Blizzard will offer an 'Overwatch' free weekend starting on November 18

By Jon Martindale Published November 10, 2016

overwatch free weekend switch — Image used with permission by copyright holder

We know you guys aren’t playing the new Call of Duty at the moment, so if you fancy scratching that competitive shooter itch next weekend, you can try out Blizzard’s class-based first-person shooter (FPS), Overwatch, for free. This goes for everyone, whether you play on the Xbox One, PS4, or PC, and you get the whole game, too.

Typically, free weekends don’t go quite so whole hog, and instead offer you a slice of a game, or a demo-like feel, rather than giving you exactly what all those hard-shooting, paying customers get. But that’s not what’s happening with Overwatch. If you take Blizzard up on its offer next weekend, you’ll be able to select any character, any map and mode and you’ll be playing alongside the 20 million other gamers already enjoying it.

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Even better, you’ll also be able to play with Loot Boxes, the crate system that lets you unlock character skins and new graffiti tags for spraying around the map.

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If you really like your time with Overwatch, you can obviously buy the game like everyone else when the free weekend is up, and your experience, unlocks, skins and anything else you manage to earn over the weekend will be maintained on your account. As a result, you need not fear “wasting” your time on a free weekend.

Please note that the free weekend doesn’t start this coming weekend, as some outlets are reporting, but next. It officially opens up at 11 a.m. PT on November 18 and runs until the same time on November 21. Times do differ a bit depending on where you are in the world.

You will need a Battle.net account and if you want to continue playing afterward and want to maintain your unlocks, you’ll want to remember your login details, but other than that, downloading and playing the game should be a simple process.

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Evergreen writer

Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…

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