Millions of people around the world are isolating themselves to help slow the spread of coronavirus, and Square Enix says it's been "warmed" by the effort. In response, it's made 2013's Tomb Raider reboot free for a limited time, along with co-op spin-off Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.
To claim the games, you can run through the complicated instructions (opens in new tab) on the Square Enix store, or you can just find them on Steam (opens in new tab)and add them to your library, which is much, much easier.
We’re warmed by stories of communities banding together during these uncertain times and are offering a gift to keep friends & family connected through play. Read more: https://t.co/wWeWWuZ7Bv pic.twitter.com/9Ww2ZE7AJ8March 20, 2020
Unlike the more common free weekend promotions on Steam, once you claim your copies of Tomb Raider and Temple of Osiris, they're yours to keep for good.
Tomb Raider isn't exactly hot off the grill: There have been two followups since it released seven years ago, Rise of the Tomb Raider (opens in new tab) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (opens in new tab), both of which are also discounted at the moment. But they aren't discounted to the low price of free, and it isn't as if Tomb Raider is chopped liver: We awarded it a 75% in our 2013 review (opens in new tab), praising the spectacle of its scripted scenes. Its age also means that it shouldn't give lower-spec PCs any trouble: The official GPU recommendation is a Radeon HD 5870 or Nvidia GTX 480.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (opens in new tab) shouldn't be overlooked, either. It's got mixed reviews on Steam, but our reviewer quite liked it (opens in new tab), and given that it's free and many people are spending time at home, getting three other players together for co-op should be easier than usual.
The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Pacific on March 23, so don't wait too long to grab both games if you want them.
We're maintaining a roundup of esports competitions and other gaming events that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic here (opens in new tab). For more information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the World Health Organization (opens in new tab).
