"Free" is doing a lot of work in that headline, though. These are self-reported Reddit stories that haven't been independently confirmed. What does hold up is the basic mechanism: Microsoft-linked points can reduce, and sometimes cover, the price of a digital Xbox game. Here's how the two routes work, what they really cost, and where people tend to get stuck.
What You're Trying to Pay Off
Before counting points, know the target. Rockstar has set the Standard Edition at $79.99 on PS5 and Xbox, a $10 jump from the typical AAA title. The Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99.
Key dates and details:
- Launch: Rockstar Games has confirmed GTA 6 launches November 19th on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
- Preload: Players who pre-order the game will be able to begin pre-loading on November 12th.
- Hardware: Xbox Series X|S only. There is no Xbox One version, and the PC version is expected later, with no confirmed date.
- Editions: Only two. The Ultimate Edition Upgrade will also be available for Grand Theft Auto VI: Standard Edition owners to purchase separately at any time.
- Pre-order bonus: The base version of the game comes with the Vintage Vice City Pack, which includes retro '80s skins for Lucia and Jason.
The upgrade option matters if you're saving points. If you reach the Standard price first, you can buy that and add the Ultimate upgrade later.
Section summary: You need about $80 for Standard or $100 for Ultimate, before any local sales tax, by November 19.
Route One: The Xbox Mastercard
This route makes the most sense for people who were going to use a credit card anyway. When Xbox launched the card in April 2024, the Xbox Wire announcement said it was issued by Barclays, had no annual fee, and was open to Xbox players 18 or older in the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii.
The earning rates at launch, per Xbox Wire:
| Spending category | Points per $1 |
|---|---|
| Eligible Microsoft Store products | 5x |
| Eligible streaming services (e.g., Netflix, Disney+) | 3x |
| Eligible dining delivery (e.g., Grubhub, DoorDash) | 3x |
| All other purchases | 1x |
At launch, new cardmembers also got 5,000 bonus points (described as a $50 value) after their first purchase. Cardholders were moved up to Level 2 of Microsoft Rewards. Points could be spent on digital games, add-ons, the first payment of subscriptions, consoles and accessories at Xbox.com, Microsoft.com, on console and in-game.
The fine print that matters:
- These are 2024 terms. Check the current reward rules, welcome offer and redemption value with Barclays before you apply.
- Outside Microsoft purchases, the rates are ordinary. Engadget itself says this isn't a good path for anyone not in a position to take on a new credit card, because the bonus categories are narrow.
- Carrying a balance cancels the benefit. Card interest will cost more than any game is worth. Treat the card as a way to earn rewards on spending you'd already do.
Engadget describes this route as the "more straightforward" one, and that's fair. It is not risk-free: a hard credit inquiry, a new line of credit, and the temptation to spend more are real costs.
Section summary: The card works for people who pay in full each month and already spend in its bonus categories. For everyone else, it's a gamble dressed up as a perk.
Route Two: Microsoft Rewards
Engadget calls this the "simple, risk-free" option. It is risk-free in the sense that no debt is involved. Its real cost is time.
The math: Engadget estimates 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points is worth about $1. By that estimate you'd need roughly 100,000 points to turn into gift card value covering the Ultimate Edition, and about 80,000 for Standard. That's a rough rule of thumb, not a Microsoft-published rate. Your actual redemption options depend on your account and region.
Where the points come from, according to Engadget:
- Xbox app Quests: In the Xbox mobile app, tap your profile picture and open the Rewards tab. Quests pay out for things like playing on console and PC, using the app, and keeping weekly play streaks.
- Game Pass multipliers: Engadget reports that Quest points are boosted for subscribers. Premium and PC subscribers earn double and Ultimate subscribers earn four times as much, and Game Pass members get extra Quests of their own.
- The Rewards dashboard: Daily polls, quizzes and short activities.
- Bing: Searching with Bing, making it your default search engine and using the Bing app all earn points and build streak bonuses.
- Levels: As your point total grows you move up levels, and higher levels pay more for the same daily tasks.
Engadget notes one catch: buying things in the Microsoft Store is among the fastest ways to earn points, but spending money to earn a discount on a future purchase mostly defeats the purpose.
Section summary: Rewards can cut the price a lot, but going from today (late September) to November 19 on daily tasks alone takes steady effort. Expect a discount; count any fully free copy as a bonus.
Redemption Gotchas: Where Plans Fall Apart
Earning is the easy part. Microsoft's own support documentation lists the rules that most often stop people at checkout:
- Stock and region vary. Microsoft says eligible rewards show up on your Rewards page once you have enough points. Offers differ by country, and some gift cards are not always available. Support staff can't tell you when a gift card will be restocked.
- Stay in your region. Points must be redeemed in the same region as your Microsoft account and can't be redeemed while you're traveling in another market. Microsoft says not to use a VPN or proxy that hides your location, and trying to redeem outside your market breaks program policy.
- Phone verification. You need a real mobile or landline number. VoIP numbers are rejected. One phone number can be linked to a maximum of six Rewards accounts per household. After too many failed verification attempts, you have to wait 48 hours before trying again.
- Points expire. If you go 12 months without earning or redeeming anything, your points expire.
A practical tip (general knowledge, not from Microsoft): Redeem gift card value into your Microsoft account balance well before launch week. Then check at checkout that the balance covers the full price, since sales tax can push a $99.99 purchase past a $100 balance in many US states. Having the balance ready ahead of time also protects you if the gift card you want goes out of stock close to launch.
Section summary: Check your Redeem page now, confirm what's actually offered in your region, and sort out phone verification before you need it.
The Bigger Picture: Loyalty Points as a Game Budget
Is this a clever Xbox perk or a well-designed hook for Microsoft? It's both, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you know it.
Microsoft Rewards exists to steer people toward Bing, Edge and the Xbox app. The Xbox Mastercard exists to put Xbox-branded spending in your wallet. With $80 now the standard price for big releases, and GTA VI setting the pattern, points programs are starting to act as a real game budget for patient players. Microsoft gets engagement and search traffic, and players get money off. That's a fair trade if you'd use those services anyway.
The "free" framing leaves out that someone earning 100,000 Rewards points has put in weeks of searches, quizzes and Quests. That's a real, if small, time cost. The Reddit success stories are real accounts of what those users say happened, not typical results. Anyone starting from zero this late in September should treat a big discount as the realistic goal.
Bottom line:
- Low-effort path: Stack Rewards and Game Pass Quests between now and November for a meaningful discount.
- Card path: Only if you pay in full every month and the current Barclays terms still make sense for your spending.
- Either way: Check your region's redemption options, sort out phone verification, and load your account balance before preload opens on November 12.