One of the best fantasy 4Xs on PC is free while the Steam keys last

A group of fantasy creatures survey a rolling green plain, a mountain stands in the distance.

(Image credit: Amplitude)

Endless Space and Humankind studio Amplitude is marking its 13th birthday, and to celebrate it's giving out free Steam copies of Endless Legend, its underrated fantasy 4X that apparently released all the way back in 2014. So there's a Friday morning confrontation with mortality for you.

You can pick the game up by heading over to the Amplitude Studios community website and then, well, going through a little bit of a rigamarole. You'll need to make an account, verify your email, then head into your account settings and link the thing up with Steam. Once you've done that, just return to that page linked above and click on the Endless Legend image halfway down the page to get your free Steam key.

It's a bit long-winded, or at least it was for me when I tried it out, but Endless Legend is worth it. When it came out in 2014, when the world was young and dinosaurs walked the Earth, it earned PCG's coveted Commendation for Design award in that year's GOTY awards. It still occupies a place of honour on our list of the best 4X games on PC, where we compliment its willingness to "to build on and remix [time-tested 4X elements] in ways that will especially interest" people who have been playing about in the genre for years.

It's got my personal recommendation, too. I've always appreciated Amplitude's games from a bit of a distance. Endless Space—with its truly distinct factions who all play very differently and its gorgeous artstyle—has intrigued me for longer than I care to admit, but I always end up sliding off it whenever I try to get stuck in. I never had that problem with Endless Legend, which felt like it eased me into its mechanics a lot more smoothly without sacrificing depth.

Amplitude says the offer is valid "while supplies last," but would like to reassure you that "the number of copies is not low." Still, I'd get in there quickly. It's a lot of game for no money, and an excellent one at that.

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.