Crusader Kings 2 free weekend starts today

From today, you can download Crusader Kings 2 for a free three-day Steam trial. Three days to conquer Europe and placate a treacherous family? Good luck with that.

If you can get to grips with the complex web of familial management and border politics, there's no strategy game more adept at creating stories of feudal intrigue. Even better, the game will be 75% off across the weekend. That means you can get the complete collection, with all DLC packs, for £30 / $40.

The deal is in celebration of the game selling one million copies. But it also extends past Crusader Kings 2. All titles in the publisher's catalogue are in a weekend sale, including Europa Universalis 4 and Magicka.

To download the free trial, head over to the CK2 Steam page and scroll down until you see the Free Weekend banner. You can play until Sunday, 1PM PST.

If you do get into game, and are struck by a sense of "what in the hell am I supposed to do", I recommend digging out some YouTube tutorial let's plays. It's not as complex as it first seems, but part of the trick is realising that.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.