Bethesda Offers 'Prey' Trials On PC, Consoles

Bethesda announced that new Prey trials are available for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. This is the first time PC gamers will be able to play the Arkane Studios-developed title at no cost, and unlike the old console demo, this trial will preserve your progress if you get the full game.

Prey is a sci-fi title rooted in System Shock, Deus Ex, and other first-person games that emphasize freedom. You're pretty much free to roam the Talos I space station right from the get-go, and you'll be able to choose how you want to handle fights, interactions with non-player characters, and other goings-on however you like. You're supposed to feel like you're in a living world, not like you're on a ride in an amusement park.

That makes the game markedly different from its predecessor of the same name, which was released in 2006 by Human Head Studios. Aside from the Prey moniker, the titles are unrelated, which probably frustrated and confused people familiar with the first game. But if you're willing to forgive the odd branding decision, you might find some enjoyment from this Prey's blend of psychological horror and free-roaming adventuring.

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We certainly enjoyed the time we spent with Prey before its release, and we ended up playing the game during our weekly Twitch stream. Now you can figure out if the title is right for you without having to spend a dollar or worry about making your way back through Talos I if you move on to the full game. Bethesda will likely pray that you decide Prey is worth a shot after playing through this new trial.

If you want to figure out how well Prey will run on your system first, check out our performance review, which covers the minimum and recommended requirements and explores how different graphics options affect the game's presentation. The trial wasn't available to download at press time, but we expect it to head to Steam, the PlayStation Store, and the Xbox Store sooner than later.