Overwatch is free to play until 2021

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Play Blizzard's shoot-em-up over the holidays

Overwatch
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard’s hugely popular team shooter Overwatch is free to play on PC until January 4, and is 25% off should you wish to pick it up for the long haul. 

Players can experience the full game in all its multiplayer glory – that’s all 32 heroes and 28 maps – and any progress (including stats and cosmetics) made during the free trial period will be carried over if the game is purchased permanently. 

The online FPS has gone free several times since its release in 2015, but never before has the game been playable without spending anything such a long period (save for anniversary events and a one-off month in China).

As part of the Blizzard Holiday Sale, its more expensive version – Overwatch: Legendary Edition – will also enjoy a 50% price cut to $19.99 (around £15) on PC, giving access to bonus skins and Overwatch-themed cosmetics for World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, and Heroes of the Storm (all of which are also part of the sale). There will also be discounts on the PlayStation and Xbox stores.

And if that’s not enough, Blizzard is slashing a third off the price of the newly-released Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, meaning you can sneak behind enemy lines for only $39.99 (around £30).

What about Overwatch 2?

This isn't a bad time to jump into Overwatch, especially since its sequel is on the horizon. 

The upcoming Overwatch 2 was first announced back in November 2019 during Blizzard's annual BlizzCon event, though details of the new game are few and far between. Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has, however, confirmed that new gameplay will be shared in February 2021 during the company’s next online event.

In a developer update on YouTube, Kaplan said: "As you know our big focus is Overwatch 2, which we will be talking [about] more in February with BlizzCon Online coming up."

"Can't wait to talk to you more about Overwatch 2. Can't wait to show you more with Overwatch 2. We know it's been too long, we know we've been quiet."

Expect some good news come February, then.

Axel Metz
Axel Metz
Phones Editor

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.