Assassin’s Creed Developer Drops Free Game, Play on PS5, Xbox, and PC

I don’t know a gamer without a backlog, so I’m going to assume that you’re not exactly on the lookout for something to play this upcoming weekend.

On the off chance that you are though, Assassin’s Creed developer Ubisoft is making one of its most recent games free-to-play for a limited time.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is the game in question which is set to go free-to-play from Thursday 26 February to Monday 2 March.

This is available across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Ubisoft Connect.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is, if you’re not familiar, a real-time strategy game where players will assume the role of a governor in Ancient Rome, choosing a starting province, and building a prosperous kingdom.

You shouldn’t feel daunted if you’re not a veteran of this genre.

Check out the trailer below to see if it’s your kind of strategy game.

I’ve been in that situation before, but like many strategy games, Anno 117: Pax Romana boasts a campaign mode that guides you through everything you need to know.

The title scored a respectable 84 on Metacritic, earning it the ‘Generally Favourable’ accolade.

TheSixthAxis awarded a score of eight, writing, “Anno 117: Pax Romana is an incredibly rich historical strategy game that adapts to whatever the player needs it to be.”

It continued, “Whether that’s a cosy city-builder offering boundless customisation, a deep economy management sim, or a competitive RTS, Ubisoft Mainz ticks all the boxes with flair.”

Alongside the free play period, you can also nab some nifty in-game items.

Nab DLC Items For Anno 117: Pax Romana via Twitch

If you link your Ubisoft and Twitch accounts between 26 February and 12 March and watch any Anno 117 stream for an hour, you’ll gain a Callinectes Logo which you can use to customise your player profile.

If you tune in for two hours, you’ll also nab the Venusian Shell Logo.

For pre-existing fans, Ubisoft accompanied the announcement with the reveal of the game’s upcoming Year 1 Pass and various DLCs.

Upcoming updates are set to introduce a “large new island”, volcanic eruptions, a “new Vulcan deity” amongst others, a large new monument, chariot races, gambling, river floods and river-based trading, new military units, and the return of the Romanisation feature.

The Year 1 Pass includes several DLC expansions: Prophecies of Ash (April), The Hippodrome (August), and Dawn of the Delta (November).

Ubisoft is clearly cooking up some great post-launch content for this title, so this weekend is definitely the time to give it a try.