Play Skull And Bones For Free For A Week Starting On May 30 (2024)

More than a decade in the making, Skull And Bones was finally released earlier this year. However, despite being labeled the world's first quad-A game by Ubisoft's CEO, the live service pirate game sailed on past most people without even registering on their radar. The game being given a $70 price tag out the harbor likely had a lot to do with that, and Ubisoft has been trying to right that ship ever since. So much so that less than four months later, it's giving newcomers the chance to play Skull and Bones for free for a whole week.

Skull and Bones' free week begins on May 30, from which point you will be able to do everything the game has to offer until the free window slams shut again seven days later on June 6. You'll find details on when exactly the free trial will begin and end in different parts of the world via the graphic below courtesy of Ubisoft. The studio has also confirmed anything you do during those seven days will come with you if you like the game enough to buy it once the free trial has ended.

The goal here is for people to love playing Skull and Bones enough that they want to keep sailing Ubisoft's seven seas once the free trial has come to an end, of course, and while it won't be free, there's a strong chance doing so won't cost you $70. The price of the self-professed quad-A game started dropping at the end of March and has continued to fall ever since. So much so that it was technically possible to pick it up for just $19.99 through Ubisoft earlier this month.

Play Skull And Bones For Free For A Whole Week

You'd have to think at $20 per copy, Ubisoft is taking a heck of a hit on Skull and Bones considering how long the game was in development. Announced in 2013, and created off the back of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag's popularity, the pirate game underwent various overhauls and was hit with multiple delays before it finally arrived in February. When it finally was released, many quickly decided it wasn't for them - especially not for $70 - and at last count the game had struggled to sell a million copies.

I'm a big fan of Skull and Bones, but not big enough that I actually own the game. I played the beta ahead of its release, and then I used up the eight-hour free trial that was offered up after that. That didn't convince me to spend $70 on it, and by the time the hefty price cuts arrived, I had moved on. A week-long free trial is enough to get me back on deck, and perhaps I'll be one of many who finally caves and buys a copy by the time that trial ends.