The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is by no means a new game. It first appeared back in 2011 on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. There were then three expansions and multiple patches culminating in a Legendary Edition being released. But that wasn't the end of the releases. In October last year a remaster of the game was launched called Skyrim: Special Edition for the PS4, Xbox One, and Windows.

Chances are, if you've been interested in playing Skyrim there have been multiple chances to pick it up cheap in one of the many Steam sales. But if you haven't, then Bethesda is giving us all an opportunity this weekend to play the game completely free.

The free play offer has already started on both Steam and Xbox One and runs through to 1pm Pacific time on Sunday. You'll get the original game, all the add-ons, and the remastered art and effects created for the Special Edition re-release. There's also countless mods to download and try.

If by the end of the weekend you want to keep playing, Bethesda is enticing a purchase by also dropping the price of the game by 50 percent until 1pm Pacific on Monday. So the game will cost you $20 instead of $40.

Why do this offer now? It probably has a lot to do with The Elder Scrolls Online and a certain Heroes of Skyrim expansion. What better way to get more people enthused about that and playing online than to remind them how good the original game is with a free play weekend?