Gears 5 is free-to-play on Steam and the Microsoft Store until Sunday

Why it matters: Wondering how you’re going to fill the hours while stuck at home over the next few days? You could always play through Gears 5, which is free on Steam and the Windows Store up until Sunday, April 12.

Gear 5 gained plenty of positive critic and user reviews when it arrived last September—we named it as one of our Best PC Games (You Should Be Playing). It sticks with the same cover-based shooting action fans know and love, and introduces Jack, a hovering robot that can grab weapons, fight enemies, and more. The campaign’s ending is a bit abrupt, but Gears 5 remains one of the series’ highlights.

The campaign can be completed in about 10 hours, though you could probably double that time by seeking out and exploring everything. Once you’ve done that, there’s the enormous multiplayer element to enjoy, which includes numerous modes, new characters, special events, and much more to keep you busy. There’s also the new Operation 3 Gridiron update, which is a take on the single-life capture the flag mode.

PC Gamer notes that the free offer is part of Microsoft’s Xbox Free Play Days, which is normally only available to Game Pass Ultimate (or Xbox Live Gold) subscribers. That hasn’t changed on Microsoft’s console, but on the PC platform, anyone can grab it on Steam.

Limited-time free games are appearing more regularly these days, mostly because of the stay-at-home orders in effect across most of the world. Last month we saw Assassin’s Creed Odyssey go free-to-play for a weekend.