Get a taste of Blizzard’s acclaimed team shooter without opening your wallet
If you haven’t had a chance to join the fight for the future in Overwatch, we’re excited to give you another shot — completely free! Assemble your friends and try out Blizzard‘s team-based shooter during the Overwatch free weekend, from 9th to 12th September on PlayStation 4!
The Overwatch free weekend will begin on 9th September at 7.00pm BST/8.00pm CET, and all PlayStation 4 players will be able to download the game and play free during this period—no sign-up or code required. Once you’ve escorted some payloads, captured some points, and scored a few Plays of the Game, the free weekend will conclude on Monday, 12th September at 12.00pm BST/1.00pm CET.
During the free weekend, we’re making Overwatch’s full roster of 22 heroes and every map available for play in a variety of modes, including Quick Play, Custom Games, and the latest Weekly Brawl. You’ll also be able to level up and earn Loot Boxes — and if you like what you play and decide to buy Overwatch: Origins Edition later, you’ll keep whatever progress you made during the Free Weekend.
Before you begin, you’ll first need to download Overwatch on your PlayStation 4. The Overwatch Free Weekend client will be available for download beginning at the designated launch times listed below starting on 9th September.
When the time comes, please follow the instructions below to install and play.
Step 1: Turn on your PlayStation 4 and log in to your preferred local user.
Step 2: Go to PlayStation Store and select “Search” from the top menu.
Step 3: In the search field, type in “Overwatch.”
Step 4: Select “Overwatch Free Weekend” from the search results and then click “Download.”
Step 5: Once the download and installation process is complete, click “Start” to begin!
To learn more about Overwatch, head over to www.playoverwatch.com, where you can read up on our lineup of heroes and learn more about the gameplay. We hope you’ll join us for the fun!
Overwatch free weekend FAQ
What game content will be available during the free weekend?
During the Free Weekend, players will have access to Overwatch’s full roster of heroes, maps, and a selection of features—including Quick Play, Custom Games, Loot Boxes, and Weekly Brawl. However, Competitive Play will not be available during the free weekend.
How many heroes are available in Overwatch?
There are 22 heroes available to play in Overwatch! To learn more about these heroes, click here.
How many maps are available in Overwatch?
There are four different game modes and 13 different maps available in Overwatch!
- Assault: Hanamura, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries
- Escort: Dorado, Route 66, and Watchpoint: Gibraltar
- Assault/Escort Hybrid: Eichenwalde, Hollywood, King’s Row, and Numbani
- Control: Ilios, Lijiang Tower, and Nepal
How many players does each mode support?
All game modes and maps support 12 players in a 6v6 format.
What different play modes are available in Overwatch during the free weekend?
There are a variety of ways to play Overwatch!
- Quick Play: Jump into a game against other players of similar skill.
- Play vs. AI: Hone your skills against a team of AI-controlled heroes.
- Custom Game: Customise the rules and play a game with your friends or AI.
- Weekly Brawl: Change things up with brawls featuring different rules sets and restrictions.
- Players can also learn the ropes in a series of training modes: Tutorial, Practice Range, and Practice vs. AI.
What’s the approximate download size of the free weekend client?
For PlayStation 4, the approximate download size is 15GB.
Do I need PlayStation Plus to participate in the free weekend?
PlayStation Plus is not required during the free weekend. However, PlayStation Plus will be required to play the full PlayStation 4 version of Overwatch: Origins Edition if you decide to purchase it after the free weekend ends.
What languages are supported in the free weekend?
The free weekend supports 13 languages: English, French, German, Castilian Spanish, Polish, Italian, Russian, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Japanese.
Will my progress from the free weekend carry over to the full version of the game?
Yes — any levels and rewards you earn, including skins and other items you get from Loot Boxes, will carry over to the full game if you purchase Overwatch: Origins Edition. Your stats will also be retained. However, trophies have been disabled for free weekend.
Will there be any sort of maintenance planned during the free weekend?
There’s no downtime or maintenance currently planned for the free weekend on any platform. If this plan changes at any point, we’ll be sure to provide information about major service interruptions in the official forums. For additional status updates, be sure to follow @PlayOverwatch on Twitter.
Awesome, looking forward to this! :D
very nice
Instead of letting us start the download when the event begins, why not use common sense and let us pre-load instead?
Considering the file size is 15GB, it’s going to take quite a while for most people, and by the time it’s done, the event will be over.
15GB? Overwatch free half of a weekend.
I would consider this but as it requires PS+ after the weekend expires ill pass
ditto. i am not longer into ps+ cause it was a huge waste of money over the years and i am done with ps4 in general bc of it.
ditto. ps+ was a huge disappointment in the last 2 years so i am done with ps4 in general and will most likely sell it soon. putting online play behind a paywall was a huge mistake as it reduces the potential online playerbase and therefore reduces the quality of matchmaking for all ps4 online games.
I’m in! Thanks! :)
Was hoping to try this out but 45 mins, and its still not there?
I assume you think it’s this weekend? It’s actually next weekend tbh. Or are you talking about something different? Your post is slightly confusing.
Dear Sony,
Allow us to pre load this please so we all get the maximum amount of time playing.
Thanks, The Players
Dear Sony,
Please allow us to pre load this game so everyone can have the maximum amount of time playing it.
Thanks,
The Players.
Time is up and you still cannot download it?!
Not available to download yet? Anyone else having trouble?
I really wanted to try this game on my ps4, but 6 hours later and only 45% installed is really a waste of time. I thought there was an error so I restarted the game, it kicked me back to 15%… waste of time really.
Took ages to finish installing and I have fibre but finally got to play it and I really like it . . . when it works!
Constantly get “leaving game, not enough players”, often 8-9 times in a row, sometimes I get to play a round and it’s fun but often ends with same message before the end, then back into the cycle of multiple “not enough players”, I probably only get to play about 1 in 15 games to the end which for an online only game isn’t good.
I thought the matches would actually be over populated during the free weekend.
I really like Overwatch but feels like I’d be throwing money away buying it.
The really weird thing is I also get the “not enough players” in a vs AI match!!