Firewatch's "free-roam" mode goes live today

The Firewatch free-roaming mode that Campo Santo talked about back in September is (almost) here. The studio said in a brief blog post that the new mode will be rolled out on Steam sometime today. [Update: And so it is.]

"If you, like so many others, have finished Firewatch and yearn to return to the Shoshone, then today is your lucky day," it wrote. "Firewatch’s free-roam mode gives you an objective-free game world to explore, dynamic 24-hour time of day and miles of trails to hike."

The free-roam mode has been out on Xbox One for awhile now, and I'm really happy that it's finally been brought to the PC as well. Firewatch is a very good adventure game, but its real magic is in the way it creates an absolutely stunning wildland for players to wander through. It's a landscape that begs to be explored without the pressure of objectives or restricted access to certain areas. I'm really looking forward to giving it a try, especially through the nighttime hours.

The Firewatch free-roam update is slated to appear on Steam later today. Once it does, the new mode will be available in the "special features" section of the main menu—but only after you've finished the game.

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.