Stellaris turns 10 with a free weekend, 70% discount, and new Nomads DLC

Stellaris is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a free-to-play weekend on Steam running through June 22, and a 70% discount that sticks around until June 25. It's a solid window to try one of Paradox's longest-running grand strategy games without spending a cent.

The base game drops to $15 during the sale, while the anniversary edition — which bundles in the Galactic Paragons, Aquatics, and Leviathans DLCs — goes for $18. If you want the full everything-included package, that's also discounted, landing just under $148. A $10/month subscription option gives access to all DLC without a discount. The new Nomads expansion is also out now, adding nomadic factions and Mongolian throat singing to the mix — though PC Gamer's Sean Martin noted in his impressions that it could "use some work."

Stellaris has come a long way since PC Gamer EIC Phil Savage reviewed it in 2016 and gave it a 70%, calling its early game the makings of an "instant strategy classic." As Leana Hafer put it recently, versions 1.0 and 4.3 are "almost hard to recognize as the same game" — a sentiment game director Stephen Muray echoed by joking that Stellaris is "the Spaceship of Theseus." Each major overhaul has reshaped the game substantially, which is either a selling point or a warning depending on how you feel about Paradox's approach to live development.

If you've been curious but intimidated by the DLC mountain, this weekend is the lowest-friction entry point the game has had in a while. The free weekend ends Sunday, so there's enough time to get a proper feel for whether robotic gestalt consciousness is your thing.