Five Games You Can Play For Free This Weekend
Buying a video game can be a risky thing. What if you don't like it? What if it's not how you imagined it would be? You're often out of luck. But what if you could try a game before you buy it? For five games this weekend, you can. These worthy games are free to play this weekend across various platforms. Better yet, if you choose to buy the full games, you can get them on sale. Here are the games you can play this weekend without spending a nickel.
Call of Duty: WWII
The latest installment in this premier FPS franchise has sold plenty of copies, but that doesn't mean everyone has tried it. If you've yet to pull the trigger on Call of Duty: WWII, Activision would like to give you a chance to change your mind. This weekend, PC gamers can try out the game's multiplayer mode for free on Steam. The full game is also on sale for $39 all weekend long.
From our 9/10 Call of Duty: WWII review: "As one of the most comprehensive and filler-free Call of Dutys in recent memory, Call of Duty: WWII successfully capitalizes on the series' strengths."
For Honor
For Honor is an online melee combat game set in a medieval-style fantasy world. You can see if you have what it takes to hang with the knights, vikings, and samurai for free this weekend on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game is also on sale for $20 on digital platforms. (Note: Xbox One owners will need Xbox Live Gold to play, but the PS4 version doesn't require PS Plus).
From our For Honor review: "After slaying countless foes, it’s clear the impact For Honor's combat has had; its fundamental tenets of discipline and restraint are bestowed upon you permanently, forever changing the way you perceive a melee-combat encounter in a game. In its highest moments, For Honor is difficult to put down."
XCOM 2
Also free to play this weekend on Xbox One is the turn-based strategy game XCOM 2, which puts you in a leadership role as you fight for humanity's existence against alien overlords. The full game is on sale for $20 this weekend, too. (Note: you'll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play).
In our 9/10 XCOM 2 review, Mike Mahardy wrote, "This new script supports numerous tweaks to the XCOM formula, all for the better. We're still building an army, researching new technologies, and putting them to use in squad-based strategy missions. But these missions are less about repelling the aliens, and more about sabotaging their global operations whenever we can. We loot supply trains and intercept communications signals to halt the Advent's plan for human eradication. XCOM 2 ties its narrative and gameplay together in such a way that every mission feels critical, and every shot carries weight."
Just Cause 3
Fans of over-the-top action should check out Just Cause 3, which is free this weekend on Xbox One. It's basically a sandbox open-world in which all manner of chaos and action movie stunts can and do happen. This game is on sale on the Xbox Store for just $6 all weekend.
From our 8/10 Just Cause 3 review: "Just Cause 3 makes no apologies for its outrageous nature. It's a power fantasy in every sense of the phrase, placing you in a world rife with destructible environments and giving you creative instruments with which to destroy them. There are intermittent technical problems, and scripted moments detract from the freedom found elsewhere, but in the end, Just Cause 3 provides a spectacular, explosive sandbox experience."
Offworld Trading Company
Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game set on Mars and made by the lead designer of Civilization IV. It's free to play this weekend on Steam, and you can buy it at half off for $10.
From our 9/10 Offworld Trading Company review: "When combined with truly deep and intricate strategic options, Offworld is a revelation. It's almost unparalleled in the genre. Each and every game is thrilling. Every moment is a challenge. And the brutality of the free market ensures that you can never rest on your laurels, less you be quashed by the invisible hand."
