Get two free games a month on Xbox Live

Microsoft has detailed its plans to offer two free games a month to all Xbox Live Gold members.

The giveaway will occur on the 1st and 16th of each month until the end of 2013, while the first two games are Assassin's Creed 2 and Halo 3.

Once the games are downloaded they are yours to keep forever.

"As our way of saying thanks, we're giving all active Gold members two bonus Xbox 360 games each month for the rest of the year," read a Microsoft statement.

"Each specially selected, fan-favourite game will be available to download only for a limited time, so grab them before they're gone and keep them no matter what."

The offer appears to be in response to Sony's PlayStation Plus membership, which lets players download plenty of top quality games for free a year.

Expect lots more offers like this as an incentive to buy next-gen consoles, as both Sony and Microsoft look to gain a foothold in the market.