Home Try Ubisoft’s ‘AAAA’ game Skull & Bones for free

Try Ubisoft’s ‘AAAA’ game Skull & Bones for free

TL:DR

  • Skull and Bones will be free to play for a week on all platforms, offering complete access to the game without content restrictions.
  • The free week aims to reignite interest after losing players post-launch and coincides with the launch of the second gameplay season.
  • Season 2 introduces new plot elements, a boss fight, ship upgrades, fleet management, and teased solo gameplay modes.

Skull and Bones will be free to play for a week to launch its second gameplay season. The free week covers all platforms and, crucially, allows complete access to the game with no limitations on what content you can access.

Despite launching with huge fanfare and claims that it is a step up from triple-A games (Ubisoft’s CEO called it quadruple-A to support its $70 launch price), reports suggest that Skull and Bones couldn’t maintain momentum, losing a third of its player base just two weeks after launch.

So a free week, to remind people of what they liked about the game when it was in open beta (and free), could be just the ticket that Ubisoft is hoping to regain that launch excitement. Especially coinciding with a surge of current players who are logging in excitedly to experience season 2.

What will be in Skull and Bones Season 2?

Season 2 of the piratical action adventure game expands mechanically on what came before, with a new plot for players to enjoy, which includes a new boss fight!

Ship upgrades are a big one that players have wanted for some time. Upgrade your ship and its stats and gain new perks – though we don’t know what kind of perks they will be.

Fleet management which will allow players to assign ships to manufactories and automatically collect pieces of eight will also be coming in season 2.

Ubisoft has also teased new player versus environment and solo gameplay modes, but they haven’t expanded on this at all or gone into any detail about what solitary pirates can expect from these modes.

When does Skull and Bones’ free week start and end?

This isn’t quite as simple as you might think – there’s no single start and end time. While all timezones will gain access simultaneously, the exact times will differ based on what platform you’re gaming on.

Pre-load

Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation, and Xbox users can preload the game at the same moment – there’s no preload time given for Epic Games users:

  • Oceania and Asia (AET timezone) – Wednesday, May 29, 2 am
  • Europe (CET timezone) – Tuesday, May 28, 6 pm
  • The Americas (PT timezone) – Tuesday, May 28, 9 am

Start

Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games:

  • Oceania and Asia (AET timezone) – Friday, May 31, 2 am
  • Europe (CET timezone) – Thursday, May 30, 6 pm
  • The Americas (PT timezone) – Thursday, May 30, 9 am

Xbox and PlayStation:

  • Oceania and Asia (AET timezone) – Friday, May 31, 3 am
  • Europe (CET timezone) – Thursday, May 30, 7 pm
  • The Americas (PT timezone) – Thursday, May 30, 10 am

End

Xbox:

  • Oceania and Asia (AET timezone) – Thursday, June 6, 5 pm
  • Europe (CET timezone) – Thursday, June 6, 9 am
  • The Americas (PT timezone) – Thursday, June 6, 12 am

Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation, and Epic Games:

  • Oceania and Asia (AET timezone) – Thursday, June 6, 10 pm
  • Europe (CET timezone) – Thursday, June 6, 2 pm
  • The Americas (PT timezone) – Thursday, June 6, 5 am

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Ali Rees
Tech journalist

Ali Rees is a freelance writer based in the UK. They have worked as a data and analytics consultant, a software tester, and a digital marketing and SEO specialist. They have been a keen gamer and tech enthusiast since their childhood in are currently the Gaming and Tech editor at Brig Newspaper. They also have a Substack where they review short video games. During the pandemic, Ali turned their hand to live streaming and is a fan of Twitch. When not writing, Ali enjoys playing video and board games, live music, and reading. They have two cats and both of…

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