// News // 5th Mar 2026 — 4 months ago // By Artura Dawn

Cities: Skylines Releases Free Weekend for 11th Anniversary

One of the great things about gaming on Steam is the capability to try titles out for free. Whether that's because of Valve's push for demos, free-to-keep titles, or other promotions, this is a boon for those who don't have a lot of money to throw around.

Better than demos, however, are the free weekend opportunities offered by developers and publishers. Instead of a limited, bespoke section of the game (which can sometimes be misleading), free weekends let players get hands-on with the title, as if they'd bought it, for a limited time, dedicating as much or as little time to the experience as possible.

This promotion is often used by developers and publishers to commemorate major content updates — free releases, DLC launches, and more. Following this trend is Paradox Interactive, which is celebrating the 11th anniversary of the Cities: Skylines franchise this month!

For those who have been on the verge of purchasing or have been wanting to check out the game ahead of time, the first release, Cities: Skylines, is available to check out for free for a limited time. Available from the 5th of March until the 9th of March, this should give players plenty of days to download the game, check it out, and decide whether they want to continue with their cities.

Here's what you need to know about the game!