As the weekend approaches, there's a slowdown in some major game releases for 2026. This is a perfect time to explore some great games you might have missed over the past few years. In this context, Steam is offering a limited-time opportunity to play three highly-rated games for free, including ARK: Survival Ascended.

As part of Steam's Free Play Weekend event, these games will be completely free until July 13. Therefore, you'll only have this limited time to dive into these games over the weekend; otherwise, you'll need to purchase them at full price. However, this will provide enough time for you to enjoy the game and determine whether the money you would spend is truly worth it.

This Free Play Weekend, which will run from July 9 to July 13, offers something for everyone, including a survival game, a casual multiplayer game, and a roguelike city-building game. So, which games are being offered for free?

First up is ARK: Survival Ascended, a remake of the 2017 game ARK: Survival Evolved. Developed by Studio Wildcard, this action-adventure survival game guides players to build a tribe, tame and breed hundreds of unique dinosaurs and primitive creatures, craft, build, and reach the top of the food chain. At Screen Rant, we believe that ARK: Survival Ascended is a game that still deserves to be played in 2026. This weekend is a great opportunity to try the game for free and see how the series has evolved.