free weekend
Latest
'Assassin’s Creed Valhalla' is free to play this weekend
You can check out the massive open-world RPG on consoles, PC and cloud gaming platforms.
I just reupped my sub so FFXIV is having a free weekend
Last night I re-upped my Final Fantasy XIV subscription. Naturally this made it an ideal time for Square to announce a free weekend for its fantasy MMORPG. I haven't been in the game since late 2013, and given my dissatisfaction with pretty much everything at the moment, I figured why not return to a fun title that treats crafting (and fishing!) as more than a half-assed sideline activity. So, yep. That's pretty much that. Free FFXIV weekend -- for inactive accounts -- from Friday, January 30th through Monday, February 2nd. Have fun! [Source: Square press release]
Biggest free weekend ever on Steam begins tomorrow
Steam is opening the gates this weekend, offering 10 games for free starting at 10AM PT on Thursday, October 16. Free weekends allow players access to the games for free for a limited time, usually through Sunday at 1PM PT, and Valve says these 10 games will be available for purchase at "tremendous savings" in conjunction with the sale. Games offered for free on Steam this weekend are Awesomenauts, Blade Symphony, Company of Heroes 2, Don't Starve, Grid 2, Injustice, Killing Floor, Payday 2, Trine 2 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This is the largest free weekend on Steam yet, so order in some pizza and have fun. [Image: Klei]
Darkfall Unholy Wars hosts a free weekend
Have you always wanted to head back to Darkfall Unholy Wars but never quite had an excuse to do so? If so, you're getting one now. Aventurine is turning on open access to all of the game's servers this weekend, from Friday, October 3rd, until maintenance on Monday, October 6th. Everyone will be able to jump in and play for free as long as you have an account, whether you're an old-school lapsed player or just unsubscribed briefly as the school year started up. The weekend is in celebration of the game's latest patch, which introduces improved movement options and more combat balance. The developers are also laying siege to a city on the European server on Friday, so if you want to face off against the makers of the game, this will be your opportunity. Check out more details of the patch's movement in the video past the break, and get ready to jump in and lay siege for the weekend. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
PS4 owners get free online multiplayer access this weekend
Sony is offering free access to online multiplayer modes in all PlayStation 4 games this weekend in North America and Europe, giving players a taste of the matchmaking features bundled with a PlayStation Plus membership. The trial period begins Friday, September 26 at 12:01 a.m. PST, and extends through September 28 at 11:59 p.m. During this time, players can compete in games like Battlefield 4 and Killzone Shadow Fall, or team up with friends in Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition and Destiny. Note, however, that many modes and missions in Destiny normally require a PlayStation Plus membership to function, so be prepared to either buy a subscription or say goodbye to your teammates after the free weekend wraps up. [Image: Bungie]
Final Fantasy XIV offers a free weekend to lapsed accounts
Final Fantasy XIV is looking to pull back in its lost brothers, sisters, and furries with a free login weekend. From 3:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 18th, through Monday at the same time, inactive accounts will be switched on. The free weekend is only for previous players who purchased the game and have since stopped paying for it. Square Enix is hoping that the new Patch 2.3 and its features will woo returning players to sub back up after getting a taste during these three days.
Payday 2 adding free heist DLC on PC this week
Overkill Software announced that the next batch of free content for its co-op heist sim Payday 2 is due to launch later this week on PC platforms. The new Shadow Raid heist is a stealth-only mission in which players must infiltrate a PMC warehouse in search of a stolen suit of samurai armor. Security is tight, however, and if alarms are tripped mid-mission, players have only 60 seconds to escape with what they've grabbed. Shadow Raid will be released on May 29 as a free update for the PC version of Payday 2. Overkill will also host a 67-percent-off sale and free-to-play Steam weekend for Payday 2 starting on the 29th and extending through June 2. [Thanks, Marc K.] [Image: Overkill Software]
Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer demo hits Xbox One, Xbox 360 this weekend
In a first for the series, Activision will host a free multiplayer weekend for Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 starting March 7. The downloadable demo offers up the Strikezone, Warhawk, and Prison Break maps across a selection of gameplay modes, including Search and Rescue, Domination and Team Deathmatch. Players will also get to sample the co-op Extinction mode, in which a team of soldiers fend off alien invaders on the Point of Contact map. The multiplayer demo is open to all Xbox Live members, regardless of Gold subscription status. Call of Duty: Ghosts' free weekend continues through Monday, March 10. [Image: Activision]
Xbox Live Gold goes free this weekend
Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold subscription service is free to access on Xbox 360 consoles this weekend, making Xbox entertainment apps and online multiplayer gameplay available for all Xbox Live members in the United States and Canada. While the free weekend coincides with the upcoming beta launch of Titanfall, the offer does not extend to Xbox One consoles; beta testers will need a paid Xbox Live Gold membership to participate. As an alternative, the free weekend marks a solid opportunity to check out Wargaming's free-to-play online multiplayer game World of Tanks, which launched this week. The free weekend begins at 12:01 a.m. PST tomorrow, and extends through 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday. [Image: Microsoft]
Steam delivers free weekend for Saints Row 4, Company of Heroes 2
Sega's military strategy game Company of Heroes 2 and Volition's open-world fever dream simulator Saints Row 4 are next in line to get the Free Steam Weekend treatment. Both games are free to download and play via Steam starting today and extending through Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Company of Heroes 2 additionally drops its price by 66 percent over the weekend, while Saints Row 4 is currently 50 percent off. The Saints Row Franchise Pack is also up for grabs at a steep discount, offering Saints Row 2, Saints Row: The Third, Saints Row 4, and a fairly ridiculous collection of DLC for $29.99. If a dual-game free weekend hasn't yet quenched your thirst for sweet deals, Digital Extremes' The Darkness 2 is currently priced at $7.49 as part of today's Steam Daily Deal.
Torchlight 2 is free to play, 75 percent off this weekend on Steam
Runic Games' Diablo-like loot-'em-up Torchlight 2 is free to try this weekend on Steam. If you and your friends have been looking for a chance to delve into its cooperative multiplayer component, you might want to organize a dedicated dungeon raid party right about ... now. If you like what you play, you can purchase Torchlight 2 at a 75 percent discount over the weekend. Personal copies are priced at $4.99, while a sharable four-pack will run you $14.99. You're likely to find more than a few warriors to team up with during your quest, though, as over two million copies of Torchlight 2 were sold as of last year. Torchlight 2 is freely playable through Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific.
Final Fantasy XIV opens up a free weekend for former subscribers
So you bought Final Fantasy XIV, and you subscribed for a while, but you stopped subscribing before the first major patch. Maybe you were tired of waiting for it, maybe you had other things to play, maybe you were hoping the game would go free-to-play by now. Whatever the case, you can pop back into the game for a weekend and play around with all of the patch's additions, assuming you can get all of that out of the way in 48 straight hours. Starting on Saturday, January 11th, at 3:00 a.m. EST, former players whose accounts are inactive will be able to log in and play the game absolutely free until Monday, January 13th, at 3:00 a.m. EST. Nothing special is required to try out the patch; just log in, download, and go to town. The patch features beast tribe daily quests, new endgame dungeons, the Crystal Tower, and additional main scenario quests following the conclusion of the story.
Killzone: Shadow Fall free multiplayer weekend set for Dec. 28
If you find a PlayStation 4 stuffed in your oversized Christmas stocking this year, you'll want to redeem its included PlayStation Plus subscription ASAP, as members will receive access to a free trial version of Killzone: Shadow Fall's multiplayer component this coming weekend. From December 28 through the end of the year, PlayStation Plus subscribers can jump into 24-player Shadow Fall matches from a downloadable Multiplayer Trial application. Members can get a head start by downloading Shadow Fall's Multiplayer Trial from the PlayStation Store in preparation for the weekend-long bloodbath.
Xbox Live: You get Gold this weekend, and you get Gold ...
Starting on October 4, Microsoft is unlocking Gold level subscription services to all Xbox Live members. All Xbox Live users will be able to access Netflix, download some demos and even try out some GTA Online – or sample any other online multiplayer – until October 6. Okay, take a big breath: The regions affected by this promotion are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. Phew. A few months back, Microsoft announced a new Games with Gold promotion, guaranteeing Xbox Live Gold subscribers two free downloads each month. Defense Grid: Awakening, Assassin's Creed 2, Crackdown, Dead Rising 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas are just a few of the games Xbox Live Gold members have been able to download gratis so far. A new Games with Gold freebie makes its debut on the 1st and 16th of each month.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed free this weekend on Steam
Sega's manic crossover kart racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is free to play this weekend on Steam. If you find yourself smitten with developer Sumo Digital's love for Sega's back catalog, the full game can be unlocked for 75 percent off of its regular price at $7.49. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed rounds up Sega's mascots and other memorable characters for a series of multi-terrain races. The PC version of the game brings its own exclusive collection of characters to the track. A recent update added Company of Heroes 2 star General Winter as a playable character, joining oddball PC-exclusive roster additions from Team Fortress 2, Shogun: Total War, and Football Manager.
Own a copy of RIFT, play for free for a weekend
So you bought RIFT, and you played it for a while, and then you stopped. Now you're not playing RIFT. But now you also know the game is going free-to-play in June, and so you could jump back in. But you don't know if you want to, you've lost track of the patches... you're just not sure. What you really need is a chance to jump back in the game for a few days and see whether the game still holds some magic for you. Lo and behold, it's just been announced that RIFT will open the doors to everyone who owns the game from May 30th until June 3rd. If you've left the game but used to play, this will be a chance to drop back in and see if you want to kick off your play again after all. If you don't own the game... well, you'll have your chance soon enough.
Black Ops 2 free this weekend, cheap on Steam
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is free-to-play this weekend on Steam and it's on sale for 33 percent off, $40 for the standard game and $54 for the Digital Deluxe edition. The sale runs through Monday, February 25, and the free weekend ends on Sunday, February 24 at 1 p.m. PT.The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the Nuketown Zombies and Nuketown 2025 bonus maps, weapon camo skin, two player card backgrounds, the game's official soundtrack and a download of Call of Duty World at War. It's a war-torn weekend, with another massive shooting game available for free on Steam over the next few days: Gratuitous Space Battles.
Engage in Gratuitous Space Battles for free this weekend on Steam
Gratuitous Space Battles is pretty much precisely what it says – massive, interstellar dogfighting for basically no reason, aside from the fact that it's fun. Give it a go for free this weekend on Steam for PC and Mac, now through Sunday, February 24 at 1 p.m. PT.If you discover that space-based wars are your thing, Gratuitous Space Battles is 75 percent off through February 25. That's $3.75 for just the game or $4.75 for the Complete Pack, which includes a heap of DLC.Gratuitous Space Battles developer Chris Harris describes his game as a "hands-off battle simulator for giant space fleets," and he says the gameplay embraces a chaotic lack of control found in real-life military operations. Whether on the ground or among the stars, we imagine it is indeed difficult to strategize with people shooting at you.%Gallery-178806%
Awesomenauts goes free this weekend on Steam, half-off to buy
Awesomenauts is free this weekend on Steam, now through Sunday at 1 p.m. PT, and yes, that's pretty awesome. Anyone who plays for a while and ends up agreeing with this assessment, Awesomenauts will also be half off all weekend, through Monday, November 19.Awesomenauts has kept up a steady stream of updates and new character additions since its launch on August 1, including the sniper Raelynn, the vomitous Gnaw and Skolldir, the overweight space viking. Check out all the characters Awesomenauts has to offer this weekend, for free, on Steam.
Rock of Ages F2P on Steam this weekend, celebrates spooky times
Rock of Ages is joining the season fun with a PC update that includes a redesigned matchmaking system, the ability to practice against the AI while waiting for online opponents, and most importantly of all, a new ghost boulder with cool cloth physics. That's right – cool cloth physics. Tell your friends.The update also includes other Halloweeny treats, such as a jack-o-lantern GUI and tiny themed characters surrounding defensive units.Rock of Ages has a free weekend on Steam now through Sunday, October 28, at 1 p.m. PT, and is 75 percent off (that's just $2.50) through Monday, October 29. Rock and roll out!
