Microsoft giving free Ryse game to lucky Sunset Overdrive console owners [Updated]

By Paul Acevedo
last updated

Earlier this week we reviewed the white Xbox One Sunset Overdrive Special Edition bundle, which launched first in North America followed by the UK a few days later. I found the bundle to be a very good value at $400, as it comes with a fresh and exclusive game and a unique looking console and controller. At $350 (the price starting Novermber 2nd), the Sunset OverDrive console will be a steal.

It turns out the white console has even more value than anyone knew. On Halloween, people who purchased the console and went online started receiving a surprise message from Microsoft with a free code for Ryse: Son of Rome! We can't say whether Microsoft will keep sending them to people who buy the Sunset Overdrive console later on. Still, it's a very classy move and a terrific way to welcome new players into the Xbox One fold.

Microsoft gives free Ryse game to some Sunset Overdrive console owners

Getting that code

So far the free Ryse code has been sent to several owners of the white Sunset Overdrive Xbox One system. You do not have to have redeemed the actual Sunset Overdrive game code; the determination seems to come from the white system only.

I myself received the code, as have many forum and Reddit users who purchased and used the system online earlier this week. We're not sure if the codes went out to every single person who met bought and used the white console or just a random selection of those users.

If you have a Sunset Overdrive system, don't bother checking your email for the code. It will have been sent to you by Xbox Live message. You don't even have to check directly from your console. I received and redeemed my code directly from Xbox.com. Microsoft sent two messages, one of which contained the actual code. They even say it's okay to give the code away if you already own the game.

This giveaway is similar to the free Killer Instinct Combo Breaker Pack giveaway that took place last year, although that giveaway targeted random Xbox Live users instead of specific console owners.

Ryse: Son of Rome

Ryse from your gwave!

Crytek's epic action game Ryse: Son of Rome takes place during the times of the Roman Empire. The game follows the lift of Marius Titus from his childhood into his days as a general. Marius eventually embarks on a quest to avenge the deaths of his family at the orders of the villainous Nero.

Of the three major Xbox One launch exclusives, Ryse has been widely praised as the most visually impressive of the bunch. Although it runs at 900p instead of 1080p, Ryse features lavish environments and extremely detailed characters. You still won't find many prettier Xbox One games.

The actual gameplay mostly consists of hack-and-slash battles. Players will need to carefully manage attacks, blocking, and movement in order to come out alive – and slice their enemies to pieces. The game also has some mild strategic aspects as you command troops in battle, but they largely take a backseat to the combat.

Ryse's campaign is a bit on the short side at six hours or so, although it offers multiple difficulty levels to encourage replay. An online cooperative multiplayer mode allows two players to team up and engage in fights within the Roman Colosseum.

Two versions of Ryse

Microsoft quietly released Ryse: Legendary Edition early in October, bundling the game with its DLC and a few exclusive bonuses. Players who received the free Ryse code can't upgrade to the Legendary Edition, but they can still buy the Ryse Season Pass and receive all of the content that actually matters.

The original non-Legendary version of Ryse has been retired from the digital Xbox Store, replaced by the Legendary Edition. If you didn't get a code and you're in the market for the game, that's the one to buy (at retail or via download). In Europe, the Legendary Edition seems to have been released at retail in Germany but not the UK.

Did any of our readers who bought the Sunset Overdrive bundle receive the code? Remember to check your Xbox Live messages, and then leave a comment to let us know!

Update

According to a user at Cheap Ass Gamer, the codes will continue to be distributed through November 3rd and are for US residents only. Players below 17 years of age will apparently receive Max: The Curse of Brotherhood instead of Ryse.

Paul Acevedo
Paul Acevedo

Paul Acevedo is the Games Editor at Windows Central. A lifelong gamer, he has written about videogames for over 15 years and reviewed over 350 games for our site. Follow him on Twitter @PaulRAcevedo. Don’t hate. Appreciate!

44 Comments
  • No Xbox retailer here lol
  • Was first released here yesterday where I got my preorder. No free code yet.
  • Guys....if you already have Ryse on disc can you please do me a favor and send me your code?...lol we'll be best friends forever :-)
  • Lol right me too!
  • So many good bundles and incentives with the latest releases, are there any incentives for the early adopters? Almost like i should sell my console and buy a new one.
  • Don't forget, we got to use our launch consoles for a year (or whatever period of time) before the new bundles came out. That's the price (and benefit) of being an early adopter. Thank goodness there was no RROD issue with the launch systems this time!
  • Don't speak too soon. Took my system a few years to rrod
  • Normally I would agree, and I actually don't mind that they are bundling games/making the console cheaper.  But once they start giving away unannounced bonuses like this to people who bought one version of the console, especially one where they JUST made the purchase completely indpendent of said bonus, it starts to get on my nerves.  Especially since the console I bought into was significantly different than the one they purchased (for instance, I bought into a promise of everyone has a Kinect, which we all know is laughably dead now). And this has all happened within Year One.  There's early adopters not getting the best deal, then there's absolutely snobbing the early adopters which is in effect what Microsoft has done this generation.
  • Self entitled nonsense.. Being an early adopter means you miss out on deals like this. You have had the console for months or even a year and I'm sure you have had many fun moments on it.. Stop expecting free shit, don't be an early adopter if you dislike the deals that ALWAYS come out a year or so after launch. I've sunk hours and hours into my xbox one and I've loved every minute of it. I wouldn't give up them hours to get one game I don't even want.. People think that because they buy a device early they deserve free shit, get real. Also the kinect thing, who gives a shit? Many people still buy the console with kinect and alot who don't buy kinect used as its cheaper then buying it new with the console, I personality couldn't own my xbox without kinect. It's just too useful to give up, not for gaming but the voice commands I use daily. Main point is, stop complaining about stuff you could have avoided by just waiting a year before buying a console.. Did you bitch about the slim xbox 360 coming out with a bigger hard drive last generation?? -.-
  • This and this and this^^^^^, For Humanities' sake!
  • I'm an early adopter and I have Ryse. Maybe, they should give a choice of a free 1st party launch game? I already have all of them except Zoo Tycoon. I'm loving my Xbox one since launch and will be swapping for the call of duty bundle
  • Why would you do that? There's no way you aren't losing money on that swap unless you suckered someone into paying well more than what your current One is worth.
  • Most likely he prefers the look of the Silver and Gold system or he wants the new system's 1 TB hard drive.
  • I never wanted to give off the notion that i was ungrateful for being an early adopter. Micrososft is doing all they can to get new owners, and if that means giving them a price cut and a game: then good for them! I havent purchased a game for financial reasons so im grateful for Games with gold. So they have been able to keep me busy. I love my kinect and hope late adopters buy theirs! I was a Titan Fall Season Pass late adopter and save 75%, thanks to Bing points hahaha. I missed out on the "high" of everyone trying to find the best camping spots lol but i'll have fun none the less
  • Right, I keep forgetting there's a special design for the CoD console.  I hope it's not the storage though, since I've been trying to make it common knowledge that it is actually cheaper AND faster to use an external harddrive on the One.  Considering all the space concerns people have, Microsoft should really be shouting about that.
  • Kinda crummy for early buyers. Why not reward some of them with a free game. After all, they're the suckers who paid full price.
  • You said it.... Suckers! lol
    But on the real tho, I bought a DayOne edition and I'm certainly not looking for any 'reward'.
    PS... You can sell your XboxOne on eBay and buy a new one this Holiday.
  • delate your comment, your a fool...
  • Welcome to the site! Don't be mean to other commenters please.
  • Hey, if you don't know what to do with your code, feel free to send it my way! I'm hathac on xbox.
  • One of my favorite games on Xbox!
  • Same here, anyone wanting to give their code away, RAMPG3 on live. Also feel free to add me for a game.
  • I wonder if they'll do anything like this for the Advanced Warfare bundle.
  • In one of the videos, they said that the Assassins Creed bundle came with three games. Maybe it wasn't a mistake after all.
  • I have the Day One edition, I am a loyal Microsoft consumer, I want a free copy of Ryse!!!
  • I second that, haha.
  • I bought it the same day I got my day one Xbox
  • With my Day One edition I got FIFA 14, yay.  A game so lame and stupid I wish I'd never activated it and could sell the code to some sucker for $5 on ebay.
  • I got the white console but no Ryse redeem code yet,didnt play yestarday,will do it today,maybe i get lucky.
  • Pity they have once again shat on those of us who purchased the console early on when there was limited titles available and no 1Tb version like there is now.  If anyone needs some 'rewards' its US for sticking with the One despite the stupid missteps MS has made with it.
  • Don't be an early adopter then. Stop moaning about the way the world had always worked..
  • One of the most underrated games ever released in my opinion.
  • "Ryse from your gwave" is from Altered Beast I'm guessing lol
  • It does seem like something Zeus would say!
  • Does anybody remember cheat codes ....well now the bullshit is called DLC and we have to f*ckn pay for it .
  • Cheat codes and dlc ain't even close to the same thing lol. More like "Do you remember when a game would get a patch with new features in it for free"
  • That's pretty awesome. Good of MS to reward new adopters or people buying their second Xbox one console. The white console is so boss. I would gladly trade my day one edition for that one lol.
  • That's garage... I'll take this game free..
  • I knew I should have gotten that console.
  • bought one 2 days ago, came yesterday in the mail and started it right away, no Ryse code :(   is it US only maybe?
  • Seems likely so far.
  • Just checked and I got a code! Between claiming the games for gold without even owning an X1 during the summer and now this I have 6 games and all I had to do was buy a console!
  • I wonder who these 'lucky' are?
  • I preordered the Sunset Overdrive console and recieved a Ryse code a few days later.  Awesome giveaway in my opinion!  Keep the free games coming!