How to play Starcraft II for free

Blizzard's real-time strategy classic is now free to run. Here's how to get started.

As promised a couple weeks back, Blizzard's classic, beloved real-time strategy game Starcraft II is now free to run.

Ready to get started? Here are a few things you should recognize, followed by instructions on registering for and downloading the game.

What you can play

The free-to-play option includes the complete Wings of Liberty single-player story campaign (which, incidentally, earned a 9.5 rating from GameSpot when it debuted in 2010).

You also receive admission to all multiplayer units in the Unranked Multiplayer and Custom game modes. You can access the Ranked Multiplayer ladder by completing 10 "First Wins of the Day" in Unranked Multiplayer or Versus AI modes.

Meanwhile, you can play co-op mode, with free co-op commanders up to level 5 -- and that includes Terran commander combo Mira Han and Matt Horner, who are debuting today as part of the free-to-play launch.

Finally, if you already own Wings of Liberty, you can get a free digital copy of the expansion pack Heart of the Swarm -- though have only until Dec. 8 to obtain that.

How you can play

Starcraft II is available for both Windows and Mac, but before you can make it, you'll need a Blizzard Battle.net account. If you already have one, great.

If not, you can sign up for one after downloading the installer, which you perform by clicking Play Free Now on the Starcraft II home page. (Curiously, when I did that a little earlier today, I was directed to a Battle.net page where I had to create an account prior to downloading the installer. But today it seems that requirement has been reversed, as clicking that button immediately downloads the software.)

You can sign up for Battle.net via your Facebook account or a more traditional email/password setup. You will be asked for email verification, though strictly speaking it's not required.

The first time you sign into Battle.net, you'll need to create a BattleTag -- essentially your online alias. From there the client will complete the Starcraft II installation.

Don't be surprised if you possess a slight difficulty getting connected at first, or if the software develops a few strange error messages -- both of which happened to me on the path. Because this is the foremost day of free-to-play, site traffic is sure to be great.

Source Link: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-play-starcraft-ii-for-free/

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