Steam is back with its second free game promotion this week, this time giving away a voxel-based open-world sandbox game. Steam’s Free-to-Keep Promotion recently gave away Dokimon Quest for free and, as of this writing, still has some freebies on offer for Microsoft Flight Simulator (until September 1).
Of course, some folks are going to be more interested in the open-world sandbox game on Steam, as the overall genre remains probably one of the most popular in gaming. Minecraft is by far the most popular open-world sandbox game, but its age sometimes works against it, as fans may want to scratch that itch but feel like they have nothing else to do in Minecraft. Those players should definitely check out Steam’s new Free to Play event.
Play PixARK 100% Free on Steam
While Steam’s Free Weekend Promotions typically do not go live until Thursday, at least one of the titles has been released early: PixARK. From now until August 31 at 10am PT/1pm ET, Steam users can download and play PixARK to their heart’s content, but they will lose access to the game after the aforementioned date. The good news is there’s a 75% discount, letting Steam users pick up the game for just $5 for some time after this event.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
For those who have never heard of it, PixARK is a voxel-based open-world sandbox survival game which is a moutyh way to say that it’s a combination of Minecraft and ARK with a few unique features of its own. Players can explore procedurally generated maps, gather resources, craft equipment, build bases, and tame more than 100 creatures to train and ride. Beyond the core progression, players can check out both PvE and PvP servers, customize their stats, explore skill trees, and enjoy the peacefulness of creative mode as well. Its world is free to explore and populated with charming voxels, magical creatures, and dinosaurs, for good measure.
- Release Date: May 31, 2019
- Genre: Open-World Survival Sandbox
- Developer: Snail Games USA
- Publisher: Snail Games USA
- Steam Review Rating: 69% Mixed (Over 3000 User Reviews)
- Can you beat it before the Promotion ends? Yes to the “core” story, but as an open-world sandbox game like Minecraft, the core progression is just the tip of the ice berg
- Purchase Discount: -75% Discount, Available until September 7
As for its overall reception, PixARK currently has a Mixed rating on Steam, with 69% of its 3000+ reviews recommending the game. Recent reception is much stronger, though, with 81% of 53 reviews from the past 30 days marked positive. In other words, PixARK has become a stronger and stronger game since its initial launch, with new PixARK DLC adding a new location too. Overall, the direction of mixed Steam reviews suggest it was an uneven game once that struggled but is now finding its stride.
It stands to reason that PixARK is an early addition to the Steam Free Weekend promotion, and that more games will go live on August 27 and last through August 31. It’s possible it’s the only one, so fans should be sure to check back on August 27 if PixARK doesn’t quite scratch their itch, even as a free PC game.
