History Main / RereleasedForFree

* The [=YouTube=] channel for Creator/DisneyXD has uploaded the entire first seasons of both ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. The former also has [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbStarWars one of their crossover episodes]] uploaded. In addition, a number of episodes for ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndDaleRescueRangers'', ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'', and ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'' are also available on their [=YouTube=] channel.

* Toys for Bob, the creators of the ''VideoGame/StarControl'' franchise, released the partially ported files for the 3DO port of ''Star Control 2'' to the fans, and it was eventually finished and officially released for free as ''The Ur-Quan Masters'' for a variety of platforms [[http://sc2.sourceforge.net/ here]].

** Epic then launched their own storefront to compete with Steam in 2019. They would give away up to two games weekly (and very rarely, three games). And while usually it would be indie titles up for grabs, Triple-A titles like VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV and VideoGame/SurvivingMars have come up for grabs in the past.
* In 2004, the former members of ''VideoGame/{{Warzone 2100}}'''s defunct developer, Pumpkin Studios, released the game and its source code under the GNU General Public License.

** ''Angry Birds WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' was originally released on March 22, 2011 at the same price as the other Angry Birds games. However, on January 17, 2013, the game was rereleased for free, initially as part of Apple's "Free App of the Week" promotion.

* UsefulNotes/MacOS X version 10.9, known as Mavericks, became free, whereas previously new versions were paid. You have to have a Mac (or a Hackintosh) to take advantage of this, but still, it's now free and previously was not.
** Same with UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows. Windows 7 and 8 owners, even if their copy is [[DigitalPiracyIsOkay pirated]], could get Windows 10 for free on launch... but they had to upgrade within a year of its release. Except it is actually more complicated than Microsoft initially stated. You can download and install an ISO of Windows 10 for free, but to take advantage of features like customization, you'll have to activate it.

* Creator/ValveSoftware have given several of their internally-developed games away for free as part of limited-time promotions or seasonal events, as well as select games from other publishers. These deals are usually offered for a 24-hour period on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, and anyone who clicks "Download" on the store page keeps the games permanently.

* ''[[UpdatedRerelease 3D Classics]]: VideoGame/{{Excitebike}}'' was free to download for a limited time in June 2011 to promote the launch of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS [=eShop=].

* To the shock of nearly everybody, in 2019, as part of the final backward compatibility update for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, ''VideoGame/TooHuman'' was reuploaded to the Xbox Store free of charge, despite Creator/SiliconKnights being ordered in the past to cease sales of it and destroy any remaining copies. Xbox 360 owners can also take advantage of this offer.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'' got an ''[[MilestoneCelebration Anniversary Edition]]'' rerelease as UsefulNotes/DSiWare in 2011 to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary. It was available for free download for about four months, and then gone, only available for redownload if you got it during that window. It was later briefly made available a second time for ''four days'' in 2014 to celebrate the success of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', also for free. Notably, unlike the original ''Four Swords'', this rerelease has a single-player mode -- and [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes it's anyone's guess when, or even IF, it'll be made available again]].

* [[Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection American Girl]] has rereleased a number of books for free online. During the start of the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, a variety of older and current books were offered for free digitally for twelve weeks. During their diversity and inclusion promotion in 2020, they also offered every current book with a black protagonist for free. This includes the Cécile and Marie-Grace series (who were retired in 2014) and the full series of Addy books, including the short story collection, mystery, and the main series in the individual six-book series (which had been depreciated). Other older books are offered in full text through their online bookstore; this includes books for retired characters from the Girls of the Year. It doesn't however, include older lines that have been completely discontinued such as for the Girls of Many Lands or History Mysteries.

* With the exception of ''Series/TheKidsOfDegrassiStreet'' and the Netflix-produced ''Next Class'' episodes, three of the ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'' series - ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'', ''Series/DegrassiHigh'' (only the first season for an inexplicable reason), and ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' - were officially made available on Website/YouTube by DHX Media (now [=WildBrain=]) in the late 2010s. Both ''Degrassi High'' and ''Next Generation'' have made it onto Tubi in the United States at certain points, and ''Next Generation'' has its own Pluto TV channel. However, in 2022, the three series on YouTube were geoblocked in the US and other Western countries.

* With the exception of the Netflix-produced ''Next Class'' episodes, ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' 's entire run has been uploaded to Website/YouTube officially by Media DHX, available on Tubi TV and has a whole channel on the free Pluto TV app.

* The official [=YouTube=] channel for ''Franchise/GIJoe'' began uploading full episodes of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'' in 2020. ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeSigmaSix'' would soon follow, with ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades'' having already taken a turn on Tubi.

* Vudu, a video service owned by UsefulNotes/WalMart, offers free ad-supported movies from Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer, Creator/WarnerBros, Creator/{{Paramount}}, Creator/{{Lionsgate}}, Creator/SonyPictures, and Creator/{{Disney}} (specifically Creator/TouchstonePictures and Creator/HollywoodPictures titles).

* Creator/Discord initially locked their Activities series to Nitro subscribers, then released all those games for free forever.

* [[Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection American Girl]] has rereleased a number of books for free online. During the start of the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, books were offered for free digitally for twelve weeks. During their diversity and inclusion promotion in 2020, they also offered every current book with a black protagonist for free. This includes the Cécile and Marie-Grace series (who were retired in 2014) and the full series of Addy books, including the short story collection, mystery, and the main series in the individual six-book series (which had been depreciated). Other older books are offered in full text through their online bookstore; this includes books for retired characters from the Girls of the Year. It doesn't however, include older lines that have been completely discontinued such as for the Girls of Many Lands or History Mysteries.

* [[Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection American Girl]] has rereleased a number of books for free online, including a promotion to go along with their diversity and inclusion statement that gave every current book with a black protagonist for free, along with the long-out-of-print Cécile and Marie-Grace series (a split series with one black girl and one white girl) and the pre-compilation Addy books (though not with the original illustrations; those had been replaced beforehand). It unfortunately didn't include early books like ''Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot'' and some of the History Mysteries, all of which have been out of print since 2005 or earlier.

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free in order to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''. This original version of the game was redubbed as ''Shadow Warrior Classic'' and remained a freebie while the Creator/DevolverDigital ''Classic Redux'' remaster was sold in its stead. Other stores like Website/GOGDotCom (which also has ''Classic Redux'') and ZOOM followed this trend. The only exception is Creator/3DRealms' [[https://3drealms.com/catalog/shadow-warrior_10/ official rebuild]], known as ''Shadow Warrior (Classic)'' (note the parenthesis on ''Classic'') on Steam.

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free in order to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''. This original version of the game was redubbed as ''Shadow Warrior Classic'' and remained a freebie while the Creator/DevolverDigital ''Classic Redux'' remaster was sold in its stead. Other stores like UsefulNotes/GOGDotCom (which also has ''Classic Redux'') and ZOOM followed this trend. The only exception is Creator/3DRealms' [[https://3drealms.com/catalog/shadow-warrior_10/ official rebuild]].

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free in order to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''. This original version of the game was redubbed as ''Shadow Warrior Classic'' and remained a freebie while the Creator/DevolverDigital remaster was sold in its stead. Other stores like UsefulNotes/GOGDotCom and ZOOM followed the trend, leaving only remasters (''Classic Redux'' and Creator/3DRealms [[https://3drealms.com/catalog/shadow-warrior_10/ official remaster]]) remaining paying content.

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free in order to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''. This original version of the game was redubbed as ''Shadow Warrior Classic'' and remained a freebie while the Creator/DevolverDigital remaster was sold in its stead.

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free in order to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''. This original version of the game was redubbed as ''Shadow Warrior Classic'' and remained a freebie while the remaster was sold in its stead.

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free in order to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''. This original version of the game was redubbed as ''Shadow Warrior Classic'' and remained a freebie while the Creator/NightdiveStudios remaster was sold in its stead.

* Several Creator/DonBluth films, including ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' (along with [[WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven2 its sequel]], which wasn't directed by Bluth), ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'', and ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'' were legally uploaded to watch for free on [=YouTube=] Movies in 2019, albiet with ads ([[LoopholeAbuse although you could watch them with an adblocker]]).

May result in said product becoming either an AllegedlyFreeGame or {{Freemium}}. Compare {{Abandonware}}.

** A variation. When Origin removed ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' from it's store shelves on July 15, 2014, existing owners were given a email saying that their copy of ''The Sims 2'' had been upgraded to ''The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection'', containing all expansion packs and stuff packs, even if the owner hadn't obtained them yet. Later that month, ''Ultimate Collection'' could be obtained for free by inputting in a promo code. After the promotion ended, it was still possible to obtain ''The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection'' by showing proof of owning a physical copy of ''The Sims 2'' through EA chat. This was discontinued by late 2018, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes making them no longer obtainable in legal form]].

** In late August 2016, ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' was distributed for free for 24 hours to promote the release of ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2''.

* In 2009, Creator/EpicGames released [[UsefulNotes/GameEngine UDK (Unreal Development Kit)]]; an open-source version of [[VideoGame/{{Unreal}} Unreal Engine 3]] for Windows (and later, iOS) platforms. Although anyone selling a UDK-based game still has to pay Epic royalties[[note]]A one-off $99 initial licence fee and 25% of any "UDK related revenue" over $50,000[[/note]], releasing free UDK based games is... free.
** That wasn't the first time Epic Games gave away a game for free - in 1999, they rereleased their classic fighter ''VideoGame/OneMustFall2097'' as freeware as well.
** Epic then launched their own storefront to compete With Steam in 2019. They would give away up to two games weekly (and very rarely, three games). And while usually it would be indie titles up for grabs, Triple-A titles like VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV and VideoGame/SurvivingMars have come up for grabs in the past.

** Similarly, Creator/DisneyChannel has the complete first season of ''WesternAnimation/RapunzelsTangledAdventure'' on their [=YouTube=] channel.

** The latter has also made its home on [=YouTube=] with the official channel having the first 14 seasons (from ''[[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Mighty Morphin']]'' to ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]]''), ''[[Series/PowerRangersJungleFury Jungle Fury]]'' and ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge Dino Charge]]''.

* The [=YouTube=] channel for Creator/DisneyXD has uploaded the entire first seasons of both ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. The former also has [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbStarWars one of their crossover episodes]] uploaded. In addition, a number of episodes for ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', ''WesternAnimation/Recess'', ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndDaleRescueRangers'', ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'', and ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'' are also available on their [=YouTube=] channel.

* Every episode of ''Series/TheJoyOfPainting'' is available for free on the official Bob Ross [=YouTube=] channel.

* The Vietnamese FPS "7554" was re-released for free on the anniversary of one of the battles depicted in-game.

* The [=YouTube=] channel for Creator/DisneyXD has uploaded the entire first seasons of both ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', and ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017''. The former also has [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbStarWars one of their crossover episodes]] uploaded. In addition, a number of episodes for ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', ''WesternAnimation/Recess'', ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndDaleRescueRangers'', ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'', and ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'' are also available on their [=YouTube=] channel.

* Disney Junior has uploaded several episodes of ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' to their [=YouTube=] channel.