the full story
Three coworkers, one running list of free games.
Zentroville started as a way to fill three awkward weeks between contracts. It's now been running longer than some of the games on it.
October 2021, Victoria, BC
Dara Whitlock's contract at a marine-electronics shop on the Saanich Peninsula ended three weeks earlier than planned: a supplier fell through, and the shop cut back before the next order came in. Dara had a laptop that could barely run anything released after 2019, a Steam library full of games bought during sales and never opened, and no plans until the next job started.
She texted two people from the shop's radio-repair bench: Priya Nandan, who fixed the same handheld VHF units, and Cole Fenwick, who'd been quietly playing Brawlhalla on his phone during lunch breaks for the better part of a year. The idea was small: try one new free game a week, compare notes, see if anything was worth a second look. The "until I find work" part never really arrived. Dara's next contract started in December 2021. The weekly game night kept going anyway.
Why it's still four games, not forty
We've tried a lot more than four games since 2021. Most didn't last a month: a stamina timer showed up, the lobby turned unplayable after the first week, or it just stopped being fun once the novelty wore off. What's left is the short list: Destiny 2, Predecessor, Brawlhalla and Toribash, a co-op looter shooter, a MOBA, and two fighting games that don't play alike at all. The full removal criteria are on the How We Play page.
Honest caveat: we're not chasing the meta, we play what's fun after a long day. If you're after competitive tier lists and win-rate breakdowns, we're the wrong crew for that. Try a dedicated stats site instead.
Who's who
Dara Whitlock
Marine-electronics technician. Runs the weekly reset solo most Tuesdays before work, then drags the other two into whatever's left by Saturday. Started the crew in 2021.
Priya Nandan
Support engineer, fixes the same radio gear Dara does. The only one of the three with prior MOBA experience before 2024. She converted the rest of the crew to Predecessor within a month.
Cole Fenwick
Warehouse lead. Has read more Brawlhalla patch notes than product manuals at his actual job, and is the only one of the three who's ever landed a clean Toribash kick on the first try.
What we're not
We're not a games outlet, not a Steam curator page for hire, and not affiliated with Valve or any of the studios behind these four games. Nobody sends us early builds or review codes. Everything here we bought (well, downloaded, since it's all free) the same way anyone else would. See why we don't make money off this for the full breakdown.