Overwatch Is Free-To-Play On Consoles This Weekend
If you haven't played Overwatch yet, where have you been for the past five years? This hero shooter helped kick-start our current obsession with the likes of Apex Legends and VALORANT, as Overwatch has continued to carve out a legacy that helped give the esports scene a leg up in its early days.
As fans look ahead at the eventual release of Overwatch 2, the recent introduction of cross-play finally means different console owners can duke it out together. Although cross-play has come with a few problems and pushed high-level players into the wrong region, the tempting prospect of experiencing cross-play AND Overwatch going free is too good an opportunity to miss.
When is Overwatch going free-to-play?
Xbox owners are in for a treat, as the Xbox Free Play Days promotion from today (June 24) until Sunday (June 27). The news was announced on the official Xbox News site, and explained what's on the way:
"Play like a Boss, as extraordinary heroes, or as fellow rat-smashers. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Overwatch Origins Edition and Warhammer: Vermintide 2 are all available for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, June 24 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, June 27 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.".
You might notice that Overwatch isn't alone in its free-to-play weekend. Deep Silver's Saints Row IV: Re-Elected from 2015 is also part of the promo, while Fatshark's Warhammer: Vermintide 2 from 2018 rounds off this tantalising trio.
How can you play Overwatch for free?
The Xbox site explains how you should head to Xbox.com and find the game you want to play. When taken to the Microsoft Store, make sure you've signed in with your Xbox Live Gold membership. Console players should navigate to the Subscriptions tab on the Xbox Store and the Gold member area to find the Free Play Days lineup.
All of the above can be bought for a limited time discount, while you can continue playing them after the Free Play Days event ends if you decide to buy a full copy. Better yet, your gamerscore and achievements will be carried over to the purchased game. Be warned, the cost of each game will vary depending on what region you're in.
The three games have appeared in Free Play Days before, while Overwatch has popped up the most times. It's good news considering the sheer amount of updates and content drops Blizzard regularly rolls out. The latest free-to-play weekend is clearly there to lure in new Overwatch fans, and coupling this with cross-play is a good place to start. At least gamers know there's plenty to keep them occupied until Overwatch 2 (eventually) releases.