Update, September 22: The Overwatch free weekend is now live.
If you’re one of the seven people who still haven’t dipped their toe into Overwatch, there’s some very good news: it’s free. For now, at least. The free weekend has just begun, so expect new messages from all your Overwatch-playing friends asking you to jump in so they can finally have a tank on the team.
Get a head start on the competition with our guide to the best Overwatch characters.
You can check out the full details here, but all you really need to do is sign into the Battle.net client.
Original Story, September 14:Still haven’t had a chance to dive into Blizzard’s beloved team-based shooter? You’re about to have the perfect opportunity, because Blizzard have announced that a free weekend for Overwatch will be starting in little over a week.
The promotion will start September 22 at 11:00 PDT / 14:00 EDT / 19:00 BST / 20:00 CEST or September 23 at 4:00 AEST, and will conclude on September 25.
You’ll have access to the full roster of heroes and complete selection of maps, and be able to participate in Quick Play, Custom Games, and the Arcade. (Mostly just don’t expect to hit Competitive.) Loot Boxes will be yours to claim throughout the duration of the event, and if you pick up the full game your loot, levels, and items will all carry over.
To play on September 22, you’ll just need to download the Battle.net client, sign in with a Blizzard account, and install Overwatch directly from the launcher.
If you’re nervous about the prospect of getting paired up with somebody nasty, Blizzard are working to address the problems of online toxicity, going so far as to rebuild their report system for harsher penalties. Don’t be a jerk, friends.