Guild Wars 2 : Free to play on PC: requirements, reviews and live streams

Guild Wars 2's open world is all about discovery and exploration. Check your content guide for suggestions when you set out on your adventures, consult your compass to find interesting landmarks…or just pick your favorite direction to travel in and let adventure find you. Tyria is full of characters with their own stories and goals, and you'll be rewarded for helping them out—or thwarting their plans—by completing renown hearts and dynamic events. Read our new player guide for more tips!

When you meet other players in the open world, you don't need to join their party to lend a helping hand, investigate a secret jumping puzzle, or team up against a deadly world boss. Don't grind; play the way you want to play! Whether you're reviving defeated players, rescuing soldiers from a Risen onslaught, or gathering herbs, you'll earn experience points.

Arm your character with an arsenal of new weapons as you play. Every profession wields them differently, and each type has its own playstyle, which you can refine and customize by unlocking and equipping hundreds of skills and traits. If you want to jump straight into structured PvP, go for it—every player competes at the same level, with access to the max-level gear and build options you need to make your mark.

If you love fashion, express yourself with the perfect character design! When you equip new weapons and armor, you'll unlock their skins in your wardrobe. Make them truly yours with thousands of possible combinations and a massive selection of collectible dyes.

Upgrade your free account with a Guild Wars 2 expansion and get access to log-in rewards, additional character and bag slots, expanded chat features, and more. Visit the Black Lion Trading Company in the game and use your Steam Wallet to upgrade.

Guild Wars 2 expansions and Guild Wars 2 Living World™ seasons offer additional story that will take you to new maps, allow you to unlock new skills, and train Masteries to expand your character's abilities. Unlock and upgrade your glider in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns®, befriend a stable of mounts with powerful movement skills in Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire™, learn to fish and pilot a skiff in Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons™, hunt down demon rifts in Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure™, wield a spear in Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds™, and discover new potential for your skimmer mount in Guild Wars 2: Visions of Eternity™. Expansions also include access to the revenant profession, which you can select during character creation to channel power from Tyrian legends in combat. Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds introduces your Homestead, a private home instance where you can let your architectural imagination run wild, and Guild Wars 2: Visions of Eternity builds on that system by offering a tropical homestead plot.

Guild Wars 2 Living World seasons 1 and 2 contain additional story, following the aftermath of the core game campaign, and are included for free with core game access. Guild Wars 2 Living World seasons 3 and 4, which are included with Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns and Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire, continue the Guild Wars 2 story between expansions and include new explorable zones, rewards, and Masteries. Guild Wars 2 Living World season 5 is included with Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons and the content comes after Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire.

Living World seasons continue the Guild Wars 2 story between expansions and must be purchased separately through your Story Journal or in Gem Store bundles. Play Living World episodes to unlock new explorable zones, rewards, and Masteries.

*Living World episodes become playable at level 80. Players may need to relaunch the game for the upgrade to take effect.

**Please note that existing Guild Wars 2 player accounts cannot be accessed via Steam