The Epic Games Store releases free titles every week. Its "Discover: Free Games" section occasionally offers customers several games at no cost. The free game swaps every week. As a result, attentive Epic Games Store users might have received hundreds of dollars of free games by now. While the Store and its exclusivity strategies often receive criticism from consumers, its free games are undoubtedly popular. During the month of April, Epic Store customers got very lucky. May's releases remain a mystery, but it certainly looks promising. If April is anything to go by, there could be several games released each week, and maybe even some new releases.

April was a solid month for the Epic Games Store. It marked a particularly generous moment for the service. In the last week of April, Epic Games pivoted to release over $100 of in-game content for Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. This was a somewhat surprising move for Epic, which normally only releases games on its service. The Store is set to release the open world RPG, Pine, on May 6. Despite the consistent release schedule, the huge variety in free game content over the past few months makes May's potential titles particularly exciting. Ideally, there would be a mix of free prestige titles, indie classics, and maybe even some new releases.

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Pine Is Free On The Epic Games Store Right Now

Pine on Steam

One of the free games for May that customers do know about is Pine. Pine will release for the first time on May 6. Moreover, it will release entirely free for its first week. The game is a deeply ambitious project from developers Twirlbound. Twirlbound released through publisher Kongregate, an incredibly popular online service that axed submissions to its free games portal last year. Kongregate as an online gaming portal had a 14 year history, and this near decade and a half of publishing seems to have pointed the site in a fascinating direction, as the platform transitions to an independent game publisher.

The prestige of this backing is shown in Pine. An incredible amount of ambition is present in this title, especially as it was Netherlands based Twirlbound's first outing (originally released in October 2019). The title is not available on the Epic Games Store yet, but will debut on the platform as its weekly free game. The premise is a unique one: It is a Breath of the Wild-style open world, action-adventure RPG. While this genre is full of unique takes, Pine's setting is one of them. Not only do humans live among animals, but humans never reached the top of the food chain. The game is a constant struggle for survival in a world that dynamically progresses.

Hitman

hitman 3 greed gun

Last month saw Epic Games release a free game that had already been free on the store before. Alien Isolation being free again was another example of the Store's incredible generosity in April. It would follow, therefore, that another previously free title might well make its way onto the "Discover" page again. Another classic title that has been free on the Epic Games Store in the past is 2016's Hitman. Back in August of 2020, IO Interactive announced the exclusive release of Hitman 3 on the Epic Games Store. Alongside this announcement, Hitman became free on the Epic Store to build hype for the upcoming title.

Hitman 3 has now been released, to much critical acclaim. Making the first game free would be a good move for the Epic Games Store, and fans of amazing stealth-action games. As the game's exclusive platform, the Epic Games Store needs to get gamers playing it using the Epic Games Launcher, so it would make perfect sense to make the first game in the series free once more. The games exist through the same Hitman launcher as different episodes, so if players get hooked on a free offering of the first game, then Hitman 3 becomes a much more tempting purchase.

RELATED: The Best Games Ever Given Away for Free on the Epic Games Store

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story

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April saw 3 Out of 10: Season 2 debut for free on the Epic Games Store. The game is half dramatic minigame puzzler, and half fully-animated sitcom. It set a recent precedent for games debuting free on the storefront to make an initial splash. While there is no confirmed news as to the exact release circumstances of this game, according to the Epic Games Store's front page, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is "coming soon." This is Riot Forge's first foray into indie publishing, supporting this game from indie developers Airship Syndicate.

Ruined King is an immersive turn-based RPG set in the universe of League of Legends. Players have to unite an unlikely group of champions from the original game. These champions will explore the town of Bilgewater and the Shadow Isles around it. The game features the visual stylings of comic book artist Joe Madureira and creates some gorgeous set pieces. More than anything else, the game provides the ultimate power fantasy — choosing which champions make up a League of Legends party. Seeing the game launch for free this month on the storefront in a bid to attract more players would not be a massive surprise.

Big Pharma

Big Pharma on Steam

Covid-19 is still an unfortunate global reality. What could be a better game to release free in the month of Covid vaccines than Big Pharma? The game is part business simulator, part logistics puzzle. These mechanics come with a light-hearted tone and clean, distinct aesthetics. Big Pharma is an opportunity to play through and simulate some disease control with no stakes. It also gives a bit of insight into the operation and competition of pharmaceutical companies. If Epic released this game free in May, it might make players glad that for once Big Pharma is on their side.

Pine will be free on the Epic Games Store on May 6.

MORE: Why The Epic Games Store Is Giving Away So Many Free Games