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MMORPG Guild Wars 2 is finally launching on Steam, a decade after the classic fantasy title was originally released.
While we reckon the free-to-play RPG is one of the best MMO games currently around, it’s only been available to download through publisher NCSoft’s own platform up to this point. It will be available on Steam from August 23, with players on both Steam and the game’s original client able to play together on the same servers.
The game will launch on Valve’s storefront alongside a paid DLC bundle containing the first 10 years of Guild Wars 2 content, including the game’s five seasons and three main expansions – Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire, and End of Dragons.
Watch the announcement trailer below.
Platform wars
Guild Wars 2 turned heads at launch for its strong emphasis on player-versus-player combat, which spanned small-scale arena fights to world-based competitive modes. The game’s seen many changes since its original release, though, with each season expanding its ongoing story and developing world.
Unlike World of Warcraft and its other MMORPG stablemates, Guild Wars 2 stood out for its subscription-free payment system. You only needed to purchase the base game once to access its full content, with more DLC and expansions available at cost. ArenaNet transitioned Guild Wars 2 to a free-to-play model in 2015
“By launching on Steam, a whole new audience of players who have never had the chance to adventure with us will be able to experience one of the greatest fantasy worlds in gaming,” said Kendall Boyd, senior vice president of marketing at NCSOFT, in a press release. “Everyone at NCSOFT and ArenaNet is excited to welcome them into our amazing community.”
To coincide with the game’s release on Steam, ArenaNet will be running a Twitch drop program to promote the game. From August 23 to August 28, you can net yourself free in-game rewards and cosmetics by watching streamers play the Guild Wars 2 on the livestreaming platform. Blizzard ran a similar scheme for Overwatch 2 earlier this year, which spurred the hero shooter to become the most-viewed category on Twitch briefly.
The Guild Wars 2 steam page (opens in new tab) is now live, and we suspect it will feature a recent change that’s stirred the excitement of many PC gamers.