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Rivaling Factorio and Satisfactory, Paradox's Foundry is free to play right now

Foundry challenges you to automate a whole planet-wide factory and, to show off its sizeable update, it's free-to-play for a whole weekend.

Think you've got what it takes to turn a whole planet into one massive, automated factory? That's the challenge awaiting you in sci-fi sim Foundry, and you needn't pay a space-cent to find out. Published by Paradox Interactive, renowned as masters of sims, it's free-to-play all this weekend on Steam.

Rivalling the likes of Factorio and Satisfactory, simulation game that, despite its Steam Early Access status, has a 'very positive' rating from players.

Aided by your AI friend Carl, you're tasked with constructing, automating, and maintaining a massive factory. Think harvesting No Man's Sky's huge crystals was a big deal? You ain't seen nothing yet. But when your factory is a finely oiled machine, you'll feel a fuzzy warm glow.

With shades of Minecraft, Foundry has recently received a massive new update to make its voxel-based antics even more appealing. Dubbed Galactic Commerce, Foundry's second update adds a new galaxy map, a whole host of new robots, and new biomes and environmental elements.

Now, developer Channel 3 Entertainment and publisher Paradox Interactive are giving new players a taste by making Foundry free-to-play all weekend on Steam. And if you're sufficiently hooked, you can purchase Foundry for 50% off, making it a pocket-friendly $14.99 /£13.49, down from $29.99 / £26.99. You'll have to be fast though, the free weekend ends this Monday, May 19 at 7pm CEST and the 50% discount finishes on May 22.

However, if crafting a vast metropolis (and forgetting to plumb in the sewage pipes) is more your style, we've rounded up the best mech games.

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