Square Enix Makes Tomb Raider Free on PC During Social Isolation

Inspired by other acts of kindness done throughout the gaming community, Square Enix has decided to offer up two different Lara Croft adventures for free during a time of social isolation brought on by the coronavirus. Starting today, on March 23, 2020, gamers can acquire both Tomb raider (2013) and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris for free through their Steam accounts.

Both games serve to provide players with different experiences while they wait out the virus. Anyone looking to play through a single-player campaign will enjoy Tomb Raider (2013). And anyone looking for a multiplayer experience of up to four players will prefer Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.

To grab these titles for free, players will need to follow these steps:

• Visit the online Square Enix Store
• Log in or sign up for a Square Enix Members account (sign up is free)
• “Purchase” the “0.00” marked Tomb Raider and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris games through the site
• Go to “MY ORDERS” to access Purchase History
• Locate either game and click the “UNLOCK THE ACTIVATION KEY” button to open the order confirmation page
• While on this page, click the “UNLOCK THE ACTIVATION KEY” once more (the order may take a few minutes to process)
• After receiving a “key,” log into Steam
• Select “GAMES”
• Hover down and select “ACTIVATE A PRODUCT ON STEAM”
• Follow instructions until it asks for the key
• Enter the key, follow the remaining instructions, and then install whichever game
• Enjoy

Players should note that Tomb Raider Definitive Edition isn't the version gifted through this process. Those who “buy” will instead receive the vanilla version of Tomb Raider that initially released on the PS3, meaning none of the DLC outfits and tombs will be available.

Despite this, however, Tomb Raider (2013) still offers an experience worth playing. The game serves as the first in a trilogy that works to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise by telling a reimagined origin story for Lara Croft and the events that led up to her becoming the Tomb Raider.

Those interested in experiencing the rest of her origin story after playing Tomb Raider (2013) should play Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider in that order. The games won't be free, but they've been out long enough to have low prices.

Tomb Raider released in 2013 for the PlayStation3 while Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris released in 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.

MORE: Tomb Raider: Lara Croft's Best Outfits Of All Time, Ranked