Paradox's sci-fi epic Stellaris is free to play this weekend

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If you're looking for something to do this weekend and galactic conquest sounds like a good time, you'll be pleased to know that Stellaris, the sci-fi grand strategy epic from Paradox, is free to play on Steam for the next three days.

The free weekend is in celebration of the sixth anniversary of Stellaris, which arrived on Steam on May 9, 2016. But like many Paradox games, it's continued to grow since then through the release of content packs and expansions, the most recent of which—Overlord—just went live earlier this month. And it's apparently quite good: Our chief grand strategy guy, online editor Fraser Brown, who said the expansion introduced his new favorite species origin, Imperial Fiefdom. I'm not sure what that is, but it definitely sounds like something that belongs in a Paradox game.

If you enjoy your experience as a prospective Kang the Conqueror, this is also a good time to make your ownership situation permanent. Stellaris is on sale on Steam for 80% off—that's $7/£8/€7—and the Starter Pack, Ultimate Bundle, and whole damn Paradox Grand Strategy Collection are all marked down too. The Stellaris free weekend is live now and runs until May 23.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

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.

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