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Epic Games' classic first-person shooter Unreal is free right now

To celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Epic Games is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of its seminal first-person shooter Unreal - and you can get it for free on Steam and GOG while the party lasts.

Unreal, if you're unfamiliar, launched in 1998, and was the very first game to be released using Epic's cutting edge Unreal engine - the same engine that, some two decades and four major iterations later, is powering the likes of Epic's own battle royale juggernaut Fortnite, as well as Sea of Thieves' glorious waters.

The original Unreal was quite a revelation at the time, particularly on the visual front - the gaming world hadn't seen anything quite like Unreal's striking landscapes, vibrant skyboxes, dazzling lighting, rich textures, and evocative medieval-sci-fi architecture before. Look!

Cover image for YouTube videoUnreal 1 Original Trailer

Of course, Unreal played wonderfully too, with development and design duties on the first-person shooter jointly handled by Epic and Digital Extremes - the latter of which is probably best known these days for its impressive free-to-play shooter Warframe.

Epic's celebratory freebie actually takes the form of Unreal Gold, which bundles together the original Unreal and its 1999 expansion Return to Na Pali. And if you'd like to relive the halcyon days of 1998 (or are looking to experience a bona fide chunk of gaming history for the very first time), Unreal Gold is free on Steam and GOG until Friday, May 25th.