Free games are always good.

So, what's better than four free games every month? Five, of course.

Every month, Microsoft gives away four free games (two for Xbox One, two for Xbox 360) as part of its Xbox Live Games with Gold program. As a special treat for December, an extra fifth game will be tossed in free of charge as well, presumably because Microsoft is in the spirit of giving.

Xbox One players will be able to download The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing for free throughout the entirety of the month. Never heard of it before? Imagine a top-down RPG in the same vein of Diablo, and you have an idea of what to expect. Building on the Gothic theme established by Van Helsing, the Thief reboot will also be going free from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15, letting players take rather than give just in time for the holidays.

On the Xbox 360, players will be able to snag Castlestorm from Dec. 1 to 15, followed by Sacred 3 starting on Dec. 16 and running through the end of the month. As a special bonus, players can also pick up the military shooter Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising for free during the same Dec. 16 to 31 period.

It's worth keeping in mind that even though Xbox One players are only getting two free games, they are technically getting five, thanks to Microsoft's pledge of making all future Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles backwards compatible on Xbox One. As long as you add the games to your library via Xbox.com or the Xbox 360 digital store, you'll be able to download and play the titles via your Xbox One. Five free games a month isn't shabby, even if there isn't enough time in the year to play them all.

You can read more about the Games with Gold program over on Major Nelson's official Xbox blog.

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