Outcast: Second Contact is free to download for a few days

The Humble Store is in the midst of its big Fall Sale, and as it sometimes does it's got a free game up for grabs for the next couple of days. This time around it's Outcast: Second Contact, which is yours for the taking until 10 am Pacific on November 24.

Released in 2017, Outcast: Second Contact is a remake of the 1999 Infogrames action-adventure about a US Navy SEAL named Cutter Slade (yes, seriously) who escorts a group of scientists to an alien world to help shut down a black hole that's threatening the Earth. Things very quickly go off the rails, as they do, and Cutter ends up in the midst of a civilizational struggle that also somehow involves time travel. 

It's weird, yes, but also very good: It won numerous awards when it was new, including Computer Gaming World's "Adventure of the Year", and the remake earned an 82/100 review from us last year.   

You'll need to subscribe to the Humble newsletter if you're not already signed up, but that seems like a reasonable trade-off for a good game at no cost. Unlike most Humble offerings, the Outcast: Second Contact freebie is also a DRM-freebie, so instead of a Steam key you'll receive a direct download link. It will only be available until 10 am Pacific on November 29, however, after which "the download will magically vanish as if it were just a figment of your imagination," so grab it while you can. 

Andy Chalk

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.