‘Overwatch’ Launches Free To Play Weekend For Xbox One, PS4, PC Gamers


Blizzard fans and FPS aficionados alike will be overjoyed to hear the latest rumblings echoing about the gaming community — Overwatch is receiving a free to play weekend where gamers can suit up with one of the 28 current heroes and battle at absolutely no charge. According to Polygon, the free weekend will actually encompass four days of complimentary game time on behalf of the fine folks at Blizzard, beginning on Thursday, August 23.

While Blizzard did offer up a free weekend last month, that trial was shorter and restricted to PC gamers only, excluding those who prefer the more convenient console option from joining in the fun. This time promises to be different, as players preferring Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or the powerful PC gaming environment will be free to participate. The free play period begins at 11 a.m. Pacific on Thursday, August 23 and continues throughout 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 27.

The big bonus? All progress made by players during this four-day fragging frenzy will remain in place for their permanent accounts — should they decide to purchase the full version and continue on in their quest.

PC players would do well to ensure that they have a valid Battle.net client and account ready to go before beginning preparations to join the digital fracas; it is absolutely a requirement that PC gamers are in possession of both the client and a current Battle.net account to participate in play with any official Blizzard products.

One of the biggest highlights to hit the competitive Overwatch scene as of late is the introduction of the controversial character Wrecking Ball — informally named “Hammond” by a loving and supremely excitable fanbase dedicated to the novel hero. Wrecking Ball is a powered mech piloted by an anthropomorphic hamster that calls the Moon his home — no, really. It’s not hard to see why fans absolutely love Wrecking Ball / Hammond. During the Overwatch World Cup group stages that began this week in professional competitive play, South Korean player Pan-seung “Fate” Koo picked Wrecking Ball for a match during the official game time. This is the first appearance of Wrecking Ball during this leg of the competition according to Rock Paper Shotgun.

Pre-loading is already available, according to Eurogamer — as long as you are a console gamer electing to take advantage of this free trial on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. PC enthusiasts will have to be a bit more patient, waiting it out until the free weekend actually kicks off before downloading the client for play.

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