Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is free to play on Steam this weekend

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is really good, but it's also kind of a niche thing: Tactical capital ship combat in the 41st century isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, after all. If you're not sure which side of that particular line you stand on, now you can find out for free.

From today until until 11 am PT/2 pm ET on August 26, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is free to play on Steam. Just go to the store page, click the "play now" button, and have at it. It's the full version of the game so you can dive as deeply into it as you can manage over a three-day stretch in solo, co-op, or versus multiplayer (although that might not be the best idea ever if you're just getting into it), but the Chaos Campaign expansion released in June is not included.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is also on sale for 40 percent off during the free weekend, dropping it to $24/£21/€24. The Chaos Campaign expansion is also on sale, for $11/£10/€11.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.