Xbox Is Again Handing Out $5 Gift Cards for Free to Some Players

2026 appears to include a lot of surprises for Xbox fans. In one of our previous reports, we talked about a surprise fourth Xbox game that Microsoft might unveil at the Developer Direct scheduled for January 22. Well, prior to that surprise, Xbox appears to be distributing free gift cards yet again.

Free $5 Xbox Gift Card reaches some players who didn’t even buy titles at the Countdown sale

The news comes via folks at PureXbox, who reported that many Xbox players have been getting freebies with some extra credit over the weekend. The free gift cards are apparently a result of a promotion that Xbox ran through December last year.

For those unaware, Xbox kicked off its Countdown Sale right after mid-December. That’s when Microsoft’s gaming division hinted that when players buy EA Sports and/or 2K Sports titles, they would be able to grab $5 Xbox gift cards along with some in-game credit. It seems the company is now rolling that out to players.

Per the news outlet, players apparently received notifications over the last weekend confirming that they can redeem the aforementioned credit. Interestingly, the Xbox Gift Card is being offered to players who didn’t even buy any EA Sports or 2K Sports titles during the sale period.

PureXbox speculates that they might have gotten the gift card because of being an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member. If you are, too, don’t forget to check the quiet surprise from the “Offers and Credits” section on Xbox.

Simply head to the Microsoft Store app > navigate to the bar on the left > scroll up to your profile. Finally, click on the “Offers and Credits” button. If you’ve received a free gift card from Xbox, it should be visible there. It’s unclear whether the company is rolling out these free gift cards in batches or all at once.

Have you received a similar $5 Xbox Gift Card? If yes, let us know whether you bought the aforementioned games during the Xbox Countdown Sale.