Alan Wake 2 is free to play on Xbox this weekend.

If you’ve been meaning to get around to Remedy Entertainment’s award winning survival horror masterpiece, then you can try it out with a 3-hour timed trial — without needing an Xbox Game Pass membership.

This trial is available from Thursday, January 30 at 12:01 a.m. PST until Sunday, February 2 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Note, the trial is timed, meaning you probably shouldn’t wander off to make a coffee or spend too much time dancing to Herald of Darkness in your living room during gameplay.

The game is a sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake. Published by Epic Games, the story follows best-selling novelist Alan Wake, who has been trapped in the dark place — an alternate dimension — for 13 years. Players follow Alan’s attempts to escape by writing himself out his prison by means of a horror story involving an FBI Special Agent named Saga Anderson.

Alan Wake 2 was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on 27 October 2023. The game sold over 1.8 million units by November 2024, making it Remedy’s fastest-selling game. It has been nominated for multiple Game of the Year awards.

Notable accolades include:

  • The Game Awards 2023: Won Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction.
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2023: Won the Critics’ Choice Award.
  • Nordic Game Awards 2024: Won Nordic Game of the Year, Best Art, and Best Audio.
  • BAFTA Games Awards 2024: Won Artistic Achievement and Audio Achievement.


    Two downloadable content (DLC) expansion packs, Night Springs and The Lake House were released on 8 June 2024, and 22 October 2024 respectively.