Saints Row 3 and 4 are Steam weekend freebies

You already know, if you hung out with us here yesterday, that XCOM is free on Steam until Sunday morning. But what to do, you ask, if you already own XCOM and all things related? Perhaps you could give some Saints Row a try instead.

I've always been fascinated by the way the Saints Row series evolved from a low-rent Grand Theft Auto knock-off to become a game about wreaking havoc in hell from the comfort of a mobile La-Z-Boy armed with chain guns. And it somehow got better along the way, too: Saints Row 4 earned an Editor's Choice award in our 2013 review. (Alas, the follow-up, Gat Out of Hell, didn't fare quite as well.)

The announcement of a free Saints Row weekend didn't come with quite the same level of fanfare as that of XCOM, probably because there's not a new Saints Row game currently available for pre-purchase. But free they are, "they" being Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row 4, until 1pm PDT on September 13. During that stretch, you can score those games and all the other Saints Row releases on Steam, plus the mind-boggling array of DLC, for up to 80 percent off. The sale prices will remain in effect until September 14.

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.