MMO fans today mourn the loss ofBlack Desert Online’s free game offer.Black Desert Onlinewas first released in 2015, andis still beloved todayfor its varied class system, real-time combat, and expansive world. Available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, it’s generally a pay-to-play game here in the United States - but for one brief, shining moment, it went free to play.
Beginning last week and until today, June 24, 2025, anyone on Steam could claim the fantasy MMO absolutely free, and keep it forever. Unfortunately, as of 10 AM ESTthis morning,Black Desert Online’s free offer came to an end, and it returned to its full price of $9.99 - which is still fairly reasonable, considering the amount of content included. Potential players who missed out on this giveaway are already looking forward to the next one, as there’s a chance it’ll go free-to-play again at some point in the future.
Black Desert Online’s Free Steam Offer Was A Winner
Player Counts Surged
Black Desert Onlinehad a pretty solid player base already, butthe free offer noticeably bolstered its player count.BDOreached a peak player count of over 23,000 this week, according toSteamDB- the highest it’s been this year to date.
That’s a great thing for this aging MMO -Black Desert Onlineis decidedly more of a sandbox gamethan most other MMOs. There are massive PvE raids and PvP sieges that really thrive when more people are online. The bigger the player base, the more lively and exciting these massive events are.
This givesBDOa massive push ahead of theupcoming release ofCrimson Desert, its spiritual successor. Although made by many of the same developers at the same company, Pearl Abyss, using the same game engine, and bearing a similar title,Crimson Desertis set in its own universe and tells its own story. It’s expected to be released sometime before the end of 2025.
Black Desert Will Likely Be Free Again In The Future
Count On It
While you may have missed your chance to getBlack Desert Onlinefor free this time around,you’ll likely be able to get a free copy again soon. Although it must be purchased to play in the US, it is free in certain regions of the world. It may become free in the US as well once it gets older, especially if Pearl Abyss stops developing new content for it at any point in the future.
In addition,BDOdoes have a free trial program, although you can only access it by downloading the launcher from the game’s official website. So no, it won’t live in your Steam library, but you can still try it for a limited time before you buy.
Andit’s not unheard of forBlack Desert Onlineto go free-to-play a couple of times a year. It’ll often become free during big in-game events to bolster player counts. Keep an eye out forBlack Desert Online’s next big event - most likely within the next few months - to see if you’re able to claim it for free once again.
