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Amazingly good freebies in all categories: movies, TV series, games, books, virtual tours, guitar lessons, exercise classes and more.
Welcome to our new abundantly cautious coronavirus reality, in which social distancing is the new normal and everything is closed or canceled. Already bored? Have no fear, I've rounded up a bunch of ways you can entertain yourself, all of them free. (You will, however, need things like a phone or tablet, a TV, an internet connection -- and possibly a yoga mat.) I'll keep this updated in the coming weeks with new offers and services; find the latest additions at the bottom.
Free PC games
world-war-z
World War Z is free for you and me.
Epic Games
Tired of bite-size phone games? This is the perfect time to reconnect with (or discover) computer games, which can deliver richer, deeper experiences. If nothing else, you'll love playing on a bigger screen. Here's what you can get absolutely free right now:
Drawful 2: A super-fun Pictionary-like group game from the folks behind the beloved You Don't Know Jack series. The object is to sketch a picture on your phone or tablet based on a text prompt, and then everyone gets to vote on what the picture represents. And because we're all social-distancing right now, you can play this not only at home with family, but also remotely with far-flung friends and relatives. The free version is available via the Mac App Store and Steam; Nintendo Switch owners can buy it for just 9 cents.
Figment: A whimsical action-adventure game that normally sells for $20. It's free from Epic Games, provided you have an Epic account and accompanying software client (also free). You just need to claim it before April 2; then it's yours to keep forever.
GOG is giving away a whopping 27 PC games, including classics dating back to 1979 (!) and a playable prologue of the brand new city-building sim Builders of Egypt. All titles are DRM-free and compatible with Windows; some are also available for Mac or Linux.
World War Z: A cooperative shooter for you and up to three friends. Mow down wave after wave of zombies in this game inspired by the movie inspired by the book. This is another Epic freebie; same requirements apply.
Read more: Best gaming laptops for 2020
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Free streaming TV and movies
pluto-movies-dec-2019
Revisit classic Bond, for free, on Pluto TV.
Pluto
Just want to veg out in front of the TV? Don't blame you one bit. While I think Hulu for $6 a month is arguably the single best streaming deal you can get, here are some other options that won't cost you a dime:
Start with this list of 10 totally free movie streaming services. Over at Pluto, for example, you can find an entire channel of James Bond movies, while Kanopy is home to notable films like Captain Fantastic, Midsommar and The Great Buster: A Celebration.
Next up: The best free TV streaming services.
IMDb TV just added the first five seasons of Schitt's Creek to its lineup. Previously you had to subscribe to Netflix if you wanted to watch that increasingly beloved show. While you're there, check out Friday Night Lights and The Middle in their entirety.
Good news for parents: Amazon is now offering a bunch of free streaming kids shows, including Arthur, Caillou and The Dangerous Book for Boys. You don't need an Amazon Prime subscription to view these, just an Amazon account.
I wouldn't call this the feel-good show we need right now, but if you don't have an HBO subscription and want to check out a notable series, the Roku Channel is currently offering Westworld season 1 for free. It's also available via the Apple TV app, even if you don't have an Apple TV Plus subscription.
What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: I don't hold this "middle child" Trek series in such high regard as most Trekkies (I always preferred Voyager; don't @ me), but I was definitely interested in seeing the new documentary, What We Left Behind, when it debuted last year. You can rent it for $2-$3 from nearly anywhere, but it's now streaming free on Tubi. I'm only about 30 minutes into it; once you get past the weird introduction, the interviews are pretty good.
Here's a freebie you don't have to "wrestle" with: Wireless carrier Cricket is offering a free 3-month subscription to the WWE Network when you provide your name, email address and phone number. The subscription info will be delivered to you via email. The offer is good for new and past subscribers only; you can't apply it to an existing subscription.
It's still unknown whether we'll get a delayed 2020 baseball season or none at all. But if you need your baseball fix (and watching some sports -- any sports -- sounds pretty great right now), here's good news: MLB.tv is offering free streaming of 2018 and 2019 games when you log into or create an account.
It's not Rick and Morty, but Adult Swim is offering the entire Samurai Jack series free to stream via its website and apps.
Read more: Westworld season 3 review
Free exercise classes
peloton-ipad-app-screenshot
The Peloton app gives you full access to all Peloton fitness content, but for a much lower price ($13 a month) than bike owners pay. And right now it's free for 90 days.
Rick Broida/CNET
OK, maybe it's not entertainment, but it's definitely good for you. With many gyms now closed indefinitely, many services have stepped up with free home-workout options.
Echelon is offering a free 90-day trial of the FitPass app, which, like Peloton's (below), offers a wide variety of live and on-demand classes. You'll find cardio and core workouts, pilates, Zumba and so on. The app is available for Android and iOS. If you choose to continue after the trial, FitPass costs $20 per month.
Peloton is offering a free 90-day trial of the Peloton app. Available for Android, iOS and Amazon Fire TV, it provides unlimited access to a wealth of live and on-demand classes: treadmill and outdoor running, strength training, high-intensity interval training, yoga, meditation and so on. If you choose to continue after the trial, the subscription costs $13 per month.
This might be the perfect time to take up yoga, one of the greatest stress-relievers ever. You can find countless free beginner classes -- and plenty for more experienced yogis as well -- on YouTube. I recommend starting with Yoga With Adriene, which has literally hundreds of videos for all skill levels (and all categories, like Yoga for Bedtime and Yoga for Wrist Pain). While you're at it, you can search YouTube for meditation classes -- also not exactly entertaining, but a useful way to pass the time and keep stress at bay.
Read more: Gym closed? Here are some of the best home workout options
Free magazines
rbdigital-cooking-mags
RBDigital is home to lots of magazines you can download and read for free on your PC, tablet or phone.
RBDigital
Call me old-fashioned, but I still enjoy reading magazines: Cook's Illustrated, Family Handyman, Men's Health, Reader's Digest, Wired and so on. I'm not a paid subscriber to any of them; instead, I use RBDigital, a service offered by my public library, to read all those titles on my phone and tablet. The selection varies, so you may not have access to all the same titles I do, but you should definitely investigate using RBDigital to get free magazines from your library.
Free ebooks and audiobooks
overdrive-destination-mudbound
Here's an example of one of the great ebooks you may be able to check out from your library. (Seriously, read this one, it's awesome.)
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Speaking of libraries, yours can probably hook you up with a selection of free ebooks and audiobooks as well. Right now, for example, I'm using an app called Libby (formerly OverDrive) to read a novel by Richard Russo, and before that I used it to listen to Martin Short's thoroughly entertaining autobiography I Must Say (read by the author). You may have to wait a bit before the title you want becomes available, so add a bunch to your queue so you always have something ready to go.
Read more: Best e-reader for 2020
Free virtual museum tours
google-arts-and-culture-museum-of-magic
Anyone for a virtual tour of the American Museum of Magic?
Google
How about a little culture in the mix? Google's Arts & Culture collection can take you on virtual tours of hundreds of museums around the world, from Japan's Nagoya City Art Museum to Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. Within each you may find one or more "stories" you can browse. You can sort the collection alphabetically or view them on a map. One particularly great example: Posters from History's Greatest Illusionists at the American Museum of Magic.
Free night at the opera
The New York Metropolitan Opera will stream a different encore Live in HD performance every day. Each performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) and remain available for streaming for 20 hours. You can watch the streams in a browser, or use one of the Met Opera on Demand streaming apps available for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices. (Take note, however, that the site is noting unprecedented high demand, so there could be delays or glitches.)
Free 90-day Amazon Music HD subscription
amazon-music-hd
Amazon Music HD aims to challenge the high-fidelity likes of Tidal and Qobuz. Here's your chance to try it free for 90 days.
Amazon
Wait, Amazon Music has an HD option? I honestly had no idea. And what exactly does "HD" mean when it comes to music? In this case, it means higher bit rates, which in layman's terms translates to better sound quality. Whereas Spotify maxes out at a bit rate of 320 kilobits per second, Amazon HD delivers up to 850Kbps for its 50-million song library -- and up to a whopping 3,730Kbps for millions of songs in "Ultra HD" format.
Anyway, this free 90-day trial is available only for new Amazon Music subscribers. After that, you'll get billed at the regular rate of $14.99 a month (or $12.99 if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber) unless you cancel.
Free audiobooks for kids and teens
audible-free-streams-for-kids
Audible is offering free streaming audiobooks for kids of all ages.
Audible
To help keep out-of-school kids occupied, Audible is offering a big selection of streaming audiobooks at no charge. You'll find the likes of Winnie-the-Pooh, Anne of Green Gables, White Fang, various Audible Originals and even some modern titles like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. There are books available in different languages as well, including French, German and Spanish.
For the moment it looks like a browser is required for this; the streams don't seem to be available within Audible's apps. There's also no login or even registration required, and I was able to listen on my phone via my mobile browser.
Free audiobooks for adults
audible-original-the-half-life-of-marie-curie
Score some great Audible Originals for free.
Audible
Audible is now offering a bunch of Audible Originals for free as well, most of them rated four stars or higher. Here's the list:
The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey
An Act of God
Evil Eye
Feeding the Dragon
The Half-Life of Marie Curie
Proof of Love
Sakina's Restaurant
Needless to say, you'll need an Audible account to access these.
Free Crayola coloring pages
Need some new pictures for the kids to color? Crayola is offering a wealth of free-to-download (and print) coloring pages, all of them organized by season.
Free 3 months of guitar lessons from Fender
This has "Rick Broida" written all over it: I own a guitar and had every intention of learning to play, but for various reasons just never got going. Now, with ample extra time on my hands and Fender's three-month subscription freebie, I can take lessons online. The site offers classes for acoustic and electric guitars and ukulele. Note that although a credit card is not required, this promotion is limited to the first 100,000 sign-ups.
Other ideas
What else can we do with all this stay-at-home down-time? Some suggestions: bake bread, organize the junk drawer, start a new hobby, revisit an old hobby, break out the board games. (Need a new one? Walmart currently has Ticket to Ride: London for just $9, nearly $11 off the regular price.) In other words, use this time to unwind, disconnect and hopefully find some calm.
Now tell me your ideas for staying busy and entertained -- ideally without spending any (or much) money.
Watch this: Easy ways to stream movies for free
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