Beginning March 20, Maxis is offering SimCity players their choice of one from eight free Electronic Arts titles via the publisher's Origin service, the company announced today.

The list of games consists of Battlefield 3, Bejeweled 3, Dead Space 3, Mass Effect 3, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Need For Speed Most Wanted, Plants vs. Zombies and SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition. For games with multiple editions, Maxis' offer extends to standard editions only.

North American players will have access to the free games portal by 5 p.m. PT on March 20. European players will be granted access at 5 p.m. PT on March 21, while Asia and South America will have access at 5 p.m. PT on March 22.

Players must also register their copy of SimCity before 11:59 p.m. PT on March 25, and claim their free title before March 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT. After this time, players will be unable to claim their free game.

To access the free games portal, players must register their copy of SimCity and log in to Origin, which will display a "Featured Today" pop-up window with a link. The reminder will be displayed until a free game is selected. If players do not see this window, Maxis suggests updating to the latest version of the Origin client or contacting EA customer service.

Earlier this month EA and Maxis announced that SimCity owners would not be given refunds for server issues, but would instead be offered a free game via Origin as a way to get the companies back into players' "good graces."