Free online games, courses, live concerts or movie streaming in coronavirus lockdown
In these trying times, companies and individuals are rising up to the occasion, announcing measures to ease the financial burden of bills and fees, but also offering free entertainment, and free access to home office and educational online tools.
- Burger King offers two free kids meals with each order from the app per day (March 23-April 6)
- Free Microsoft Teams Premium access for six months.
- Free Tomb Raider on Steam, Watch Dogs from Epic.
- 450 free online courses from Ivy League universities.
- Free live music, fitness or yoga classes, and theater performance streaming every day.
Free online games to beat lockdown boredom at home
- Epic throws in Watch Dogs and The Stanley Parable for free to PC gamers (until March 26 at 11 a.m.)
- GOG or the former Good Ol’ Games have a special "Spring Sale" promotion with 37 titles to choose from (through March 30).
- Indie game store Itch.io also has a few dozen games discounted down to zero.
- Steam: more than 40 new game previews are available through Steam for free through next Monday, March 23.
Free movies and TV shows streaming
Here are a list of the best free movie and show streaming services you can use without a Netflix, Hulu, HBO, or Disney+ subscription:
- Crackle: Sony's free, ad-based movie streaming service doesn't require an account.
- The Roku Channel: available either in your computer browser, or in your Roku-connected device.
- Kanopy: free movies and documentaries with a library card or a student account.
- Hoopla: free movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows streaming with a library card.
- Pluto TV: from the King of New York, to the Big Short.
- Tubi TV: free, ad-based movie streamer.
Free live concert music and theater streaming
While the Metropolitan Opera's on Demand app or its website will unleash a free opera performance at 7:30 pm ET each day, like Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor today, or Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin on Sunday, not everyone will be able to appreciate those as fully as a live concert or theater.
1/ Tonight's FREE Nightly Met Opera Stream proves that opera still has the power to bring us together and raise our spirits. Natalie Dessay and @jdiego_florez star in Donizetti’s great comedy La Fille du Régiment.
— Metropolitan Opera (@MetOpera) March 20, 2020
Watch: https://t.co/vkSGVfaTGH
Ken Howard pic.twitter.com/TnENheogIZ
With most festivals, live performances and concerts cancelled because of the coronavirus restrictions, here's a list of the best you can watch streaming online March 21:
- United We Stream: Curses, The Lady Machine, Jamaica Suk, Martin Eyerer, Pan Pot, Shaleen at 2pm ET
- Al Di Meola (jazz): live on Facebook at 4pm ET
- Rufus Wainwright (pop): live on Instagram at 1pm ET
- Low Cut Connie: live on Facebook at 5pm ET
- Ben Gibbard (rock): live on YouTube at 7pm ET
- Third Man Public Access: live on YouTube at 1pm ET with different artist each day
- Isol-Aid: an Instagram live-streaming festival promoting unity and community.
- Sofi Tukker (electronic): live on Facebook at 1pm ET
Free online courses and home office tools
If you want to actually use your lockdown time for self-improvement and/or working from home, here's a list of free online courses, classes, or video conference tools:
- Free LinkedIn online courses, from how to use Zoom video chat, to Microsoft Teams tips and tricks.
- A list of free online courses from Ivy League universities like Harvard, Brown or Princeton.
- Free Worddio language learning platform access for six months.
- Free Power Yoga and Camp Gladiator group fitness streaming to get you moving.
- Free Google Hangouts Premium video-conferencing till July 1.
- Free Microsoft Teams Premium for six months.
At Microsoft, the health and safety of employees, customers, partners and communities is our top priority. By making Teams available to all for free for six months, we hope that we can support public health and safety by making remote work even easier. https://t.co/e8aaocLzYD
— JP Courtois (@JP_Courtois) March 3, 2020
- If you've been struggling how to use Zoom conferencing, the service removed video call time limits for its free version in the US.
Zoom’s virtual backgrounds are my new favorite thing pic.twitter.com/Bgjyy9791U
— Rahul Kothari (@rahulk013) March 13, 2020
Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T coronavirus relief
The Keep Americans Connected Pledge asks involved companies to not cancel service to residential and small business customers unable to pay bills; to suspend late fees that customers may incur; and to make their Wi-Fi hotspots available to anyone needing them. The pledge is valid for the next 60 days starting today, March 13, 2020.
T-Mobile fees and data cap measures
- Any T-Mobile or Metro customer will have unlimited phone data for the next 60 days (except roaming).
- Additional 20GB of hotspot/tethering data.
- Free international calling for all current T-Mobile and Metro customers to Level 3 impacted countries.
- Residential and small business customers impacted financially by the pandemic won't lose service.
- T-Mobile broadens roaming access for Sprint customers to use its network (no doubt as a merger precursor).
Verizon fees and data cap measures
- Verizon will waive late fees for residential and small business customers impacted financially by the coronavirus pandemic for the next two months.
- For the same period, Verizon won't terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of inability to pay their bills in the ongoing coronavirus disruption.
AT&T fees and data cap measures
Again as part of the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, for the next 60 days, AT&T listed the following coronavirus measures on fees, bills and data caps. The carrier will:
- Not terminate the service of any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer because of their inability to pay their bill due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Waive any late payment fees that any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer may incur because of economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Keep our public Wi-Fi hotspots open for any American who needs them.
- Unlimited AT&T Home Internet: All AT&T consumer home internet wireline customers, as well as Fixed Wireless Internet, can use unlimited internet data.
- Continue to offer internet access for qualifying limited income households at $10 a month through its Access from AT&T program.
- AT&T World Connect Advantage: Business customers currently on or who purchase an AT&T World Connect Advantage package receive 50% off the current rate in a monthly bill credit (max $7.50/month).
