Company Of Heroes Online Open Beta Starts

You can play this upcoming free game for free, right now! Kidding aside, Company of Heroes Online is being done by series creator Relic, and even this pre-launch version is already the best free RTS experience to be found. That may be a lot of caveats, but hey -- free is free.

COHO is more or less the classic critically acclaimed Company of Heroes real-time strategy take on World War II with a persistent progression layer bolted on top. Players earn access to ever more powerful hero units, army buffs, and commander powers like airstrikes as they play -- though dropping some money in the cash shop can significantly speed your progress. Relic fortunately decided not to tank the game by allowing cash-rich players to have in-game advantages over free players, though. Paying in simply buys instant access to unlockable rewards, or meta boosts like experience gain bonuses.

The open beta includes the original story campaign from Company of Heroes as well as a selection of maps for multiplayer from 1v1 to 4v4.

Signing up for the open beta doesn't just get you early access to the game. Players will get 3,000 points for the cash shop, an exclusive in-game item pack, 500 commander XP, one free hero, and a free army item for doing so.

Seriously, where else are you going to go to get your RTS on for free?