Unreal Tournament 3 is Now Available for Free on Steam

Unreal Tournament 3: Even if Epic has shut a few doors, it may have opened a dazzling new one. Today, it looks like the company accidentally unveiled a free version of the fantastic Unreal Tournament 3 that would allow you to crossplay with pals on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and even GOG (via Wario64).

According to Steam, there is no catch with Unreal Tournament 3 X. The game features “No microtransactions and no strings attached. Here you can play the complete version of the award-winning first-person shooter that has captured your heart at zero cost.

Assuming the listing is accurate, the game will retain all its main modes, such as the Unreal Tournament 3 Black single-player storyline and the Greed and Betrayal game types added in the 2009 Titan Pack update.

All of this seems legit to us, as the name, full description, and assets for the old Unreal Tournament 3 Black have been replaced with the ones you see above, and the update only went live on SteamDB a few hours ago.

Another reason I think it’s indisputable is that Epic refused to confirm or deny this when we inquired. We asked the company if the drastic alteration to the page was a mistake or a leftover from an abandoned project. Still, they refused to elaborate (like, say, its Steam developer account getting hacked or something).

Epic also informed us that the page was modified within the hour after we reported this news. Previously, it simply said, “This title is not available at this time but will be in the future.” Maintain your suspense! It sounds like confirmation to me.

Unreal Tournament 3 X is coming, completely free with crossplay between Steam, EGS, and GOG https://t.co/mZCrRnoVBj

"No microtransactions and no strings attached. This is the fully-featured, award-winning first-person shooter you fell in love with… completely free." pic.twitter.com/dzlRx48ngd

— Wario64 (@Wario64) December 14, 2022

Even while the release date is still listed as “November 19th, 2007,” this is just the date UT3 was released for the Windows platform, according to SteamDB. Even though the original game didn’t make it to Steam until 2009, it has always been labeled as being released in 2007.

If you’re curious, you can check out Steam’s old “Black” listing for Unreal Tournament 3 via the Wayback Machine. Neither GOG nor the Epic Titles Store appears to have the new UT3X listed just yet, and in fact, none of the Unreal games are listed there. But after Epic officially announces the game, look for them to pop up. And ideally, the date of release.

Unreal Deal Pack (Steam) is $2.99 at Gamersgate https://t.co/kCukvWvTU1 #ad

includes:
-Unreal 2: The Awakening
-Unreal Gold
-Unreal Tournament 2004: Editor's Choice Edition
-Unreal Tournament 3 Black
-Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition

sale up for next ~6 hours pic.twitter.com/wCw1erHGsi

— Wario64 (@Wario64) December 14, 2022

Yesterday, Epic declared that it would discontinue server support for not just UT but the original UT, UT3, UT2004, UT2003, and even six other Unreal games. Even while I wouldn’t claim UT3 was the greatest (both the original and the 2004 remake had exciting aspects that I appreciate), I think I’ll be pleased with this outcome. There’s always the option to resume LAN play with the previous games.