Square Enix has announced that the 2013 Tomb Raider game, the first in the reboot trilogy, is available for free to keep on Steam for a limited time.
The offer is part of Square Enix’s Stay Home and Play campaign, started in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Warmed by the global efforts being made to keep people in their homes to reduce transmissions and contractions of the virus, Square Enix has said this is “a gift” to the community.
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
In a blog post, Square Enix confirmed that both the 2013 Tomb Raider and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris are free on Steam now and will remain so until Monday, March 23, 23:59 PDT/ 6.59 am GMT on Tuesday, March 24. Once you’ve got the games, they’re yours to keep forever.
A virtual adventure
“We’re warmed by stories of communities banding together to support those in need during uncertain times, and by honoring directives intended to protect the most vulnerable among us,” Square Enix writes.
“Gamers are part of a global community. We regularly rally together online to return balance to fantasy kingdoms, recruit crew to save the universe from sci-fi threats, and indulge in healthy competition through high-octane action games. For others, shifting to both online work and play is unfamiliar territory.”
Neither of these games is exactly brand spanking new but between them they pretty much hit the mark of what anyone could need at the moment; while the 2013 reboot is a great way to go on a thrilling solo adventure, Temple of Osiris is a chance to play with up to three others if the isolation is just becoming too much.
It’s offers like these that are probably helping Steam break its concurrent user records—recently the platform hit 20 million for the first time ever.