Civilization 5 is free-to-play and on sale, Brave New World pre-orders open

Sid Meier's Civilization 5, Firaxis Games' turn-based strategy game, will be free-to-play and heavily discounted this weekend on Steam and at other online retailers, the developer announced today.

The free-to-play weekend on Steam began at 1 p.m. ET today and will last until Sunday, June 9, at 4 p.m. ET. Civilization 5 is also on sale on Steam for $7.49 (regularly $29.99), a 75 percent discount effective until Monday, June 10. Other Civilization 5-related 75 percent off sales include the Babylon add-on for $1.29 (regularly $4.99), the Gods and Kings expansion for $7.49 (regularly $29.99) and the Gold Edition of the game, which includes several add-on packages, for $12.49 (regularly $49.99). The upcoming Brave New World expansion is now available for pre-order for $26.99 (regularly $29.99). Discounts on Civilization 5 are also available at Amazon, GameStop, Gamefly and Newegg.

For more on the Civilization 5: Gods & Kings expansion, be sure to read our feature about its designer, Ed Beach. For more on the upcoming Brave New World expansion, you can read our interview with Beach.