Every Thursday, the Epic Games Store gives away a free game or two, typically announcing next week's offering in the process. The Epic Games Store has updated again as of Thursday, September 23, giving away a new free game for users to claim while also confirming what's coming to next week.

As of 10:00am CT on September 23, Epic Games Store users can claim The Escapists for their collection. The Escapists is a strategy game about breaking out of prison, proving popular enough to spawn spin-offs and a sequel game. Anyone interested in The Escapists can claim it for free from now until it's removed on September 30 at 10:00am CT, and the only requirement is having the Epic Games Launcher downloaded. Unlike other "free" game services, the Epic Games Store free games do not require any subscription fees.

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Meanwhile, the Epic Games Store has confirmed what free game fans can look forward to next week. From September 30 at 10:00am CT until October 7 at the same time, Epic Games Store users can add Europa Universalis 4 to their digital libraries. While it will be available on the last day of September, this technically makes Europa Universalis 4 the first free Epic Games Store game for October 2021.

epic games store free games october 2021

Europa Universalis 4 is one of the oldest games that the Epic Games Store has ever given away as a freebie, but it's also one of the better ones as well. Europa Universalis 4 is a grand strategy game that earned critical acclaim when it first launched in 2013, and has since been expanded on with numerous expansions and content updates. It's developed by Paradox Interactive, the studio most recently known for Crusader Kings 3, one of the highest-rated games of 2020.

When Europa Universalis 4 is given away next week, fans will likely learn about the next free game. It will be interesting to see if the Epic Games Store sticks to giving away one free game at a time, as it had been giving away two free games for quite awhile.

Later this year, it's likely that the Epic Games Store will stop revealing the next free game and return to its mystery game promotion. The Epic Games Store mystery games are a good way to drum up interest in the launcher, with Epic using it at the end of the year and during its Epic Games Store Mega Sale this past summer. No official plans have been announced at the time of this writing, however.

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