How Does The Free Weekend System Work?

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Bozzz Jan 23, 2014 @ 12:30pm

What's preventing me from just copying and pasting the files from the directory location and placing them somewhere else on my hardrive? I'm sure that there is some way that steam prevents this, and I'm just wondering how it works.

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Showing 1-15 of 20 comments

FFL2and3rocks Jan 23, 2014 @ 12:37pm

You'll probably just get a "Failed to find Steam" error. Either that, or once the free weekend is over the game won't launch because you don't have the game on your account.

Baruk Jan 23, 2014 @ 1:38pm

When a free weekend starts the game gets added to your game library and you will be able to install and play it, once the free weekend ends if you click the game in your library the play button will be replaced for a purchase button since the game is not added to your library any more.

Originally posted by Bozzz:
What's preventing me from just copying and pasting the files from the directory location and placing them somewhere else on my hardrive? I'm sure that there is some way that steam prevents this, and I'm just wondering how it works.

Nothing better than trying it for yourself and see what happens =D

Doomy4Life Jan 23, 2014 @ 1:39pm

See we dont actualy "buy" games. We acuire "licenses" that lets us play games. Your steam account is tied to all the licence youve bought and vlave has that on file somewhere. You can actualy download every game on steam but you wont be able to play any of them if your account dosnt have the right license. When a steam runs a F2P weekend they give everyone a limited license to play said game. When the weekend is over they take the license away rendering the game you downloaded useless.

Bozzz Jan 23, 2014 @ 2:15pm

Yes I understand how I get the game for free, but how hard could it be to just keep it after the weekend is over? I mean, the game is on you hardrive, how hard could it be?

Baruk Jan 23, 2014 @ 2:17pm

Originally posted by Bozzz:
Yes I understand how I get the game for free, but how hard could it be to just keep it after the weekend is over? I mean, the game is on you hardrive, how hard could it be?

try it!

Bozzz Jan 23, 2014 @ 2:19pm

Originally posted by Baruk:
Originally posted by Bozzz:
Yes I understand how I get the game for free, but how hard could it be to just keep it after the weekend is over? I mean, the game is on you hardrive, how hard could it be?
try it!

Very well. I will try it with Sactum 2, the weekend deal this week.

Last edited by Bozzz; Jan 23, 2014 @ 2:19pm

Kargor Jan 23, 2014 @ 2:25pm

It the same as with all other Steam games -- it's linked with your account. After a "free weekend", the game won't launch anymore because it still talks to Steam, and Steam says "no".

A "free weekend" doesn't do anything special, it uses the same protection as every other Steam game.

And yes, Steam games have been cracked just like any other DRM and copy protection scheme. There's nothing that can be done about that -- but you don't need to wait for a "free weekend" to use the piratebay edition of a game.

 KARR™ Jan 23, 2014 @ 2:48pm

Originally posted by Bozzz:
Yes I understand how I get the game for free, but how hard could it be to just keep it after the weekend is over? I mean, the game is on you hardrive, how hard could it be?

Its not hard. You can download games all you want. You can live in a house Nd share pc with someone that owns lots of games, but when you try to launch them Steam will say "this accountbdoes not have a license to play this game" and not load it.

Even if you launch the .exe it will try to load Steam. There are SOME games on Steam that dont require Steam, but its doubtful theyll appear on a free weekend.

FancyPoncho Aug 22, 2015 @ 1:58pm

Yeah free weekends are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gabe just wants you to play the game to get hooked then wants you to buy it. He's like the drug lord of video games.

Last edited by FancyPoncho; Aug 22, 2015 @ 1:58pm

Starslayer23 Aug 22, 2015 @ 2:06pm

Basically some weekends certain games are on sale and if the devs wish, they can let the game be free to play on steam for a certain time and then expires usually on when the weekend is over.

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76561198214058569 Aug 22, 2015 @ 2:08pm

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King Bee ♚ Sep 29, 2015 @ 4:19pm

Two questions about this:
1. If I install the free weekend game, can I earn achievements and Steam Trading Cards for the game? Will the Steam Cards stay in my inventory after the game is gone?
2. When the weekend is over and the game disappears, does it get rid of all the game memory from your PC? Or does it leave stuff like Saved Game files lying around in your computer's files?
Thanks in advance

#12

Cathulhu Sep 29, 2015 @ 4:32pm

Originally posted by St@r$1aY3r:
Basically some weekends certain games are on sale and if the devs wish, they can let the game be free to play on steam for a certain time and then expires usually on when the weekend is over.

Some? Free weekend games are always tied into a sale.

@Beestonator
1. Achievements yes, trading cards no. You need to buy the game first.
2. The game won't disappear, you will need to uninstall it and depending on how thorough the uninstaller is, it may leave bits of game data behind.

#13

King Bee ♚ Sep 29, 2015 @ 4:42pm

Originally posted by Cathulhu:
@Beestonator
1. Achievements yes, trading cards no. You need to buy the game first.
2. The game won't disappear, you will need to uninstall it and depending on how thorough the uninstaller is, it may leave bits of game data behind.

Okay, shame about the Steam Cards, thought I could've gotten myself a sneaky 15p out of it :P thanks man

Last edited by King Bee ♚; Sep 29, 2015 @ 4:43pm

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