In an effort to draw new users to its platform, the Epic Games Store gives away free games on a weekly basis. Usually the Epic Games Store gives away two free games at any given time, but this week it changed things up, making The Spectrum Retreat its sole free game for the week of July 1 to July 8. Things will get back to business as usual next week, as the Epic Games Store has confirmed the two free games it's giving away starting July 8 at 10:00am CT.
On July 8, Epic Games Store users can snag Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead and Ironcast for free. For those who may not be familiar with the games, Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead combines the Bridge Constructor puzzle series with The Walking Dead TV universe. The primary goal of the game is to strategically build bridges to allow vehicles to safely traverse the post-apocalyptic world while killing zombies in the process.
Ironcast, meanwhile, is a turn-based strategy game set in an alternate history, steampunk version of the 1880s. It's a roguelite game featuring the titular "Ironcast" mechs, and earned mostly positive reviews at the time of its original release. Both games will be free to claim for Epic Games Store users with no strings attached until July 15 at 10:00am CT, at which point they will be replaced by new offerings.
What's unclear, though, is if the Epic Games Store will be giving away two free games on July 15 or just one. Usually the Epic Games Store gives away two free games at a time, but as is the case with the current free Epic Games Store game, The Spectrum Retreat, sometimes the company only gives away one free game for whatever reason. Regardless, fans will most likely get a week's notice when it comes to the next free Epic Games Store games.
Eventually, the Epic Games Store will likely switch back to its mystery game format. To promote the Epic Mega Sale, the Epic Games Store gave away mystery games every week, including some popular titles like NBA 2K21 and Among Us. Not knowing what the free game was each week seemed to drum up extra interest in the Epic Games Store's offerings, and so this format will almost certainly return at some point down the line.
In fact, it seems quite likely that the mystery game format will return this holiday season. The Epic Games Store free games advent calendar could be making a comeback as it proved quite popular last year, though nothing has been confirmed just yet.