This New Game Is Free on Xbox and PC, Even Without an Xbox Game Pass Subscription

On March 23rd, Microsoft Bubble, a fresh new free title from Xbox Game Studios, arrived for players on Microsoft's gaming console and PC. For those seeking lighthearted entertainment in the classic bubble shooter style, this new release offers easily accessible and, most importantly, completely free gameplay. That's one perspective.

However, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will find several tangible benefits when playing Microsoft Bubble. If you have a subscription, you can enjoy this action-packed puzzle game completely ad-free and receive additional moves. So, if you're not opposed to quick puzzle and guessing games and don't have anything better to play right now, you should give this colorful, free-to-play offer a try.

The classic line, "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum... and I'm all out of bubblegum," was famously uttered by Roddy Piper in John Carpenter's 1988 cult film They Live! This gritty quote later became a popular catchphrase, thanks in part to the ego-shooter Duke Nukem 3D. The point of this bubblegum-themed introduction: in the bubble shooter Microsoft Bubble, you'll be firing colorful bubblegum-like spheres. To put it simply: the goal is to match spheres of the same color – red with red, blue with blue, and so on.

The larger the groups of matching colored spheres you create, the more points you earn. It’s a super-simple game principle, yet it comes with a special twist: occasionally, you can collect particularly powerful spheres – and you absolutely should. For instance, the Launch Mortar sphere functions like a grenade launcher, allowing you to clear larger clusters of bubbles from the screen in one go. So, if you enjoyed the genre classic Puzzle Bobble by Taito from 1994 and love to pop colorful bubbles, Microsoft Bubble might just be your next obsession.

The gameplay of Microsoft Bubble is quick to grasp. Essentially, you need to aim your shots from the bottom of the screen so that at least three or more bubbles of the same color connect within the cluster extending along the top. The official game instructions also explain how various special bubbles like Ice Bubbles, Stone Bubbles, Spike Bubbles, and others work.

If you're still not peppering the screen with round, rainbow-colored parts, you either generally don't play bubble shooters or you don't game on PC or Microsoft consoles. PlayStation players craving free hidden object-style content should embark on a treasure hunt in the Lost Lands series. Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch players can enjoy animalistic party fun with Royal Vermin 1 & 2!