The Battle Royale game H1Z1 has turned into a free-to-play title. Up until now players were only able to play by purchasing the game.

The game is similar to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and is advertised as the game that pionered the genre. In addition to the classic Battle Royale experience, the game also features a new game mode titled Auto Royale in which players are forced to stay within their vehicles.

The decision to go free-to-play was met with mixed responses because the 1.0 release of the game was advertised for purchase on Steam's frontpage not even 48 hours ago. Players are reporting that refund requests will not be honored, likely because their playtime exceeded Steam's 2 hour refund window.