Build pretend PCs for free in the PC Building Simulator 2 open beta

PC Building Simulator (opens in new tab) is a game about building a PC, which, let’s be frank, sounds a bit silly. Why would you build a PC so you could play a game about building PCs? Yet when we tried it, well, we liked it (opens in new tab), and so did a lot of other people: It built up a big following in Early Access on Steam (opens in new tab), where it holds a “very positive” rating across more than 34,000 user reviews, and it was enough of a success that a sequel was announced earlier this year.

That sequel isn’t out yet, but you can give a pre-release build a spin right now by way of the open beta that’s currently underway on the Epic Games Store (opens in new tab). The beta includes the first hour of PC Building Simulator 2’s career mode, as well as access to the “free build” mode with a limited selection of parts. The full career mode will offer more than 30 hours of gameplay, and access to more than 1,200 individual components, including licensed parts from Nvidia, Intel, AMD, and a number of enthusiast brands.

If you’re already committed to grabbing PC Building Simulator 2 when it launches, it’s still worth your time to snag the beta: Anyone who tries it will get 15% off the purchase price of the full game at release. To give it a whirl, just pop around to the Epic Games Store page and scroll down the page a bit, until you see the “add to cart” button. Click that, then check out as usual, and it’s all yours.

PC Building Simulator 2 is expected to launch later this year, and will be available exclusively on the Epic Games Store. The open beta runs until June 20, and you can find out more at pcbuildingsim.com (opens in new tab).