Xbox Free Play Days: Sea of Thieves and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam free until 20 September 2026
In brief
- Xbox Free Play Days opens Sea of Thieves to all Xbox players and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam to Game Pass subscribers from 17 to 20 September 2026.
Sea of Thieves is free to play during that period for all Xbox players.
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is, according to the source, only free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, while the provided information also says both games are available for free on PC.
What happened
Xbox Free Play Days is the Xbox promotion in focus this week. The source cites a play window from 17 September 2026 through 20 September 2026 and says two games are temporarily available at no extra cost. That makes this a short four-day promotion, with 20 September 2026 as the final day of free access according to the source.
The first title is Sea of Thieves. During the promotion, the game is free to access for all Xbox players, with no Game Pass requirement mentioned. The provided information does not list any membership restriction for this title, making Sea of Thieves the most widely accessible game in this Free Play Days lineup.
The second title is Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. According to the source, that game is only free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers during the same period. That makes the split in this Free Play Days round clear: one game for everyone on Xbox, and one game tied to an active Game Pass subscription.
The source information also says both games are available for free on PC. No further explanation is given, so it is unclear whether this is part of the same Free Play Days period or a separate PC promotion. The provided information also does not distinguish between a temporary trial and another form of free access on PC.
The available facts do not include any details about discounts after the promotion ends. So while the start and end dates are clear, there is no confirmed information about price cuts, bundles, or other follow-up offers after 20 September 2026.
Timeline
2026-09-17: Xbox Free Play Days starts with two games temporarily free to play.
2026-09-17 to 2026-09-20: Sea of Thieves is free for all Xbox players; Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
2026-09-17 to 2026-09-20: The source also mentions PC availability for both games, but without extra details on the conditions.
2026-09-20: Final day of the Free Play Days period according to the source.
Background
Xbox Free Play Days is a recurring Xbox promotion that temporarily makes selected paid games free to play. Access ends when the promotion expires, in this case on 20 September 2026. This update again shows the format of the campaign: a limited window, a fixed number of games, and different access conditions depending on the title.
In the provided information, Sea of Thieves is the title open to all Xbox players. Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is instead linked to Xbox Game Pass. That means this Free Play Days round combines multiple access tiers within the same promotion, depending on the game and subscription status.
The source also mentions PC as a platform for both games. Because no further explanation is included, it remains unclear whether the PC access is part of the same promotion or a separate offer. That matters because the source gives a specific date range for Xbox Free Play Days, but no additional PC conditions or separate end date.
The headline names Hell Let Loose: Vietnam explicitly, but the provided facts do not add any extra confirmation about the release context of that game. So while it is clear that the title is part of the Free Play Days selection, it is not clear whether the wording in the headline refers to a new release, a specific edition, or simply the name of the featured game. Without more source material, that part should be treated cautiously.
Related GAME-scanner articles
- Xbox Game Pass second wave for September mentioned with Dune: Awakening, Minecraft Dungeons 2 and Gears of War: E-Day
- Microsoft says Game Pass changes are not final after leak about day-one releases and new prices