Origin Spotlight - Free Games! [ Edited ]

[Straatford87]

Hello everyone!

Origin Spotlight is a series aimed at highlighting functions and news related to the Origin client. You can also check out our previous installments of Origin Spotlight.

Free games, you said? Where can I pick them up!?

In this issue we will be taking a look at some of the free games that are available via Origin, and how you can pick them up. Be sure check out the Free Games section on the Origin Store to see what is available:

• On The House

We are always looking for the next great game On The House game for you to enjoy, pick it up for free and it yours to keep! Some games that have previously been available via On The House include: Battlefield 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Theme Hospital, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Red Alert 2 and many others.

Be sure to check back often to see if you can pick up one of your favorites, or perhaps a classic that you've always wanted to try.

We also have a dedicated forum board available for our On The House games.

• Trials
  

Our trials allow you to try out the full versions of some of your favorite Origin games such as Sims 4, Battlefield 4 and many others! Once you start your trial you can try them out anywhere from 2 to 7 days, depending on the game.

And it gets even better - we also hold trial weekends for our latest games such as Battlefield 1, where you can team up with your friends and other enthusiasts to have an amazing time together. Everyone is welcome on the trial weekends, so this is a great way to meet other players!

• Demos and Betas

If you just want to get a quick glimpse at some of our games, then be sure to jump into any of the current available demos. If we are close to the release of one of our upcoming titles, then this is also the place to find our betas for your testing pleasure.

Cool! Anything else?

Sure! if you weren't able to find what you're looking for amongst our free games, then we're sure that our Great Game Guarantee will be a big benefit to you.

Our motto here on Origin is, 'if you don't love it, just return it!' And that is exactly what you can do with the Great Game Guarantee. If you aren't happy with the EA full game download that you've purchased via the Origin Store, then just return it!

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Which On The House games were your favorites? Any memorable trial weekends that you shared with your friends? Let us know!

[mistahd33]

The free game has been Plants & Zombies GOTY edition for something like at least 6 months now. Has EA abandoned Origin again? "Check back often because these offers change frequently" it says. Just another empty promise from the tech industry I suppose, 3 updates later and someone up there can't be bothered with it any more. How does Origin expect to gain loyalty from the public if it can't figure out how to simply keep its word or at least update its public on reasons why its promises are empty? At least Origin could change the following text to reflect its new lax attitude towards updating the free games section.

"Free? What's the catch?

There isn't one - seriously! With On the House, you can score full games and expansions for free, no asterisks in sight. But act fast and check back often, because these offers change frequently."

[CMeki]

@mistahd33

I also hope that they change soon, but the game has been on there for almost 2,5 months, not longer
Games are usually on there for 40-80 days, with the longest of 129. We're soon up to 80 with Plants vs Zombies not not yet, and the CMs don't know any more than us when a new game will be on there.
Source; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Origin%27s_On_the_House_games

[mistahd33]

Thank you, I guess I stand corrected. I do know that I installed FIFA 18 demo (currently still listed on that page) on sep 22nd 2017.. so about 130 days ago. I thought I saw plants and zombies as the game then but i guess it might have been that hospital management one. Since completing Mass Effect Andromeda a week or two after its release way back in March last year I can only remember having seen those 2 different games (hospital game and plants and zombies)... oh and steamworld dig, 3 then. A game per quarter it seems like recently. I guess my definitions of "often" and "frequently" are just a bit different to Origins. :/ It would be much easier if one wasn't expected to consult a wiki to find out Origins interpretations of the words and they were simply up front in saying that games are updated on average between 40-80 days, sometimes longer. I "frequently" check my email, I perform backups and system updates "often", I check Origin for new freebies once in a blue moon. Setting realistic expectations is a large part of creating customer satisfaction.