Blizzard announced that StarCraft II is going free-to-play beginning on November 14, 2017. They explain that when they say free-to-play – they really mean it.
Starting on November 14, you’ll have free access to the original Wings of Liberty single-player campaign and every Co-Op Commander, and will be able to unlock access to StarCraft II’s competitive multiplayer content for free.
Here is what will be available for free:
The original Wings of Liberty campaign
Experience the original epic campaign that kicked off the StarCraft II saga! If you picked up Wings of Liberty previously but haven’t come back to StarCraft II in a while, you will receive the second installment in StarCraft II’s campaign, the zerg-focused Heart of the Swarm for free. To claim it, you need to log in between November 8 and December 8, 2017.
Access to the ranked multiplayer ladder
Compete with other players to become the best, complete with all the multiplayer units from Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void. To unlock it permanently, you need to earn 10 First Wins of the Day in Unranked or Versus A.I. Play.
Current and upcoming Co-op Commanders
These are available to play for free up to level five, and the level restriction for weekly mutations have been removed. The Co-op Commanders Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis will remain completely free, meaning that you can keep leveling them to your heart’s content.
In other words, you will soon be able to play all of StarCraft II’s multiplayer, every Co-op Commander, and the entire first campaign in the single-player story, for free.