[PC] Free - Heretic, HeXen: Beyond Heretic & Deathkings, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, Quake Champions @ Xbox Insider Hub

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Wakrak on 17/07/2022 - 05:34 news.xbox.com (1218 clicks)
Last edited 11/08/2022 - 12:35 by 2 other users

Only available on PC.

We are excited to announce that Xbox Insiders on Windows PC are invited to preview Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen: Beyond Heretic, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, and Quake Champions. With the original release of some of these games more than 20 years ago, Bethesda is looking for feedback as they bring them to the Microsoft Store on Windows. We hope you enjoy and thank you for being an Xbox Insider!

Instructions

• Download Xbox Insider Hub app & join
• Navigate to Previews
• Select game and join
• Wait for the registration to complete to be directed to the Store and install

Games

• Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
• HeXen: Beyond Heretic
• HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
• The Elder Scrolls: Arena
• Quake Champions
• Quake 4^
• Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory^
• Wolfenstein 3D^

^ Also appears in my previews section.

Issues / other

• Sometimes I get an error message in the Microsoft Store saying that it cannot find what you're look for. If I reload the page a couple of times, that seems to fix it.
• Some of these games are available on Steam for free.
• Comment from r/xboxinsiders

For those unaware: the reason for this is that to be in GamePass you need to be in the Windows Store (Alan Wake only hit PC GamePass after Remedy did the same)
They have to "port" them to the Windows Store since they're such old games that don't run on modern PC's without major workarounds, emulators or even virtual machines in some cases.

No idea how long this is available for.

Credit: MyDealz

Related Stores

Xbox

• 

  UFO on 17/07/2022 - 05:53

  +3

  Are these full versions or preview versions? It reads as the latter- copy/paste:

  "We are excited to announce that Xbox Insiders on Windows PC are invited to preview Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen: Beyond Heretic, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, and Quake Champions. With the original release of some of these games more than 20 years ago, Bethesda is looking for feedback as they bring them to the Microsoft Store on Windows. We hope you enjoy and thank you for being an Xbox Insider!

  NOTE: All 5 previews are only available on Windows PC."

  • 

    Wakrak on 17/07/2022 - 06:41

    +1

    Don't know how to figure that out. I've never played these games before but I see no restrictions at the main menu.

    My guess is that it's a preview in the sense that it's available for a limited time.

    Hexon: Beyond Heretic is 178MB
    The Elder Scrolles: Arena 114MB

    • 

      UFO on 17/07/2022 - 07:31

      Plus vote on the assumption they are indeed full versions, thanks for looking in the game menus!

    • 

      McCloud on 17/07/2022 - 11:39

      That's a few stiffy disks…

    • 

      Thaal Sinestro on 18/07/2022 - 13:25

      +1

      I don't know why TES Arena is so large in size. I purchased the original and it was distributed on several 3.5 inch floppy disks.

      I just checked Gog and their version is 77 MB in size.

      Dos Games from the 90s should be free by now; they are ancient. Very few people are interested in playing games more than 5 years old.

  • 

    Agret on 17/07/2022 - 17:13

    They had a Gears of War 5 accessibility preview when they added some extra features for people with disabilities. After the preview ended anyone who signed up for it got to keep the game. Should be able to keep these games.

• 

  Jimothy Wongingtons on 17/07/2022 - 07:41

  Come onnnn HEXEN ii

• 

  Boogerman on 17/07/2022 - 10:20

  Hexen 2 is one of my favourite all time games due to its puzzle solving

• 

  terrys on 17/07/2022 - 10:24

  +1

  they're such old games that don't run on modern PC's

  Really? The oldest there is Wolf3d which, along with Heretic, I can run any time I like by opening DosBox …

  Heretic is the only game based on the original Doom engine which I have never seen sold on special. Even @ VGA the atmosphere and artwork is fantastic and it was the only one to offer a fair illusion of 3D in the 2D engine.

  • 

    TenguTech on 17/07/2022 - 12:14

    +2

    You left out the end of the sentance:

    without major workarounds, emulators or even virtual machines in some cases

    DosBox is an emulator.

    From Wikipedia "DOSBox is a free and open-source emulator which runs software for MS-DOS compatible disk operating systems—primarily video games. It was first released in 2002. "

    • 

      sk213 on 17/07/2022 - 17:03

      +1

      You would think the XBOX INSIDER PREVIEW of CLASSIC GAMES would be versions that run natively.. but yeah sure think Microsoft is giving away the 486 versions of the games.

• 

  Windows7forever on 17/07/2022 - 19:20

  +3

  DO we need to install the game for it to stay in our library? I just want to add to my collection at this point.

• 

  slipkord on 18/07/2022 - 12:47

  +1

  If anyone is having difficulty in obtaining The Elder Scrolls: Arena via the OP's detailed steps regarding Xbox Insider Preview, there are alternatives:

  • add the CD-ROM version of the game to your GOG account free of charge (NOTE: this comes with DOSBox pre-configured); install it via GOG Galaxy launcher or download the offline installer for later installation at your convenience.
  • download the CD-ROM version of the game from this website free of charge. This is a pre-packaged installer to get Arena "ready-to-play" for modern Windows PCs, and already includes DOSBox.
  • install and play the floppy disk recently-upgraded-to CD-ROM version of the game on Steam free of charge (NOTE: this comes with DOSBox, but may need manual tweaking of configuration files).

  Version differences: "The CD version has voice acting during cutscenes, removes the Shift Gate's copy protection questions, a remastered ending, and small graphical changes to items like shields. The two versions are otherwise identical."

  ---

  For Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, you can:

  • install and play it on Steam; OR
  • directly download the Windows / macOS / Linux installers (~270 MB in size) from the developer's website
• 

  slipkord on 03/08/2022 - 11:21

  to the OP: it appears that Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory's preview availability had ended on July 14th

  • 

    Wakrak on 03/08/2022 - 11:22

    +1

    Thanks for that.

• 

  Agret on 04/08/2022 - 17:52

  +1

  Quake Champions is a free to play game normally, however:

  Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who join the Xbox Insiders Preview will also automatically receive the Champions Pack, which, includes the full roster of current and future Champions.

  Be sure to join if you have Game Pass as it's great having the whole roster available for free :) last time this DLC was given out for free was QuakeCon back in Aug 2020.

  I am 90% positive that if you login and link to Bethesda account then when you launch the Steam version and link that to the same account you will have access to the champions too if you are not a fan of the Windows store.

• 

  slipkord on 11/08/2022 - 12:20

  To OP Wakrak:

  Thanks to Borg's comment and screenshot we now have confirmation that a whole bunch of Bethesda games that were recently made available as Xbox Insider Previews, will be de-listed very soon (Wednesday August 11th USA timezone) - i.e. sometime on Thursday August 12th (Australian timezone)

  Bethesda Titles leaving the Xbox Insider Program

  The following Bethesda titles will no longer be available in the Xbox Insiders Program after Thursday, August 11th:

  • The Elder Scrolls: Arena
  • The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall
  • An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire
  • The Elder Scrolls Adventure: Redguard
  • Quake 4
  • Quake Champions
  • Wolfenstein 3D
  • Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
  • Return to Castle Wolfenstein
  • Heretic: Serpent Riders
  • HeXen: Beyond Heretic
  • HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel

  Please participate in the previews while you still can!

  • 

    Wakrak on 11/08/2022 - 12:34

    +1

    Cheers for that. I'll change the closing date.