem is launching on Origin, while 4A Games' post-apocalyptic RPG Metro Exodus is exclusive to the Epic Games Store. Of the three, Exodus has proven to be the most controversial, with Valve calling the game's move to Epic to be "unfair" for players, and Steam users review bombing both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light in response to the exclusivity.

The original Crackdown is available for Xbox 360, and can be played on Xbox One with X-Enhancement via backwards compatibility--along with a long list of other games. Crackdown 3 is scheduled to launch for Xbox One and PC on February 15.

In our Crackdown review, Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 7.8/10, writing, "Crackdown feels unfinished. It feels like the developers sat down and crafted a wonderful-looking city and carefully considered how the gameplay and abilities should work, and then they didn't have enough time to plug in enough activities to take advantage of it all. While you'll certainly have a lot of fun playing Crackdown, it's hard not to get the distinct feeling that it was on the cusp of being so much more."