If you love free PC games, and you think you’ve got a cool head under pressure, then 911 Operator is here to test your mettle. The stressful strategy game places you in the shoes of an emergency service operator, tasking you with responding to calls for firefighters, police, and ambulances and dispatching your crews appropriately and efficiently. 911 Operator aims to capture one of the world’s most high-stakes jobs, and it can be yours for free if you’re quick.
I love a bit of stress to keep me on top of my game, and there’s few situations as imminently demanding as the job of responding to life-or-death situations. In 911 Operator, you’ll have to give out advice to callers, sometimes instructing them on correct first aid, and decide who and where to dispatch your teams of firefighters, police, and ambulances in order to best respond to the situations at your disposal.
That means you won’t always be able to answer every demand immediately, so you’ll need to prioritize based on urgency. And those decisions aren’t easy. You might have to deal with someone stressed about a dying relative; you might be contending with a terrorist threat that could turn on a dime; or you might be dealing with a time-wasting prankster that should be ignored.
With thousands of cities to choose from, and real-world map and emergency infrastructure used to replicate them in detail, you can experience the actual feeling of working in one of these locations. There’s also a pre-built career mode featuring six uniquely designed events, including a San Francisco earthquake and bomb threats in Washington DC. You’ll have to determine how best to use special resources such as helicopters and armed response teams.
911 Operator’s calls are inspired by real-life recordings; most take a serious tone as you’d expect, but some veer into the silly or the annoying depending upon the situation. You can get rather bold with your first aid advice, too, so be sure you know what you’re doing before you tell someone their best option is to cut that leg off, because they might just do it.
911 Operator is a free game on the Epic Games store from Thursday September 14, 2023 until Thursday September 21, 2023 – it’s yours to keep once you claim it. If you think you’re up to the task, head here to grab your free copy.
Alternatively, take a look through the best free Steam games for plenty of great options, or discover more of the best management games – we’re sure you’ll find something a little less heart-pounding among them!