Steam Open World Sale kicks off with Company of Heroes 2 giveaway

Steam Open World Sale 2021
(Image credit: Valve)

The Steam Open World Sale is now underway, featuring discounts of hundreds of games built around—you guessed it—open-world environments. That includes exploration games, builders, sandboxes, and survival: If you can roam around freely inside it, then the odds are good it's on sale.

There's some good stuff in here, including this handful of hastily assembled suggestions: 

I don't know if there's a direct connection—RTS games aren't the most obvious fit with an open-world sale—but the start of the new sale coincides with a giveaway of the WW2 RTS Company of Heroes 2 and the standalone expansion Ardennes Assault, which are free to take—and keep—until May 31. Ardennes Assault does feature a non-linear campaign on a dynamic map, which is maybe a bit of a stretch as open-world tie-ins goes, but it's good enough for me, especially since it's free.

The Steam Open World Sale runs until 10 am PT on May 31. You can jump into the action right here

TOPICS
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.

Read more
Company of Heroes 3
Company of Heroes 3 is free to try and 50% off, so it's the best time to check out the beefy 2.0 overhaul
'S**t's about to get real': The first Steam sale of 2025 is live, and it's all about strategy games
The RTS genre might be in a bit of a state, but at least you can pick up these 10 classics for $30 in the Steam Real-Time Strategy Fest before it ends soon
Hades
The best games on Steam in 2025
In-game recreation of iconic Indiana Jones stealing the idol in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Silent Hill 2 remake and Indiana Jones are at historically low prices this Steam Spring Sale—so long as you don't buy them directly from Steam
A selection of games in the 2025 Steam Spring Sale
The Steam Spring Sale 2025 is here
Latest in RTS
Earth vs Mars screenshot - Martian troopers vs Earth light tanks
Relic's new project is a 'smaller indie-style' game about a martian invasion of Earth
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition promo art
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition DLC promised last year is cancelled: 'We announced content before it had been built, and we now feel that announcement was premature'
Tempest Dynasty faction
The first multiplayer demo for my most anticipated RTS, Tempest Rising, is out now
Former Age of Empires developer says the RTS genre's stuck in a rut: 'you're still playing the same game'
Creeper World IXE
Creeper World IXE breaks the RTS mold and adds a dash of Noita's alchemy to the gooey war
A large blue factory complex in Industrial Annihilation
Planetary Annihilation successor has a bumpy landing on Steam, and the backers aren't happy: 'So bare bones that it's basically an asset show without a game'
Latest in News
Three sheep with big guns in Palworld.
It was 'super popular to hate Palworld' after launch, says community manager: 'A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure'
Palworld Ancient Civilization Parts - Grizzbolt with a minigun
'It was a very depressing day': Palworld community manager reveals studio's reaction to Nintendo lawsuit
CS 1.6 remade in CS: Legacy.
A gorgeous ground-up remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 is on its way to Steam, and one of the game's original creators says 'it really gives me old vibes'
Portal P3 pinball table
There's a new Portal game and it costs $12,500
MrBeast posing in front of a stack of cashing, promoting Beast Games season 2
Beast Games opens casting for season 2: MrBeast lost a ton of money on season 1 but apparently not enough that he won't do it again
Ark: Lost Colony teaser still.
Ark 2 is still on: The next Ark expansion 'leads into the events of Ark 2,' says Studio Wildcard