Justice will rain from above next weekend as one of this year’s most vibrant and fun filled team-based shooters will be free for all the play on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from September 9th – 12th.
The Overwatch free weekend will have a roster of 22 heroes, 13 maps and a variety of game modes such as Quick Play, Custom Games, and the Weekly Brawl.
Any progress you make throughout this fee weekend will be yours to keep, including any Loot Boxes that you earn, if you decide to purchase the game afterwards.
For those of you on the Xbox One you will have to have an active Gold Membership to take part in this online experience, however all gamers on PlayStation 4 with or without a current PSN membership will be able to play.
Kick off starts at 1100 PT on September 9th and wraps up at 1600 PT on September 12th.
To work out what time your region will be active check the table below:
| EUROPE: | THE AMERICAS: | ASIA: |
| 19:00 BST on Sept 9
20:00 CEST on Sept 9 21:00 MSK on Sept 9 |
11:00 a.m. PDT on Sept 9
12:00 p.m. MDT on Sept 9 1:00 p.m. CDT on Sept 9 2:00 p.m. EDT on Sept 9 3:00 p.m. ADT on Sept 9 3:00 p.m. BRT on Sept 9 3:30 p.m. NDT on Sept 9 2:00 a.m. SGT on Sept 10 4:00 a.m. AEST on Sept 10 6:00 a.m. NZST on Sept 10 |
2:00 a.m. CST on Sept 10
3:00 a.m. KST on Sept 10 3:00 a.m. JST on Sept 10 |
Here are the installation instructions for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One:
FOR PLAYSTATION 4:
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:
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 Free Weekend” from the search results and then click “Free Trial.”
Step 5: Once the download and installation process is complete, click “Launch” to begin!
To help you out Overwatch has provided a useful Q and A which you can find below:
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, Loot Boxes, and Weekly Brawls.
Q.How many heroes are available in Overwatch?
A. There are 22 heroes available to play in Overwatch! To learn more about these heroes, click here.
Q. How many maps are available in Overwatch?
A. There are four different game modes and 13 different maps available in Overwatch!
- Assault: Hanamura, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries
- Escort: Dorado, Route 66, and Watchpoint: Gibraltar
- Assault/Escort Hybrid: Eichenwalde, Hollywood, King’s Row, and Numbani
- Control: Ilios, Lijiang Tower, and Nepal
Q. How many players does each mode support?
A. All game modes and maps support 12 players in a 6v6 format.
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.
- Weekly Brawl: Change things up with brawls 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. What’s the approximate download size of the Free Weekend client?
A. For PlayStation 4, the approximate download size is 9GB. For Xbox One, the approximate download size is 15GB.
Q. Do I need Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus to participate in the Free Weekend?
A. Xbox Live Gold is required to play on Xbox One during the Free Weekend. PlayStation Plus is not required for the Free Weekend, but will be required to play the full version of Overwatch: Origins Edition.
Q. What languages are supported during Free Weekend?
A. The Free Weekend will be supported by 10 languages across both platforms: English, French, German, Castilian Spanish, Polish, Italian, Russian, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Japanese.
Q. Will my progress from the Free Weekend carry over if I purchase Overwatch: Origins Edition 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: Origins Edition on Xbox One or PlayStation 4—just be sure you purchase the game on the same console 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.
