If you’re looking for a free Steam game to play this weekend, you’ve certainly come to the right place. At the time of writing, a massive open-world game billed as a GTA 6 rival is currently completely free to download and play for the next 72 hours. You’ll want to be fast, but there are a few caveats we should probably discuss before you go zooming off.

There are, as I’m sure you know, so many free games on Steam these days. It can be hard to know exactly which games are worth your time and which games aren’t. If you’re looking to scratch that open-world itch, this weekend’s offering could be exactly what you’re after. It might also end up letting you down. Let’s see which way it goes!

This Steam 2024 Open-World Racer Is Free Now

Head on over to Steam

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is free to check out right now until January 19 at 6pm on Steam, with access to the entire game and its open world, which is a pretty massive recreation of Hong Kong Island. Oh, and before anyone gets weird about me comparing this racing game to GTA 6, I should point out those comments come from Test Drive‘s lead developer.

“For me, we are the competitors of GTA 6, Forza, and The Crew,” KT Racing’s Guillaume Guinet said in a 2024 interview with Videogamer. “At first, we didn’t think we would make this game, but when we drew up the project, we thought it really could. I don’t have any fear of GTA 6 for now, as we’re not in the same window.”

Here’s the official synopsis of the game:

“TDUSC is a lifestyle and social experience that redefines what an open-world racing game can be. Explore a fully recreated Hong Kong Island. Take to the road behind the wheel of exceptional cars and live the ultimate life of luxury.”

Naming his game alongside GTA 6 might have been a mistake on Guinet’s part. For all Test Drive‘s ambition, it hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory. The game has Mostly Negative reviews on Steam, a user score of 4.0 on Metacritic, and a critic score of 53.

What Do The Reviews Say?

They’re not exactly glowing

The vast majority of reviews paint a picture of a poorly optimized game that struggles to perform. Others take aim at “sloppy” AI from rival racers, and repetitive content. It’s no Forza Horizon 5, in other words.

With that said, if you do have hardware that can run the game, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown could be a fun way to spend a weekend. I actually went hands-on with the game myself at a preview event back in 2024, and while I can certainly echo complaints about repetition, it’s a cool open world that might be fun to drive around for a weekend. If that sounds good to you, head over to Steam now.