Who wouldn’t love to build a massive game library for free? The Epic Games Store lets you do just that. It hands out free games every week. It sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. Trust me, I’ve tried it myself.
Gaming can be an expensive hobby, even for casual gamers. I’m afraid to check my External Funds Used page on Steam, to be honest.
Every Thursday at 11 a.m. EST, Epic makes one or two new free games available. You have seven days to claim it before the selection rotates. You need an Epic Games account with two-factor authentication enabled to claim the freebies.
Epic partners with developers and publishers to make this happen. This isn’t like one of Steam’s “free weekends” where you only get temporary access. When you claim a free game, it’s yours to keep. It stays in your library, even after it’s no longer available on the store for free. You can download and play it anytime you want.
It’s natural to be skeptical. However, there’s no catch — Epic’s free games are genuinely free. The platform can afford to give games away because it’s cost-effective compared to traditional marketing strategies.
Once you claim a game during its free week, it’s added to your library forever. You can download it immediately or years later without ever paying.
Epic’s free games program is free advertising for publishers and developers — many of whom are indie devs — and gamers get to fill their gaming library without entering their card details. Epic actually pays a flat fee for the titles, so everyone wins.
CEO Tim Sweeney says, “Epic and Steam compete for each customer and each sale. On some transactions, Epic wins. On more, Steam wins. But one thing is constant on every transaction: gamers and developers win by having more options and better deals.”
Epic uses these weekly giveaways as a customer acquisition cost to build a massive user base and compete with major rivals like Steam. It’s basically a loyalty-building program. The larger your Epic Games library gets, the more likely you are to become an active user on the platform. In 2021, over 56 million people actively used the Epic Games Store, which is roughly half that of Steam’s monthly user base.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has said it’s a great business strategy despite seeming counterintuitive. He called it “just magical” and “very economical.” “For about a quarter of the price that it costs to acquire users through Facebook ads or Google Search Ads, we can pay a game developer a lot of money for the right to distribute their game to our users, and we can bring in new users to the Epic Games Store at a very economical rate,” Sweeney said.
In fact, developers who give away games see an upsurge in the sales of paid games. Say Epic Games gave you Subnautica for free, and then you sink dozens or even hundreds of hours into it. You like it so much that you pay full price for Subnautica 2.
Before you can play the games you get from the Epic Games Store, you need to install the Epic Games Launcher. Once your download is complete, you can launch games. In addition to launching them from your library on your PC, you can play them on a Steam Deck or a ROG Xbox Ally.
Alternative platforms aren’t giving up without a fight. In early September, when Breathedge was free, Steam was offering 90% off. Steam pulled the exact same move with Styx: Master of Shadows a few months prior. Obviously, you can buy the game on Steam instead, but if it’s not a title that you’d buy otherwise, just get it for free via Epic.
I get it if you’re hesitant. Most gamers — me included — like having all their games in one place, so you have to do something big to get them to move their collection. Besides, many people aren’t particularly fond of Epic Games because the launcher lacks basic features such as in-store game reviews, forums and messaging.
To attract users, GOG takes a different approach to Epic, offering DRM-free games. DRM may require you to have a constant internet connection, limit the number of times you can install a game or block access after servers shut down. GOG exclusively provides DRM-free games, letting you play offline, back up files, install the game on as many devices as you want and skip using a launcher.
Epic’s catalog goes beyond obscure indie titles. There are usually lots of games from smaller developers, but there are occasionally AAA titles. Epic Games has given gamers titles like Caravan SandWitch, GTA V, Hogwarts Legacy, Control, Dragon Age Inquisition: GOTY Edition, Citizen Sleeper, INSIDE, BioShock Remastered and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 for free.
Epic can offer major titles because it negotiates directly with publishers. For instance, when a sequel is about to launch, Epic can pay them for the right to distribute the original game for free on the Epic Games Store, thus increasing the number of people invested in the franchise.
During special events, like the holidays, Epic may offer daily mystery giveaways. If you want to play titles like these without spending a penny, consider making an Epic Games account.
Creating an account is entirely free and doesn’t require a subscription. The only catch is that the Epic Games Store may not be available in your region, depending on the type of device you use. The Epic Games Store works on PC, Mac and Android worldwide. iPhone and iPad users can only access it within the European Union.
Why the weird location restrictions? Epic took Apple to court after Apple got mad that it tried to bypass the Apple App Store’s payment system with its own Epic Payment System. Understandably, Epic didn’t want to pay royalties on in-game purchases. In response, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store. There’s still bad blood between the companies.
To create an Epic Games account, enter your date of birth, email address and location details. Then, choose a display name and a strong password. Once you verify your email, you’re all set. If you only play on console, you can sign in via the PlayStation Network, the Xbox Network, or your Nintendo account.
When you create an Epic Games account, you are automatically enrolled in the Epic Rewards Program. Every time you spend money in the store, you earn a percentage back. Epic Rewards returns anywhere from 5% to 20% on games, add-ons and virtual currency. You can spend those rewards on future Epic Games Store purchases or even on in-game items.
Epic also gives out coupons during major sales and special events. For instance, the Connect and Save promotion gives you a $10 coupon just for subscribing to Epic Games Store emails and wishlist alerts.
The store also features excellent free-to-play options like Rocket League, Where Winds Meet, Genshin Impact, Valorant, The Sims 4 and Once Human. Between weekly epic free games, the rewards program and these permanent free titles, Epic frequently delivers deep discounts that other platforms rarely match.
Still have questions about Epic’s free games? We have the answers.
Weekly releases are surprises. To see current offerings and next week’s lineup, you can check gaming news sites, subscribe to Epic’s emails or visit the Epic Games Store homepage. The dedicated Free Games section shows what’s currently available and previews the next Thursday release.
Claimed games stay in your library permanently. In theory, this means it’ll stay in your library until the heat death of the universe. However, you own a license rather than the game itself, so Epic could theoretically revoke access. Don’t let that deter you — platforms like Steam and GOG also sell licenses that may technically be revoked at any time.
The bottom line is that, once you claim a free game, it’s permanently added to your library. You don’t need to download it immediately, and you never have to pay for it later. It’s yours to keep.
If you believe the reviews, Epic’s free games are great. Many are great indie titles, and some are well-known AAA titles. Epic usually gives a heads-up about the next free title about one week in advance. It also stages mystery events several times a year to keep things interesting.
You have to make an Epic Games account to claim the free games from the Epic Games Store. Then, you simply log in, go to the store page, find the free game, click “Get” and complete the checkout process.
There is literally no downside to claiming Epic’s free games. Set a weekly reminder for Thursday to log in, click “Get” and start building a massive PC gaming library for free. In just a few months, you’ll have a massive, varied collection, all without spending a penny.
