EVE Online Free To Play This Weekend

Hurry! Engage the hyper thrusters! Blast the boosters! We're going into warp drive. EVE Online [official site] is free to play until 9pm BST this Sunday. Listen, if you're new to this, you're probably not going to get very far. You'll probably still be puttering around in your rickety space canoe come Sunday night.

But if your little fledgling spacefarer heart dreams of epic space battles, or navigating interstellar trade in an economy that is all but real, or commanding your own fleet of ships, maybe, just maybe, EVE Online is for you. In that case, you'll be pleased to know that the EVE Online Starter Pack is 75% off on Steam right now too.

The offer is open to new and returning players alike. There is a teeny bit of fine print. Newcomers can't have a copy of EVE Online on Steam that was purchased before the sale, and returning players must have bought the game from May 2013, with an account that's been deactivated for 30 days or more.

Phew. Now that that's out of the way, all you have to do is wander on over to Steam, click the 'Play Game' button and you're good to go. Seasoned veterans looking for a comeback will need to claim the offer on the Account Management page of their EVE Online client. If that sounds too confusing, CCP has you covered.

EVE Online has one of the most thriving worlds of any MMORPG on the market, which is an impressive feat for a game that still holds to the much maligned subscription model. While the game is infamous for its high barrier for entry, it's also an amazing experiment in the melding of video game fiction and real life with its years long wars and high stakes heists.

The EVE Online Starter Pack is £3.74/4,99/$4.99 until Monday, but you'll find sweeping sales on other editions and subscription packages as well. Safe travels, space cadet.