Twenty years of Company of Heroes, and Relic Entertainment is marking the occasion the best way possible: by letting everyone play. The Company of Heroes 3 free weekend is live now, running November 12-16 on PC via Steam, giving anyone curious about the real-time strategy series a chance to try the full game for free. It is the centrepiece of a 20th anniversary celebration that also brings a major update, a brand-new campaign and the deepest sale the game has ever had.
The free weekend arrives alongside an anniversary update that touches nearly every part of the game. Visual enhancements sharpen the presentation, campaign improvements smooth out the single-player experience, and an audio overhaul refreshes the soundscape. The update also includes the Final Stand update, the co-operative survival mode that has become a favourite for players who prefer fighting the AI alongside friends. It is a fitting way to mark two decades of a franchise that helped define the modern real-time strategy game, and Relic is treating the milestone as a celebration rather than a victory lap.
The Company of Heroes 3 Free Weekend: How to Play
Getting in is simple. The Company of Heroes 3 free weekend runs from November 12 to November 16 on Steam, and the full game is playable for the duration — no purchase required. It is a well-timed trial, too: the anniversary update means newcomers are jumping into the best version of the game Relic has shipped, and anyone who decides to stay can pick the game up at its lowest price ever.
That price is genuinely hard to ignore. Company of Heroes 3 is 67% off in the franchise sale, its deepest discount yet, with Final Stand 20% off and major discounts across the rest of the catalogue. If the free weekend convinces you, the sale makes sticking around an easy call. The sale runs alongside the free weekend, so there is no gap between trying the game and owning it.
Operation Torch Lands November 25
The celebration does not end when the free weekend does. Company of Heroes 3: Operation Torch launches November 25, 2026, bringing the first single-player mission content since the game launched. The DLC tells the story of an inexperienced American force taking on German troops in Axis-occupied North Africa across 15 historically inspired missions — a new theatre and a new challenge for the series’ single-player fans.
Operation Torch is only the start of what is coming for the franchise. Company of Heroes: Definitive Edition, an enhanced version of the original game, is on the way in early 2027, giving longtime fans a reason to revisit where it all began. Between the free weekend, the new campaign and the Definitive Edition, Relic is making sure the series’ 20th year is a busy one. For a series that has been a fixture of PC strategy gaming since 2006, that is a remarkable run — and the anniversary plans suggest Relic has no intention of slowing down.
A Good Week for Strategy Fans
Company of Heroes 3 is not the only strategy game making news this week. Hearts of Iron IV just received its third Expansion Pass, and Transport Fever 3 is celebrating its own milestone with a bundle and a collector’s box. For more, check out Hearts of Iron IV Expansion Pass 3 Is HERE — America Is Getting Its Massive Rework and Transport Fever 3 Turns 10 — The Complete Series Bundle, a Huge Sale, and a Collector’s Box Are Here.
The Company of Heroes 3 free weekend runs through November 16 on Steam, and Operation Torch arrives November 25. Twenty years in, the series is still finding ways to bring new players into the fight — and this weekend, it is not asking for a penny.
Source: Relic Entertainment via Games Press
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