A leak suggests Xbox Live Games With Gold’s December 2021 lineup will include The Escapists 2 and Tropico 5, and the leak's source has previously called PS Plus's games for the past two months. Since 2013, the Games With Gold program has been providing Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers with a shifting assortment of free games every month, ranging from smaller indie games to older AAA blockbusters. Most recently, Xbox's November Games With Gold offerings included the likes of LEGO Batman 2 DC Super Heroes and Kingdom Two Crowns.
A user on French gaming forum Dealabs has been correctly forecasting news about Xbox Games With Gold's closest rival, PlayStation Plus. The leaker suggested Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning would be included in the PS Plus November 2021 lineup, information which was later confirmed by Sony when this month's official games list was revealed in late October. The user had also shared the previous month's contents of PS Plus giveaways and was similarly proven true, as PS Plus's October games ultimately did give away Mortal Kombat X and Hell Let Loose as promised.
Now, Dealabs user billbil-kun has shared what could be the official Xbox Games With Gold December 2021 lineup (via VGC). According to the leaked list, The Escapists 2 will be available from December 1 to the 31, Tropico 5 Penultimate Edition will be offered up from December 16 to January 15, Orcs Must Die! will be added on December 1 and leave on December 15, and subscribers will be able to download Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet from December 16 to December 31.
Update (11/23/2021 10:55 AM CST): Following the leak, Xbox's Larry Hyrb confirmed on Twitter that the leaked Xbox Live Games With Gold December 2021 games list was accurate. The titles on offer and the dates between which they can be downloaded have all been confirmed as true, lending further credibility to the Dealabs leaker. The rest of the original story continues below.
While this rumored Xbox Games With Gold December 2021 roster has yet to be officially confirmed by Microsoft itself, it does contain a decent variety of genres in keeping with previous Xbox GWG lineups. The Escapists 2 is a top-down strategy game which puts players in the role of a prison inmate planning a breakout, while Tropico 5 tasks would-be dictators with building and maintaining their own island nation. Meanwhile, Orcs Must Die! is a tower defense title which sees a powerful War Mage fend off monsters, and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a shooter puzzle game helmed by famous cartoon animator Michel Gagné.
It's worth repeating that Dealabs' Xbox Games With Gold leak shouldn't be considered an official list at this point, but billbil-kun's past success with PS Now games suggests there could be something to their latest prediction. In any case, a legitimate announcement of the Xbox Games With Gold December 2021's free titles will be shared sometime before November's end, which will definitive prove or discredit the leak.