Attention, recruits! The second anniversary of Overwatch is around the corner, and if you haven't already had the opportunity to suit up and save the world as one of our heroes, now's your chance.
From May 25–28, we're calling on all prospective agents: assemble your teams and dive in during the Overwatch Free Weekend on PC, PlayStation®4, or Xbox One!
For this free weekend, we're making Overwatch's full roster of 27 heroes and 18 maps available for play in a variety of modes, including Quick Play, Custom Games, and the Arcade. Players will also be able to level up, earn Loot Boxes, and unlock a variety of different customization options for their heroes. Plus, if you decide to purchase Overwatch after test driving the game, you'll get to keep any progress that you made during the weekend—just be sure to use the same Blizzard, Xbox Live, or Sony Entertainment account that you played on.
PlayStation 4 players will be able to join this free weekend without a PS Plus account. PS Plus will be required to play Overwatch after May 28, but subscription options will be available to purchase at any time during and after the promotion.
For more details and to learn how you can participate, read on below!
The Overwatch Free Weekend will run from May 25–28. All PlayStation 4 owners (even those with a PlayStation Plus membership), Xbox One owners with an Xbox Live Gold membership, and Windows PC users with a Battle.net account will be able to download and play Overwatch for FREE during this period—no special keys or sign-up codes needed!
The free period will begin on May 25 at 11:00 a.m. PT and end on May 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT in all participating regions across all platforms. If you'd like to see when the weekend will go live in your region, check out the guides below. For additional time zone assistance, please visit timezoneconverter.com.
| EUROPE: | THE AMERICAS: | ASIA: |
|---|---|---|
|
19:00 BST on May 25 20:00 CET on May 25 22:00 MSK on May 25 |
11:00 a.m. PDT on May 25 12:00 p.m. MDT on May 25 1:00 p.m. CDT on May 25 3:00 p.m. ADT on May 25 3:30 p.m. NDT on May 25 3:00 p.m. BRT on May 25 2:00 a.m. SGT on May 26 4:00 a.m. AEST on May 26 6:00 a.m. NZST on May 26 |
2:00 a.m. CST on May 26 3:00 a.m. KST on May 26 3:00 a.m. JST on May 26 |
The Overwatch Free Weekend may not be available on all platforms in all regions. See our FAQ for details.
Before your watch can begin, you'll first need to install Overwatch on your chosen platform. Every platform is a little different—to install and play on May 25, please follow the instructions below.
FOR WINDOWS PC (February 16):
Step 1: Download and install the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app, if you haven't already, and launch it.
Step 2: Create a FREE Blizzard account, or log in with an existing account.
Step 3: Click the "Overwatch" icon, located on the left-hand side of the Blizzard desktop app.
Step 4: Select your region from the drop-down menu, then click "Install" to begin the installation process.
Step 5: Once installed, click "Play" to begin!
FOR PLAYSTATION 4 (Pre-download starting at 11:00 AM PDT on May 22nd):
Step 1: Turn on your PlayStation 4 and log in to your preferred local user.
Step 2: Go to PlayStation Store and select "Search" from the top menu.
Step 3: In the search field, type in "Overwatch."
Step 4: Select "Overwatch Free Weekend" from the search results and then click "Download."
Step 5: Once the download and installation process is complete, click "Start" to begin!
FOR XBOX ONE (Pre-download starting at 11:00 AM PDT on May 22nd):
Step 1: Turn on your Xbox One and log in to your Xbox Live account.
Step 2: Go to the Xbox One Store, then select "Search."
Step 3: In the search field, type in "Overwatch."
Step 4: Select "Overwatch: Origins Edition" from the search results and then click "Free Trial."
Step 5: Once the download and installation process is complete, click "Launch" to begin!
The Overwatch Free Weekend client will be available for download from May 25–28.
Q. In what regions is the Free Weekend available?
A. The Free Weekend will be offered in all regions on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On PC, it will only be available in our Americas, Europe, and Asia gameplay regions—excluding Korea. For more information on which countries are associated with each of our Blizzard gameplay regions, click here.
Q. What game content will be available during the Free Weekend?
A. During the Free Weekend, players will have access to Overwatch's full roster of heroes, maps, and a selection of features—including Quick Play, Custom Games, the Arcade, and Loot Boxes.
Q. How many heroes are available in Overwatch?
A. There are 27 heroes available to play in Overwatch! To learn more about these heroes, click here.
Q. How many maps are available in Overwatch?
A. There 18 different maps available in Overwatch, each with different goals and objectives:
- Assault: Hanamura, Horizon Lunar Colony, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries
- Escort: Dorado, Junkertown, Route 66, and Watchpoint: Gibraltar
- Assault/Escort: Blizzard World, Eichenwalde, Hollywood, King's Row, and Numbani
- Control: Ilios, Lijiang Tower, Nepal, and Oasis
Q. How many players does each mode support?
A. Quick Play maps supports 12 players in a 6v6 format. The Arcade features alternate games modes and maps that support players in a 1v1, 3v3, 6v6, and free-for-all formats.
Q. What different play modes are available in Overwatch during the Free Weekend?
A. There are a variety of ways to play Overwatch during the Free Weekend!
- Quick Play: Jump into a game against other players of similar skill.
- Play vs. AI: Hone your skills against a team of AI-controlled heroes.
- Custom Game: Customize the rules and play a game with your friends or AI.
- The Arcade: Change things up with alternate games modes featuring different rules sets and restrictions.
Players can also learn the ropes in a series of training modes: Tutorial, Practice Range, and Practice vs. AI.
Q. Do I need Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus membership to participate in the Free Weekend?
A. This weekend, all PlayStation 4 owners will be able to join the Overwatch free weekend without a PlayStation Plus membership. Xbox One owners are required to have an Xbox One Live Gold membership to play during the Free Weekend.
Q. What languages are supported during Free Weekend?
A. The Free Weekend will be supported in 13 languages across all platforms: English, French, German, Polish, Italian, Russian, Castilian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
Q. Will my progress from the Free Weekend carry over if I purchase Overwatch later?
A. Yes. Any progression you earn, including levels as well as skins and other items you get from Loot Boxes, will carry over to the full game if you purchase Overwatch® Legendary Edition on Xbox One or PlayStation 4 or any version of Overwatch on PC—just be sure you purchase the game on the same account you played on during this free weekend.
Your stats will also be retained. (Trophies and achievements, however, have been disabled for the Free Weekend.)
Q. Will PC and console gamers be able to play together during the Free Weekend?
A: No, cross-platform play is not available in Overwatch.
Q. Will there be any sort of maintenance planned during the Free Weekend?
A. There's no downtime or maintenance currently planned for the Free Weekend. If this plan changes at any point, we'll be sure to provide information about major service interruptions in the official forums. For additional status updates, be sure to follow @PlayOverwatch on Twitter.