Payday 2 celebrates SteamOS launch with free play campaign

Overkill Software has ported Payday 2 to SteamOS — and to celebrate, all Steam users can try out the game for free through the end of the month, the company announced on the game's community page.

Current owners of Payday 2, like other Steam games available across multiple platforms, will now be able to play the game on Steam Machines at no additional cost.  For those who have yet to test out Payday 2, however, the company is offering several promotions for those who have yet to pick up the game. From now until March 31, the game will be free-to-play; those who want to pick up the full game after their trial run can then purchase it at a discount. Along with the game itself, available content for Payday 2 — and its predecessor, Payday: The Heist — is 75 percent off for the rest of March.

Overkill Software — and its owner, Starbreeze Studio — received criticism last fall when it introduced microtransactions to Payday 2. Players of the first-person shooter revolted when the developer locked loot crates containing stat boosts behind a paywall, despite earlier claims that it would keep the game free of non-cosmetic, paid add-ons. The company later apologized to the fanbase for the addition.