Play Overwatch for Free on PS4 and Xbox One Next Week

Blizzard will host a free play event for the console versions of Overwatch next week, it announced today.

Xbox One and PS4 players will be able to download and play the game from September 9-12. This is not quite the full game, but consists of almost everything: Players will have access to all characters and maps, Quick Play, Custom Games, AI matches, tutorials, and the Weekly Brawl.

The free event begins on September 9 at 11 AM PT (2 PM ET/7 PM BST) and runs until September 12 at 4 PM PT (7 PM ET/12 AM BST on September 13). Once it's underway, you'll be able to find the game on the PS4's store under the name Overwatch Free Weekend (a 9 GB download), and on the Xbox One's store under Overwatch: Origins Edition Free Weekend (15 GB).

PS4 players will not need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play, but those on Xbox One will need to be Xbox Live Gold subscribers.

You'll earn progress and unlock items and loot boxes during the event as in the full game, but not Achievements or Trophies. Should you want to continue playing after the event concludes, you can purchase the full version and carry over your progress.

As of the end of June, Overwatch had already attracted more than 15 million players (not to be confused with 15 million copies sold). We also recently spoke with Blizzard about its plans for the game's future.