A month ahead of the release of Insurgency: Sandstorm, New World Interactive is giving away the first game for free for 48 hours on Steam. The indie hit is a tactical first-person shooter set in the Middle East. The game, which is centered around online play, features a wide variety of co-op and multiplayer modes.

Originally based off a community-made mod of Valve's Source engine, New World Interactive's Insurgency spent a few years in early access before being officially released for the PC in 2014. Having sold 5 million units, Insurgency currently holds a "Very Positive" rating on Steam. A World War II mod of the game, Day of Infamy, was released as a separate title, which shows just how successful Insurgency has been for the company. In 2016, New World Interactive announced a sequel, Insurgency: Sandstorm. Sandstorm will be the developer's first game to release on consoles.

New World Interactive has announced that in celebration of the release of Insurgency: Sandstorm, Insurgency is now "free to keep" on Steam for 48 hours, beginning today at 1pm ET. The game can be claimed simply by going to the game's store page and clicking "Install Game". It should be noted that owners of the game will get a 10 percent loyalty discount on Sandstorm. This is, of course, a perfect opportunity to save money for any player who isn't interested in purchasing the first game but wants to buy the sequel. An extra 10 percent discount is offered to those who pre-order Sandstorm.


Based on the gameplay trailer that was shown at E3 2018, Insurgency: Sandstorm is keeping all the things that made Insurgency so successful, while at the same time adding new features and improvements. Fans now have the option to play as a female soldier, and can customize their character's uniform, weapons, voice set, and other accessories. Graphics are also getting a major upgrade.

Unlike many FPS games where characters can survive numerous gunshots, the Insurgency series focuses on realistic gameplay where a player can be shot down with a single shot by intelligent enemy AI who are just as difficult to kill as the player. Helpful mechanics such as the crosshair and ammo count that are common in most games of its genre are missing in Insurgency, making the game even more challenging. Insurgency's unforgiving playstyle forces players to work together as a team to defeat the enemy insurgents and capture checkpoints.

Insurgency: Sandstorm launches September 18 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC via Steam.