Every Thursday, Epic Games Store users can expect the launcher to give away at least one new free game, and this week is no exception. The Epic Games Store is currently giving away the well-received Galactic Civilizations 3 for free, with users having until next Thursday, January 20 at 10:00am CT to claim it. In the meantime, the Epic Games Store has also revealed the next free game that users will be able to add to their library once Galactic Civilizations 3 leaves the lineup.
On Thursday, January 20 at 10:00am CT and until Thursday, January 27 at the same time, Epic Games Store users can add Relicta to their digital libraries. Relicta is a game that first released in 2020 and earned mostly positive reviews when it launched. It's a first-person, physics-based puzzle game where players take control of a scientist stranded on an abandoned moon base. Critics at the time had praise for Relicta's atmosphere and puzzles, with the game favorably compared to some of the best first-person puzzle games out there.
More specifically, Relicta has drawn comparisons to puzzle game juggernauts like The Witness and Portal. And while the game didn't get nearly as much recognition as those games, perhaps it being given away for free through the Epic Games Store will help it find a much larger audience than it's ever been able to before.
Epic Games Store Free Games January 2022
- Galactic Civilizations 3 (January 13 - January 20)
- Relicta (January 20 - January 27)
While Relicta earned mostly positive reviews at the time of its release, it also wasn't without its critics. While it did get praise for its puzzles and was favorably compared to big puzzle games like Portal by some, others weren't as impressed, criticizing it for a lack of polish and for having a poorly-written story. There are definitely some split opinions when it comes to Relicta and what it brings to the table, but with it being a free Epic Games Store game, fans can try it for themselves and make up their own mind about it.
For now, Epic Games Store users can claim Galactic Civilizations 3 and they can look forward to adding Relicta to their collection once it's made free on January 20. When Relicta is removed from the Epic Games Store free games lineup on January 27, it will be replaced by another Epic Games Store free game, but it's likely that fans won't know what that new game is until next week.