Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare multiplayer is free to play this weekend on PC

Call of Duty took a big risk late last year with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, extending the franchise beyond the far future tech of Advanced Warfare and out into deep space. Now Steam users can give it’s multiplayer mode a try for free. The free weekend runs parallel to a 50 percent discount on that platform.

Infinite Warfare got high marks from critics, including here at Polygon. Our review called it “one of the best campaigns” in the series’ history. While we were less kind to the multiplayer, it’s still a fantastic game. And free is free, right? Activision said in a blog post today that the demo starts right now now and runs until February 26.

“There are no level caps in place, so get in there and race to prestige while experiencing all the weaponry, Combat Rigs, game modes, and more,” stated the press release.

Activision executives admitted during an investor call that while Infinite Warfare “didn’t appeal to many of our fans,” it achieved the goal of keeping the franchise fresh and vital. In that same call, they dropped hints about the next game in the series, where “traditional combat will once again take center stage.” Whether that means a return to the game’s roots in World War II is anyone’s guess.

To learn more about the real-life issues at play in Infinite Warfare, Polygon sat down with defense strategist Peter W. Singer, author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century. You can read that interview, and hear from the developers at Activision, in our feature story.