Free game codes are a time-honored tradition when you’re building or upgrading a gaming PC. Odds are pretty good that at any given time, a purchase of a new AMD or Nvidia graphics card will come with a free copy of whatever title is hot that quarter. Intel’s latest selection of freebies includes the latest Assassin’s Creed stab-em-up and an indie survival crafting game called Nightingale. The “Gamer Days” bundle runs from August 24th to September 4th in the United States.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage takes the Ubisoft series back to its Middle Eastern story roots, following assassin Basim Ibn Ishaq as he creeps around Bagdad to uncover conspiracies and ancient relics. The game is intentionally scaled-down, with a shorter and more focused main story in smaller maps that deliberately trades some of the wide-open RPG elements of the later titles for specific assassination story missions. It’s set to be released on October 5th.
Nightingale has a much lower profile, coming from newbie Canadian developer Inflexion. It’s an online open-world crafting/survival game in the vein of Ark or Valheim, but set in the Victorian era. Mystical portals have stranded you in a series of Fae realms where you can meet giants and fairies, while floating around the environment on umbrellas like Mary Poppins. Play solo and recruit NPCs or hop online with friends to build up your base and craft new weapons and armor. Nightingale is currently awaiting early access release, with a full debut not so much scheduled as hinted at.
Intel
Intel
Intel
It looks like pretty much all 12th- and 13th-gen Core i5, i7, and i9 desktop processors are eligible for the free game codes as well as the Arc A310, A380, A580, A750, and A770. Laptops equipped with the Arc A350M, A370M, A550M, and A770M may also be included. As VideoCardz.com notes, the redemption period varies from country to country, with some getting far more time than others. Gamers in Thailand get barely a week, while those in Poland have to wait until October before they’re eligible. Chalk it up to international licensing woes.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.