NBA 2K16 is free for the weekend for Xbox One Gold subscribers

NBA 2K16, the latest edition of 2K Sports' long acclaimed basketball simulation, will be available free in its entirety this weekend to Xbox Live Gold subscribers with an Xbox One.

The promotion is part of Xbox Live Gold's Free Play Days, and will run from noon ET on Friday, Nov. 20 to 2:59 a.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 23.

NBA 2K16 is currently Metacritic's highest-rated sports video game for consoles this year, tied with Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. All modes of the game are available, including "Livin' Da Dream," the narrative prologue to NBA 2K16's MyCareer mode, and the new 2K Pro-Am mode of cooperative/competitive online multiplayer.

NBA 2K16 will be offered at discount during and after the free-play period for those who want to continue their progress. All game save files will carry over, and buying the game will not require a redownload of it. That's good, as NBA 2K16 is a 44.86 GB download on Xbox One.